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Construction of the first of five solar fields planned by Mon Power is under way.
According to company officials, 50,000 solar panels have been installed in Monongalia County near the Fort Martin Power Station near Maidsville. It is expected to be online by the end of the year.
The five solar plants, including one proposed for an area north of Weirton, will produce a total of 50 megawatts of renewable power, officials note, with one megawatt of solar energy capable of powering a national average of 173 homes, according to statistics from the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Three of the planned sites already have been approved by the West Virginia Public Service Commission, with Fort Martin set to contribute 18.9 MW. The planned Rivesville site would produce 5.5 MW, while the planned Marlowe site would generate 5.7 MW.
The final two sites - Wylie Ridge near Weirton and a site near Davis - still must go before the PSC for approval, with Mon Power planning to make those applications when the company has commitments for 85 percent of the power to be generated from there.
Weirton, to be built on 51 acres adjacent to an existing substation, is planned to generate 8.4 MW, with Davis set for 11.5 MW. The projects initially were announced by Mon Power in the fall of 2021.
Mon Power has, to date, hired more than 100 union workers for Fort Martin, including 62 carpenters, 21 electricians, two iron workers, nine equipment operators and nine laborers.
Solar panels, racking systems and supporting electrical equipment was sourced in the U.S. and the companies are using local building and trade labor.