Investments in West Virginia natural resources could boost gas plants

Thrasher said the total investment in these plants will be about $1.3 billion.

Patrick Ford, executive director of the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle, said the Brooke County site is near Colliers, although original plans called for it to go at the former Wheeling Corrugating plant at Beech Bottom.

“That plant, itself, is about a $748 million investment,” Ford said.

The website for the Brooke County plant states it will create more than 1,000 jobs during the construction phase, while eventually leading to $440.5 million worth of economic activity per year.

Curtis Wilkerson serves as a spokesman for Energy Solutions Consortium, which is working to develop the natural gas-fired power plants in Brooke County and Harrison County. Each project, upon approval, would result in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investment, in addition to hundreds of construction jobs.

“We have been talking with the company in China for some time,” Wilkerson said Thursday, though he declined to further discuss financing of the power plants.

According to Wilkerson, the West Virginia Public Service Commission is considering the certificate to allow the plant, while other environmental permits are in the works. He said the PSC granted permission for the Harrison County plant, but it still needs other certificates.

“These are viable projects because of the vast shale natural gas in West Virginia,”Wilkerson said.

Another potential natural gas-fired power plant, Moundsville Power, remains stalled, although officials with Quantum Utility Generation still list it on their website.