BRISTOL, Va. (AP) - Dominion Energy says it has identified dozens of possible sites in the Virginia coalfields suitable for a pumped storage system.
The renewable energy systems use huge amounts of water as giant batteries, pumping it uphill and then letting it flow down to power turbines.
Republicans lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year to make it easier for utilities to build the systems and encourage them to establish sites in an abandoned coal mine. Advocates said it would help the economically depressed region.
Dominion spokesman Dan Genest tells the Bristol Herald Courier the company plans to narrow the list to five to 20 sites in the next couple of months, then hold public hearings and reach out to nearby landowners.
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