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by Alexia Stanbridge
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — Construction is now underway on the long-planned Randolph Solar Project in Charlotte County.
The massive solar farm Dominion Energy says will help meet rising electricity demand in Virginia. Some local leaders remain wary about the development, especially the scale of it.
Crews with Red Oak Excavating have started clearing land at the project site. Gene Hall, vice president of Red Oak Excavating, said work is in its early stages. “We're on the phase one where they're doing the construction trailer access road,” Hall said.
Dominion Energy says the project is designed to deliver renewable energy to thousands of customers. Alex Rendon, external affairs manager for Dominion Energy, said, “Randolph Solar is planned to be an 800 megawatt solar facility here in Charlotte County, Virginia.”
The solar panels are expected to cover more than 4,000 acres.
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Hall said the company’s local ties are a benefit as work begins. “Because we are local contractor. We know the area, we know the dirt, we know everything that's going on here … instead of a contractor coming in from out of state or something, doing the work, we know the area. I know the local people,” Hall said.
Still, not everyone views the project as progress. Charlotte County Board of Supervisors member Miller Adams said the project was approved four years ago and drew opposition from many residents. “I just hope that the developers do what they had agreed to do,” Adams said.
Adams also raised concerns about the amount of land involved. “We're charting an unknown territory with so much of the acreage in the county being devoted to this,” he said. “I just hope and pray that we have considered all the what-ifs,” Adams added.
Dominion Energy said the project will also generate tax revenue for the county, but company officials said the need for additional power is a key driver. “Here in Virginia, we're experiencing pretty unprecedented demand growth for electricity,” Rendon said.
Dominion Energy expects the Randolph Solar Project to be completed in about six years.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.

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