The Martin County Solar Project was developed by Savion and Edelen Renewables on a 1,200 acre former mountaintop coal mine, employing over 300 during construction.
Savion, a Shell Group portfolio company, announced that its 111 MW Martin County Solar Project in Martin County, Kentucky, started commercial operation. The solar facility is located on the reclaimed Martiki coal mine site in Pilgrim, Kentucky.
Savion told pv magazine USA that the project incorporates more than 214,000 solar panels on single-axis trackers with 38 inverters. The facility interconnects to Kentucky Power’s Inez Substation, which was already located on-site.
Over the next 40 years, the solar facility is expected to produce enough energy to power approximately 18,500 Kentucky homes annually.
The offtaker is Toyota Motor North America, which agreed to purchase 100 MW of the project and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) through a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) and Shell Energy North America, signed a VPPA to purchase the remaining 11 MW of the project.
Developing former coal mine sites into renewable energy facilities is seen as one way to bring jobs to what the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) calls “energy communities.” In March 2024, the IRS and Treasury Department announced additional guidance for determining what a qualified energy community is. Projects in energy communities can qualify for the production and investment tax credit bonuses available within the IRA. Tax adders are offered for projects within designated communities that are expected to face challenges in the transition away from fossil fuels.
The Martin County Solar Project is on a 1,200 acre former mountaintop coal mine that was closed in the 1990s. The brownfield site has clear access to light from the sun, making it an ideal location for reclamation and the installation of solar panels.
Construction of the solar energy facility began in October 2023 and concluded in December 2024, and employed more than 300 local people.
Savion is developing the project with the support of local partner Edelen Renewables, a Kentucky-based developer of renewable energy projects in former coal, oil and gas drilling and resource-producing regions from Texas to Kentucky.
