Dominion Energy has filed its largest request for solar projects with state regulators — including a project in Hampton Roads —  as part of its plan to meet long-term renewable energy goals set by the state six years ago.

The plan outlines a proposal for more than 1,400 megawatts of solar and energy storage projects — enough to power 350,000 homes. More than 1,000 megawatts of solar power and energy storage projects will be added from several large-scale projects constructed between 2027 and 2030.

It’s the company’s largest request for solar projects since the Virginia Clean Economy Act was signed by former Gov. Ralph Northam in 2020. The VCEA mandates Dominion Energy to produce 100% non-nuclear renewable electricity by 2045.

But in another filing, the company casts doubt on its ability to meet those impending clean energy deadlines given the growing electricity demands in the state. In its recently filed Integrated Resource Plan, Dominion said it does not see a viable way to meet energy demands without six new gas powered plants. The IRP also includes more investments in small modular reactors and two full-sized nuclear reactors in the coming years.

Each year, the company is required to file the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard with the State Corporations Commission, which regulates utilities. The SCC typically makes a decision on the plan in the spring of the following year.

About 70 megawatts of this year’s renewable energy portfolio plan will come from Bedford Solar, a 545-acre solar farm in Chesapeake’s southern end, according to the filing.

Bedford Solar will not be a new construction for the company. It was initially approved by the Chesapeake City Council in 2019 and became fully operational in 2021. Previously, Bedford Solar produced solar power to a single customer, the commonwealth of Virginia, but as that contract comes to an end, Dominion can now add it to its grid for its customers.

In the filing, director of business development Todd Flowers outlines the project’s benefits beyond its renewable energy capabilities. According to the filing, the site provides about $1.6 million in tax revenue to the city of Chesapeake and another $4.4 million to the state.

Other projects include Honeybee Solar, a 300-megawatt project in Brunswick County. Two others totaling 313 megawatts will be in Charlotte County, and a project in Greensville County — Pumpkinseed Solar — will operate similarly to Bedford Solar. Pumpkinseed Solar has already been built and is operational.

As demand for power increases by about 5% each year, the company touts an “all-of-the-above” approach to meeting demand. In its Integrated Resource Plan, the utility provider estimates it will be bringing on 33 gigabytes of energy in the next 20 years, with about 75% of new power generation being carbon-free.

Solar is anticipated to have the largest growth at 53% of the new energy. Natural gas is the second largest with 25%, wind comprises 10%, battery storage will be 6% and small nuclear reactors will be 6%. By 2045, Dominion estimates that 4% of its power will be imported.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com