TAZEWELL COUNTY, VA. – The massive two-billion dollar renewable energy project proposed by Dominion Energy in 2017 has officially been called off.
Watch our initial reporting by WVVA’s Joshua Bolden in 2017.
The project would have been located on the south side of East River Mountain, just west of Bluefield, Virginia called a “hydroelectric pump storage facility.”
It was projected to have created 2,000 jobs during construction and pull in millions in estimated tax revenue yearly for Tazewell County and nearby counties in a revenue sharing agreement.
The project would have taken around 10 years to complete bringing a huge economic boost to the area.
Watch WVVA’s Taylor Hankins follow up report in 2023.
The public relations director with dominion energy tells us development was stopped for a variety of reasons including the cost impact to customers, expiration of a federal energy regulatory commission permit, and availability of more affordable higher-capacity power generation options for customers.
Present-day Eastern District Supervisor Chuck Presley calling it a loss the county and surrounding area.
“We were all not as shocked. It’s been since the COVID when they stopped doing progress on the project and we have been asking questions,” said Presley.
The proposed power station would have brought $320 million annually in economic benefits during construction, $37 million a year after completion, and $12 million a year in tax revenue for local governments which would have meant more than $2.5 million dollars a year for Tazewell County.
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