Competitive Power Ventures covering former coal mine with 200-MW solar project

• The Maryland Public Service Commission provided Competitive Power Ventures a building permit on the 200-MWDC Backbone Solar Farm in Garrett County, Maryland.

The state's approval grants CPV permission to build Backbone Solar on former Vindex/Arch Coal mining sites north of the town of Kitzmiller. The mines worked as a significant financial contributor to the region for decades. The brand-new solar farm will certainly be sited on around 1,170 acres of the property. Construction is expected to begin later on this year.

" CPV is dedicated to driving The United States and Canada's transition to a clean, accountable power future while supplying favorable benefits for local communities," claimed Sean Finnerty, executive VP of CPV. "We have actually been working very closely with Garrett County and the state throughout the permitting procedure as well as anticipate even more cooperative efforts as we continue."

Backbone Solar stands for an around more than $200 million personal infrastructure investment in the region. It will certainly provide over 150 jobs throughout the 18-month construction process and also bring as long as $2.7 million in yearly local tax profits to Garrett County.

The solar farm will certainly produce adequate emission-free electricity to power an approximated 30,000 ordinary Maryland residences. Maryland has a clean energy target of 14.5% solar energy by 2028 and 50% renewable energy by 2030.

" As Garrett County works to recoup from the effect of the pandemic as well as various other economic stress and anxiety, state authorization of this considerable energy project is a really timely growth," said Paul Edwards, chairman of the Garrett County Board of Commissioners. "It is our share wish to see this project under construction as soon as possible."

CPV plans to do initial site preparation work as quickly as permit conditions permit, to expedite building and construction and also the benefits that CPV Backbone will provide the community.

"This project offers an array of economic as well as ecological benefits to the region as well as supplies a host of possibilities for regional companies to benefit," said Jennifer Walsh, executive supervisor of The Greater Cumberland Committee, a financial development organization in the region.