Now hiring: Eastern Kentucky solar project aiming to be economic driver in coal country

A massive, long-awaited solar project in Martin County will soon begin the process of hiring nearly 350 people, local and company officials said at a job fair Thursday.

The Martin County Solar Project aims to turn relatively flat land created by a surface former coal mine into a large, solar power-generating operation capable of producing 200 megawatts — enough electricity to power 27,000 homes, officials said.

“We believe that the people in Martin County and communities just like it throughout Appalachia, who powered this country for 100 years, are owed opportunities in a newer, greener economy,” said Adam Edelen, the CEO and founder of Edelen Renewables, the local development partner on the project. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Like much of Eastern Kentucky, Martin County has faced depopulation and economic uncertainty as the coal industry — which once formed the economic backbone of the community — continues a decades-long decline. The $231 million invested in the solar project will make it the largest private investment in the history of the county.

“We see this as an opportunity to take those skills developed in the coal industry and transfer them to other industries,” Lon Lafferty, the judge-executive in Martin County, told reporters after a press conference.

In July, the county recorded the highest unemployment rate in the state at 10.5%, data from the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet showed. The statewide unemployment rate was 3.8%.

In the second quarter of 2023, Martin County — with a population of over 11,000 — had 42 coal jobs, state data monitoring the coal industry showed.

Lafferty said he’d only heard good things locally about the project but said the strong turnout at the job fair spoke to how the people of the county felt.

“We don’t want to move out to other places,” Lafferty said. “We want to be able to work right here in Martin County.”

The job fair Thursday was well attended. Edelen, who was the state auditor from 2012 to 2016, said a line of close to 40 people had formed three hours prior to the event’s start and the job fair had to be moved from a ballroom to a larger gymnasium at the Roy F. Collier Community Center in Inez. The line numbered well over 100 and was growing by the time the event started.

Jonathan Delong, a job fair attendee who lives “like a minute” from the jobsite, said he felt the solar project was the best opportunity locally since the mines. He grew up dreaming of becoming a coal miner.

“When I was a little kid, that’s all I ever talked about,” Delong said. “Now that’s kind of fading in the past and I guess this is the new way. You got to adapt.”

From his spot in line, David Little said he was hoping to earn a better living than the $8.50 per hour he was making at a local grocery store. He counted at least three relatives who worked in mines and later died from black lung — an incurable disease caused by coal dust. His grandfather, Little said, made over $20 an hour while coal mining in the 1970s. During that work he was struck by a piece a metal that “cracked his head open.”

“I don’t want that for me or my children in the future,” Little said.

Wages will vary by position, said Teresa Robarts, who is running the hiring process for construction company Black and Veatch. The companies will help with specialized training and those lacking experience were encouraged to apply for the lower-level positions.

They’ll be hiring a variety of positions including basic laborers, warehouse workers, installers and electrical employees, Robarts said.

Those interested in applying should visit the project’s website and create a profile, Robarts said. No jobs are listed yet but will be in the coming weeks. Those with profiles will be able to apply.

Hiring will come in rounds over the next several months, Robarts said. They’re hoping to hire 175 people by December and 350 total by February as construction ramps up.

The solar project will begin construction in the coming weeks on the former Martiki mine site. The mine site already features a 138-kilovolt substation owned by Kentucky Power.

The substation once helped to power the mine and will be used to inject power into a regional energy marketplace called PJM, said Erich Miarka, the director of development with Savion Energy, the lead developer of the project. Toyota has already entered into a purchase agreement for energy from the site.

Once construction — a 12-18-month process — is complete, the number of workers needed will decrease and will be determined at a later date as the needs for upkeep, security and transportation become more clear.

“But it will be nowhere near as large,” Edelen said. “That’s why we’ve spent so much time partnering with the community and technical college system, other workforce development agencies to credential the folks who work here so they can work on other sites like the ones that I’m developing in the region.”

Edelen Renewables is also the local development partner on another recently announced project that will turn a former mine in Knott County into the largest solar project in Kentucky. Edelen said construction on the project is expected to begin in 2025.

The future of solar power in Kentucky is “bright,” Edelen said, but said the state government hasn’t created much of the incentives and regulations that help move these energy projects forward.

“What you’re seeing here today is such a powerful proof of concept that these projects can be brought to reality,” Edelen said.