Appalachian Power has filed its 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC). The IRP provides a blueprint for how the company will meet load obligations in the Commonwealth over the next 15 years using existing coal, natural gas and hydro generation plants and renewable energy contracts, while increasing utility-scale solar and wind energy as well as energy efficiency (EE) programs.
Appalachian currently submits its IRP with the SCC annually. Based on legislative changes, the next filing will be in 2022.
The IRP provides a forecast of the company's load requirements and a plan to meet those obligations with supply- and demand-side resources over 15 years while maintaining reasonable customer prices, reliable service, energy independence, and environmental responsibility.
The 2019 plan also addresses mandates for the company from the General Assembly's 2018 Virginia Act including construction of 200 megawatts (MW) of in-state utility-owned solar, $140 million in company requested EE programs, and potential investment in up to 10MW of new battery storage installations.
"This plan continues Appalachian Power's generation philosophy of delivering reliable and diversified generated power for the future at a reasonable price to our customers," said Chris Beam, Appalachian's president and chief operating officer. "We will continue to rely on fossil-fueled generation, but based on lower costs and growing customer expectations there will be increasing contributions of renewable resources, energy efficiency programs and other innovations in our energy mix."
The company's preferred plan includes:
The assumed availability by 2021 of planned 15MW solar facility near Rustburg;
The addition of 300MW of wind energy by 2023; no additional wind before 2033;
The addition of 450MW utility scale solar by 2028, 1,500MW by 2033;
The addition of 10MW of battery storage resources by 2021;
The implementation of EE programs reducing energy requirements by 121 gigawatt-hours (GWh) and summer capacity by 114MW by 2033;
The assumed addition of 82MW of customer-owned distributed generation, primarily rooftop solar, by 2033; and
Continued operation of existing coal and gas-fueled generating plants, hydro-electric facilities, and wind resources; and the expected retirement of Clinch River Units 1 and 2 in 2026.
Appalachian Power no longer owns or operates coal-fueled generation plants in Virginia. Its last coal plant was converted to natural gas and it operates six hydro-electric generating dams in the Commonwealth. It operates fossil-fueled plants in West Virginia and Ohio.
The SCC will schedule a public hearing for Appalachian's 2019 IRP. The complete filing may be found on the SCC website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case.
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric companies in the United States. AEP is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to customers. AEP's more than 18,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,340 megawatts of renewable energy.
