CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Growth is the overall theme of an annual energy conference this year — growth in the coal industry, natural gas, manufacturing and other sectors that keep the Mountain State going.
Energy industry leaders were once again brought together for the annual Governor’s Energy Summit. It’s being held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center October 29 and 30.
Director of the West Virginia Office of Energy and Acting Secretary of Commerce Nick Preservati told MetroNews the theme of growth and expansion in West Virginia’s energy climate is fitting as there are so many more opportunities which are arising.
“We see that everyone has a seat at the table, we see that there’s opportunity for all industries and all energy sources in West Virginia to grow,” Preservati said.
Expanding coal exports, creating new coal, gas and manufacturing markets, as well as the latest developments with West Virginia’s newest ARCH2 production hub in Morgantown that opens up the doorway for hydrogen production in the state were all specific topics being discussed at the summit Tuesday.
Preservati said the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations $928 million federal grant for ARCH2, or the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, which opened up at WVU’s Innovation Corporation’s facility in August will help build a safe, clean hydrogen ecosystem across four Appalachian states.
He said it’s helping to launch numerous hydrogen projects throughout West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky which will be used for power generation, manufacturing, transportation and various other sectors.
Preservati said the ARCH2 hub is also helping to grow and modernize the state’s energy productions through the expansion of base-load generation, which is energy that’s always there.
“Sources of base-load, typically in West Virginia it has always been coal, and we’re looking at continuing to keep it coal, natural gas, but expanding it to hydrogen, geothermal, possibly nuclear, so hydrogen is a part of that growth strategy for West Virginia to be able to provide more energy to not only the state, but the region and the country,” he said.
Preservati said coal, however, still is in fact a very crucial part of the base-load energy generation effort, and an extremely reliable one, as the focus now shifts to how the state can navigate its production for the future.
He said again, it’s about growth and expansion, and in this case, how they can expand opportunities for coal production to use for the modern energy industry.
“How do we expand the markets of coal and not just use it for power generation, but using it for graphite, graphene, utilizing the rare minerals from coal, and increasing our coal exports to other areas, so I think we need to not just focus on coal in its place in power generation, but other opportunities for coal as well as the other sources,” said Preservati.
President of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association Bill Bissett was one of the keynote speakers at the energy summit and was going to be joining the panel on expanding coal and manufacturing markets in the state.
He said as a representative of a company that makes things, energy is a real concern.
“We know there’s going to be a lot more demand in the future and I’m hoping that as a native West Virginian, we can provide those electrons that are going to help people make things, not only in the Mountain State, but across the country,” he said.
While West Virginia’s history goes back to fossil fuel production alone, Bissett said no one energy source should be left out of the future prospects for the state.
He said there’s a role for not only fossil fuels, but nuclear, solar and wind.
Bissett said the key is for all forms of energy be expanded because of new opportunities and an increasing demand for them in areas such as AI, Crypto, and data centers.
“The demand in this country is going to go exponentially greater,” said Bissett. “We can be a solution to that as West Virginia, and build our economy at the same time.”
Preservati said people often do not realize the magnitude of what it means for West Virginia to be the fourth largest energy producer in the country.
“If we were a country by ourselves, we would be in the top 20 in the world,” said Preservati. “We are an energy producer, and what happens in West Virginia has an impact globally, and that’s why people realize that and realize that we have a stage not just nationally but globally.”
In addition to the ongoing expansion opportunities at this year’s energy summit, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito were expected to be recognized for their efforts in energy leadership in the state.
Manchin was going to be recognized Tuesday for his efforts in strengthening the country’s energy security.
Capito was going to speak at Wednesday’s Women in Energy Breakfast and become West Virginia’s first recipient of the Women in Energy Award, which recognizes women in the industry who often feel they’re a minority, as well as the challenges that can bring.
Then, former four-time Super Bowl champion and Pittsburg Steelers football player and Vietnam veteran Robert “Rocky” Bleier was set to close out this year’s summit at Wednesday’s lunch as the keynote speaker for a discussion about facing adversity.