Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Improvements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Quarterly CIP update: recyling center, EV chargers and solar power purchase agreements advance; Dominion interconnection remains hurdle
Summary
County staff reported progress on multiple capital projects — Sterling recycling drop‑off, completed EV charger locations, River Bend school walkways and Western Loudoun Recreation Complex procurement — and outlined a plan to use power purchase agreements for solar, but noted uncertain Dominion interconnection costs could affect PPA economics.
Loudoun County staff told the Finance Committee on July 8 that multiple capital projects made substantive progress in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025 while some renewable energy plans face utility interconnection costs that must be resolved before projects can move forward.
Ernie Brown of the Department of General Services reviewed highlights including the Sterling Recycling Drop‑Off Center, which he said is scheduled to be available for use in August pending weather and planting season timing for landscaping. River Bend reached substantial completion with only a walking bridge remaining, and Horsepen Run stream restoration has advanced to preliminary design and a tree survey; Brown said green trees will be retained, yellow trees are “iffy” and red trees will be removed as part of restoration.
Brown also briefed the committee on electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Phase 1 identifies 32 county locations; 10 are complete (Sterling Community Center, Dulles South Rec, Lucas Community Center, Pennington Park garage and others). The government center garage installation is due to start in August but required additional power capacity work.
On renewable power, staff said the board authorized pursuit of power purchase agreements (PPA) with a vendor selected through an RFP process (named Madison in the presentation). Staff described PPAs as a way to install solar with no upfront county capital, with the vendor handling operations and maintenance and the county paying the vendor through its electric bill. The Ashburn Recreation Center example presented showed a potential project covering roughly 45% of on‑site usage and avoiding an estimated 15,000 tons of CO2 over the contract life, with projected net energy cost savings up to about $230,000 over a 25‑year PPA under the staff’s assumed energy escalation and incentive scenarios.
Brown warned that three factors could materially change savings estimates: energy escalation assumptions, availability of federal incentives, and Dominion Energy interconnection costs. He noted Dominion has required significant interconnection work on some PPAs in the region; staff has not yet received final cost estimates and said the contractor is working the issue. Fairfax County has experienced similar delays.
Committee members asked whether solar over parking lots and battery storage have been considered; staff said canopy arrays are more expensive (steel costs) but ground‑mounted arrays and battery storage are part of ongoing scoping studies. Staff recommended more careful sequencing and funding of CIP projects and suggested some increased use of debt capacity to keep pace with inflation and project costs.
No formal committee action was required on the quarterly recap itself; the committee later approved broader CIP guidance and updated debt issuance planning (see separate article).
