DEP Approves Permit For 400 MW, 2,716 Acre Mineral Basin Solar Energy Project On Abandoned Mine Land In Clearfield County

On July 12, the Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the PA Bulletin it has issued a Chapter 105 encroachments permit for the 400 MW, 2,716 acre Mineral Basin Solar Energy Project in Girard and Goshen Townships, Clearfield County on current and abandoned coal mine land.  (PA Bulletin, page 4765)

The utility-scale solar facility will generate enough energy to power more than 70,000 homes.  It will be the largest solar facility in Pennsylvania.

The project expects to create more than 750 construction jobs and six operations jobs, while providing $1.1 million in annual tax revenue to townships, the county, and local school district.

In addition to direct job creation, Mineral Basin Solar Power, LLC plans to invest nearly $20 million in economic development to remove barriers to economic mobility and create opportunities for youths and adults seeking to upskill, right-skill, and reskill across high-demand sectors in the 27-county region.

As part of its existing Community Benefits Plan, once operational, it will contribute $500 for every megawatt generated annually to Goshen and Girard townships for community improvements of over $200,000 per year.

Visit the Mineral Basin Solar Energy Project website to learn more about this project.

(Photo: Reclaimed abandoned mine land site for the solar project.)

Resource Links:

-- US DOE Awards Mineral Basin Solar Project In Clearfield County $90 Million For 402 MW Facility On Abandoned Mine Lands; Filling Gap Left By Closure Of Homer City Coal-Fired Power Plant  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Feds Offer $90 Million For Vast Solar Array On PA Mine Land

-- The Allegheny Front: Largest Solar Project In PA To Be Built On Former Coal Mine With $90 Million Federal Grant

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-- ReImagine Appalachia Hosts July 15-16 In-Person Workshop On Applying For RISE PA Industrial Decarbonization, Energy Efficiency Grants In Pittsburgh  [PaEN] 

-- Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance, Bucknell Post Presentations From Conference On Using Abandoned Mine Pools As Resources  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Opens Next Electric Capacity Auction Bidding Window Of July 9 to 15 For 2026-27 Electric Delivery; Hold Your Breath!  [PaEN] 

-- US Dept. Of Energy Releases Report On Electric Grid Reliability, Security Saying Generation Growth Must Match Needs Of A.I. Data Centers;  But What About ‘Ordinary People’?   [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Spotlight PA: Popular Solar Energy For Schools Program Might Soon Go Dark

-- MCall Guest Essay: Raising Clean Energy Requirement Good Move For Pennsylvania - By Flora Cardoni, PennEnvironment, & Jim Brown, Audubon Mid-Atlantic

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Proposed RESET Energy Facility Siting Board Must Be Scrapped - By Dr. Barbara Brandom, Concerned Healthcare Providers of PA & Mark Oseicki  [House Bill 502]

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: From Slag Heap To 70-Acre Solar Energy Facility: Pittsburgh Transforming Swisshelm Park Site 

-- Scranton Times: Solar Energy Facility Proposed In Scott Twp., Lackawanna County

-- TimesOnline: Tamaqua Boro Hears Lehigh Anthracite’s Solar Energy Facility Plans In Schuylkill County   [PDF of Article]  

-- The Derrick: Solar Developer Mum On Reason Behind Cancellation 325 Acre Project In Cherrytree Twp., Venango County  [PDF of Article] 

-- Altoona Mirror: Wind Turbine Makes Its Way To CPV Rogues Wind Farm In Cambria County 

-- TribLive: Massive Wind Turbine Blade Slices Into Westmoreland County Business 

-- Altoona Mirror: Cambria County Windmill Superloads May Slow Traffic Through Bedford, Clair, Cambria, Somerset Counties Thru Mid-September

-- Utility Dive: Solar Energy Generation Expected To Rise By A Third This Summer: EIA

-- Reuters: President Calls Wind, Solar Energy Bad For Power Grid; Texas Shows Otherwise 

-- White House: President Issues Executive Order To Eliminate Subsidies For ‘Unreliable’ Green Energy Sources Like Wind, Solar; Implement Foreign Entity Of Concern Restrictions 

-- Reuters: President’s Executive Order Seeks To End To Wind And Solar Energy Subsidies 

[Posted: July 12, 2025]  PA Environment Digest