Array of solar panels shine on a bright day.

A new 111 MW solar power facility has been built on reclaimed land at a former coal mine site in Kentucky. Earlier this month, the facility entered commercial operation. The Martin County Solar Project (MCSP) is among the largest solar farms in the state and also one of the first U.S. solar facilities located on former coal mine land. Savion, a Shell Group portfolio company, developed, built, and operates the facility.

The 850-acre project includes more than 214,000 bifacial solar panels and interconnects to Kentucky Power’s Inez Substation already located at the site. The MSCP project received approval from the Martin County Fiscal Court and Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in December 2021 for a $231 million industrial revenue bond, along with a $600,000 sales tax incentive through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act.

The project has a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) with Toyota Motor North America for 100 MW of the project and associated Renewable Energy Credits (REC). The other 11 MW of the project will go to Shell Energy North America.

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