MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Commission and Longview Power are working on a PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, agreement for the $1.1 billion solar and natural gas expansion planned for the coal-fired power plant on Fort Martin Road.
This will be the second such agreement between the power producer and the county. As incentive to build the 710 megawatt, $2.2 billion coal plant locally, Longview signed a PILOT agreement in 2003 worth $105 million over 40 years.
The new PILOT will be worth an additional $58 million to the county, according to Longview representatives.
Longview announced in February it’s plans to pursue an “all-of-the-above” strategy, combining what it calls the most efficient coal-fired facility in the western hemisphere with a 1,200 megawatt natural gas plant on Forth Martin Road and a 350-acre solar array, the majority of which will be located in Pennsylvania.
When the sun is shining, the solar arrays will generate about 70 megawatts, offsetting a significant portion of the power used to operate the coal plant.
Longview Chief Operating Officer Stephen Nelson said the solar and gas projects remain in the permitting process and he anticipates construction could begin as early as late 2020. Project completion is currently slated for late 2023.
Commissioner Sean Sikora cautioned Wednesday’s action is just the first step in what promises to be a long journey.
“They’ve been a good partner and I’m looking forward to extending this relationship as we get down the road,” Sikora said. “But I will caution, the last time it was a long process. They signed the agreement in 2003, started construction in 2007 and the first payment was in 2012, so we’ve got a long way to go.”
The Monongalia County Development Authority will serve as the intermediary between the county and Longview.
Russ Rogerson, president and CEO of the Morgantown Area Partnership — the umbrella entity under which the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, Monongalia County Development Authority and Campus Neighborhoods Revitalization Corp. (Sunnyside Up) operates — said PILOT agreements are one of the tools available to the county when it comes to attracting investors.
“It’s competition. They could’ve put that plant in Pennsylvania. They could have put that plant in any number of locations. You’re competing at the economic development level for jobs and investment,” Rogerson said. “So, when appropriate, you use your tools to be successful. This is an example of using an economic development tool to land a very desirable project with high investment.”
In other county news, the commission:
- Approved $2,800 for continued efforts to make the McCurdysville Community Building more ADA compliant. That money will be pulled from $30,000 in coal severance funds set aside for community building projects across the county.
- Signed a proclamation recognizing Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week.
- Held a moment of silence at 10:03 a.m., the approximate time United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pa after being hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001.
