Powering West Virginia ’ s Clean Energy Economy
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West Virginia has long served as one of America ’ s leading energy producers and exporters . Invenergy is a proud member of the state ’ s energy producing community , and the company is excited to expand its West Virginia development footprint to meet the nation ’ s growing energy needs .
Founded in 2001 and based in Illinois , Invenergy is a privately held developer , owner and operator of sustainable energy generation and storage facilities . The company has successfully and safely developed more than 190 wind , solar , natural gas and advanced energy storage projects across the Americas , Europe and Asia . These renewable energy facilities total over 30,000 megawatts , which is enough electricity to power more than 8.9 million homes . Invenergy supported 8,510 construction jobs in 2020 and invests more than $ 250 million in the communities where it has projects every year .
Currently , less than 3 % of West Virginia ’ s energy production comes from wind energy , and the state ranks 25th in the nation for wind energy production capacity . As the energy matrix transforms over time , Invenergy stands ready to contribute to a new and more diverse energy economy across the Mountain State .
Invenergy is especially proud of the Beech Ridge Wind Farm , its inaugural West Virginia project , located in picturesque Greenbrier County . The Beech Ridge Wind Farm first became operational in 2010 and continues to produce 188 megawatts of energy that provides low-cost , clean energy to more than 41,000 homes in the region .
The project was expanded into the Beech Ridge Energy Storage project in 2015 and Beech Ridge Wind II in 2020 and supports 12 permanent operations and management jobs . Each year , the Beech Ridge projects contribute over $ 3 million to Greenbrier County ’ s local economy via landowner lease payments , local taxes and employee wages and benefits . This projectgenerated revenue increases property , state and local tax dollars that fund improvements to critical infrastructure such as roads , schools and emergency services . Unlike many new developments , a wind farm does not overburden the roads and other infrastructure the community relies on every day .
“ People always ask where we come from . We ’ re local guys here — we all live within an hour of the site . The people that work here are part of the community ,” says Keith Dempsey ,
Beech Ridge Wind ’ s operations and maintenance manager . “ We share this mountain with several operations that include mining and logging . We have good relationships with these parties ; we were even approached by a coal mine about providing power . We don ’ t have the coal versus wind stigma on-site .”
Invenergy is currently working on the proposed 80-megawatt Short Mountain Wind Farm in Hardy County , another responsibly sited project that achieves optimal use of rural land located on an undeveloped and privately owned ridgeline in Baker , WV . The proposed wind farm will not impact the use of the sparsely populated land located on the eastern and western faces of the mountain — making it an ideal location to operate wind turbines .
Like Beech Ridge Wind , Short Mountain Wind will bring local , goodpaying jobs and tax revenue for public services — like schools , police and fire departments — to Hardy County . Over the life of the project , Short Mountain Wind will deliver over $ 12 million in local taxes , landowner payments and wages and benefits . Construction of the project will create 150 jobs , and once operational , Invenergy estimates up to four permanent , full-time operations and maintenance positions .
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