Dominion Virginia Power says it has started commercial operations at its Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County.

The energy provider says the 585-megawatt power station in St. Paul was placed in commercial operation late Tuesday.

Dominion says the $1.8 billion power station uses coal, waste coal and biomass to produce enough to power 146,000 homes at peak demand. The company says the station is among the cleanest U.S. coal-fired power stations in terms of air emissions.

It began work on the plant in June 2008 and employed nearly 2,400 construction workers at its peak.

The company says the plant is part of its plan to meet an anticipated growth of nearly 4,000 megawatts in electricity demand in Virginia during the next decade.