Amazon’s 80MW Virginia plant clears final hurdles in development

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliff has announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality provided a final Permit by Rule for the 80MW Amazon Solar Farm US East — a PV project developed and owned by Community Energy in eastern Virginia.

Slated to be developed in Accomack County starting in late 2015, the project will stand as the largest solar installation developed in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. The solar facility has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with cloud technology company Amazon Web Services (AWS). Power generated at the site will be delivered into the electric grids that power Amazon Web Services’ data center activities in the central and eastern US.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

McAuliffe said: “The partnership between Community Energy and Amazon Web Services, which will result in the largest solar facility in the Mid-Atlantic, is indicative of the types of opportunities that my Administration is working toward through our commitment to build a new Virginia economy. The solar energy industry holds tremendous potential for economic growth in Virginia in the coming years, and I look forward to bringing more projects like this to the Commonwealth.”

Brent Alderfer, president of Community Energy, added: “This solar project is a first for Virginia and a giant step forward for clean power on the East Coast. With this project, Virginia jumps to the lead in attracting the energy industry of the future, with web-technology leader Amazon Web Services as the first customer.”

Read Next

October 2, 2026
Welcome to the PV Tech Best of the Week roundup, covering the week’s biggest stories from the global solar PV industry.
Premium
October 2, 2026
The US solar industry is contending with variable module quality as new suppliers jostle to serve this lucrative market.
October 2, 2026
Independent power producer (IPP) ContourGlobal and community-owned public power utility Platte River Power Authority have completed construction of a 324MW solar PV complex in the US state of Colorado.
October 2, 2026
Germany is on course to produce over 600,000 tonnes of solar PV waste material by 2030, potentially worth billions in aluminium and silver.
October 2, 2026
Renalfa IPP and Danish renewables developer Eurowind Energy have began commercial operations at a 242MWp solar-plus-storage hybrid park in Bulgaria.
October 2, 2026
First Solar has filed a patent lawsuit against JA and some of its subsidiaries, as well as American Panel Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Corning.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
February 2, 2027
London, UK