By Steven Allen Adams
For The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Charleston – Gov. Patrick Morrisey and other West Virginia leaders praised President Donald Trump Thursday for approximately $700 million in federal investment in coal-fired power generation, including in West Virginia.
Trump held a ceremony at the White House Thursday afternoon, attended by Morrisey and 2nd District Congressman Riley Moore, to announce he was using the Defense Production Act to repurpose up to $700 million in environmental funds for investments in energy infrastructure, improvements to existing coal-fired power plants, and new coal-fired power plant construction.
“Today, we’re taking historic action to bring down the price of energy and the cost of living for all Americans with the power of clean, beautiful coal,” Trump said, surrounded by members of Congress, governors, and administration officials.
Of the $700 million, approximately $425 million would be distributed to 13 coal-fired power plants in 10 states, including West Virginia. Details on which West Virginia coal-fired plant would receive funding were unavailable. The Defense Production Act, a relic from the early days of the Cold War, gives the president emergency authority to use federal resources to help vital industries.
“These were incredible plants, so productive, really producing a lot of the electricity,” Trump said. “Our actions will allow these facilities to invest in upgrades that will extend their operational lives for decades into the future, reinforce the reliability of our electric grid, which is really the biggest beneficiary, and, most importantly, keep electricity prices very low for the American people.”
Another $200 million would be made available in U.S. Department of Energy grants to fund construction of a new coal export terminal in Oakland, Calif., and to build two new coal-fired power plants – one for Alaska and one for West Virginia. These would be the first new coal-fired power plants since 2013.
“Coal is a great business, really a big business,” Trump said. “And it’s real power. In terms of power, there’s really nothing like it.”
The proposed plant, by company TerraSpark, would be located near the existing Mount Storm coal-fired power plant in Grant County, producing 1.6 gigawatts of power and utilizing carbon capture technology. The project will receive up to $18.5 million in federal funding.
“We’re honored to receive support from the Department of Energy as we move this project forward,” said Bill Tolpegin, partner at TerraSpark. “Electricity demand in the United States is growing rapidly, and we need infrastructure that can keep up. This project is about delivering reliable power when it’s needed, creating skilled, good-paying jobs, and helping advance carbon management technologies that strengthen America’s energy future.”
The TerraSpark Energy Campus would also play host to a 10-acre West Virginia Coal Innovation and Training Center through West Virginia University for research in rare earth mineral extraction and development of advanced materials. The company estimates the project could create up to 500 permanent jobs.
“President Trump is the first president in my lifetime to prioritize America’s coal industry and recognize the vital role that clean, beautiful coal plays in our nation’s energy future,” said Moore, R-W.Va. “It was an honor to be in the Oval Office today to hear President Trump announce a brand new coal-fired plant will be built right in West Virginia’s Second Congressional District.”
“This new coal plant … is exactly the kind of energy project that will provide affordable, reliable electricity to power America’s industrial resurgence, strengthen our nation’s energy security, drive down West Virginians’ energy prices, and sends a message that America’s future is coal-fired,” Moore continued.
According to Trump the $700 million investment will support over 14,000 jobs and save Americans approximately $50 billion in electricity costs. Speaking during Thursday’s event, Morrisey thanked Trump and his administration for investing in the state and supporting the coal industry.
“I would like to say, Mr. President, all West Virginians are so deeply grateful to you for your focus on protecting their energy jobs,” Morrisey said. “The coal miners know the incredible importance of why we’re here today, and to talk about the potential for new coal-fired power plants, that excites them. And I think West Virginians are really inspired because we’re America’s energy state.”
“We believe that your policies are going to allow America to compete and win,” Morrisey continued. “And West Virginia is going to supply the coal, the gas, the nuclear to help make that happen. So, I’m very excited by everything you’re doing, even some of the relatively small things. When you come in and you sign agreements with your administration, putting hundreds of people back to work, it’s all making a big difference for West Virginia.”
When asked about the pending announcement Thursday morning during a conference call with West Virginia reporters, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito welcomed the potential investment in coal-fired power.
“This is welcome news,” said Capito, R-W.Va. “That’s more jobs, that’s more power … I think it’s great news for our region, but it’s also great news for the nation, because it’s providing (power) so we don’t have grid outages. We have an insatiable need for more power and this will help fill that gap.”
“I’m really proud to say that today is a stake in the sand for our miners that get up every day, men and women alike who get their dinner bucket, and go out to work, every single day, and oftentimes, they are simply taken for granted,” said U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., in a joint statement released Thursday evening. “But today, we have President Trump standing up for all our miners and for all of us. Coal is in our DNA in West Virginia, and we are ready to continue steering America towards energy dominance.”
“The War on Coal has had devastating effects for West Virginia,” said U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va. “What was once a booming state has experienced population decline and a steady erosion of its working class base. I am grateful that President Trump is acknowledging this challenge and investing in the coal industry through this ‘Beautiful Clean Coal’ initiative by supporting a vital sector that serves as the backbone of so many American industries.”
Last year, the Department of Energy announced that it would implement a $625 million plan to halt the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants, retrofit and modernize the nation’s existing fleet of coal-fired plants. Of that, $350 million was to be used to recommission closed coal-fired power plants and retrofit all plants to operate more efficiently and add reliability to the power grid. Another $175 million would be used for coal-fired power plants in rural areas.
“No coal, no modern world,” Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday. “Stated another way, without clean, beautiful coal, the modern world is impossible … That’s $700 million of government funding, but it’s matched with $1.7 billion of private investment from the owners and operators of those plants. All the people in those states that say, phew, we don’t have to kick our industry out and raise electricity prices again.”
According to the state Public Energy Authority, West Virginia has nine coal-fired power plants accounting for 88.9% of the electricity generated in the state, or a combined net summer capacity of more than 13,000 megawatts. According to a March 2026 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, West Virginia is the nation’s fourth-largest energy producer and second largest coal producer behind Wyoming.
Despite the state’s energy largely being supplied by several coal-fired power plants, coal mining in the state has declined over decades due to a national decrease in coal-fired electric generation. Half of West Virginia’s coal is exported to other countries
PJM Interconnection, the multi-state regional grid that West Virginia participates in, frequently dispatched nuclear and natural gas to meet demand before dispatching coal. And renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, have occasionally exceeded the use of coal for grid energy.
“In 2025, 88 percent of all new electric generation added to the grid was from renewables, and renewables have dominated the market for years,” said Jim Kotcon, conservation chair for the West Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club, in a statement Thursday. “Investing in coal is a denial of economic realities and a taxpayer bailout for coal barons, but it will not lower our electric bills. What’s next, taxpayer subsidies for buggy whip factories? Renewables are Cheaper, Cleaner, Faster and Safer.”
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