A 111-MW solar power facility built on reclaimed land at a former coal mine site in Kentucky has entered commercial operation. The Martin County Solar Project (MCSP), developed, built, owned and operated by Savion—a Shell Group portfolio company—is now among the largest solar farms in the state and also one of the first U.S. solar power facilities located on former coal mine land.
Savion on Jan. 14 announced the start of operations of MCSP. The solar farm was built on land formerly used by the Martiki coal mine in Pilgrim, Kentucky. Savion is the sole owner of the facility, while Shell serves as the project’s asset manager.
“The critical partnerships among the Martin County Judge Executive and Fiscal Court, local community members, educational advocates, economic and workforce development leaders, as well as the teams working on the ground were essential to helping bring this unique solar facility online,” said Nick Lincon, president of Savion. “Years ago, Savion saw the exceptional opportunity to develop a solar project on a former coal mine in the great state of Kentucky, which has a rich history of energy generation in this country and continues to demonstrate its commitment to powering our nation through creative solutions such as this one. We’re proud to be able to bring this project into operation and grateful to everyone who made this project a reality.”
The 850-acre project includes more than 214,000 bifacial solar panels. It interconnects to Kentucky Power’s Inez Substation, which is already located at the site. Kentucky Power is part of American Electric Power (AEP). AEP, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, serves customers in 11 states.
The MSCP project in December 2021 received approval from the Martin County Fiscal Court and Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority for a $231 million industrial revenue bond, along with a $600,000 sales tax incentive through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act. Construction began in October 2023 and was completed in December of last year.
The project has a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Toyota Motor North America for 100 MW of the generation from the site. Shell Energy North America has a VPPA for the other 11 MW.
“Respect for the planet is one of our company’s core values,” said Willie Overmann, carbon neutrality business manager for Toyota Motor North America. “We demonstrate this value by striving to go beyond carbon neutrality with our products, services, and operations and find new ways to make a positive impact on our planet and society. This virtual power purchase agreement with Savion embodies the transparent, science-based approach we take when addressing one of the most complex challenges of our time.”
Savion, which develops utility-scale solar and energy storage projects in the U.S., has a portfolio of more than 43 GW of generation capacity. The company worked with Kentucky-based Edelen Renewables during the development phase of the MCSP. The project received a certificate of construction from the Kentucky State Siting Board in November 2021.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
