Manchin, Energy Secretary Granholm Kick Off Two Day Visit To Showcase West Virginia Energy Opportunities

Morgantown, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm kicked off a two day visit in Morgantown and Harrison County, met with West Virginia state legislators to discuss an all of the above energy approach and announced a new collaboration between Steel of West Virginia, a West Virginia manufacturer, and Dominion Energy, Ørsted Wind Energy, and Eversource, leaders in the growing U.S. offshore wind industry.

 

“I am honored to welcome my good friend, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, to our wild and wonderful state. Today kicks off the Secretary’s first official trip to West Virginia where we’ll showcase the incredible work being done in West Virginia’s energy and manufacturing sectors,” said Senator Manchin. “This afternoon we also announced an exciting new collaboration between offshore wind companies and our very own Steel of West Virginia based in Huntington. This partnership is a great example of a project that would qualify for the 48C tax credit through my legislation which would reinvest the tax credit in coal communities hit hard by the downturn in the coal industry. It is my hope that with my bill, we will attract new manufacturing opportunities and expand on our current industry here in West Virginia. I look forward to showing Secretary Granholm more of our wonderful state tomorrow to demonstrate the promise and potential of our energy sector here in West Virginia.”

 

“I'm grateful to Senator Manchin for hosting me in West Virginia as we travel the state and hear directly from workers, business leaders, and innovators about the challenges facing the communities of this state, and the opportunities the Biden Administration can help them seize,” Secretary Granholm said. “Today's announcement is a reflection of what West Virginia can offer right away to this burgeoning clean energy market — the skilled labor and natural resources to produce the thousands of tons of steel to construct the country’s first Jones Act-qualified offshore wind turbine installation vessel. The American Jobs Plan makes clean energy investments that will create millions of jobs for the future, and West Virginians are uniquely poised to benefit and play a critical part in fueling America’s clean energy competitiveness.”

Steel of West Virginia employs 550 people in Huntington, West Virginia and provides high quality products for a variety of industries including construction, solar farms, recreational vehicles, shipbuilding, and many more. Under this new contract, Steel of West Virginia will supply parts to Dominion Energy, Ørsted Wind Energy, and Eversource for a new U.S. offshore wind turbine construction vessel for projects in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship will enter operations in 2023.

 

The American Jobs in Energy Manufacturing Act of 2021 would invest $8 Billion in American Manufacturing and Industry which would be available to manufacturers and other industrial users to retool, expand, or build new facilities that make or recycle energy-related products. The legislation includes a $4 billion carve out for use in communities where coal mines have closed or coal power plants have retired (that have not previously received the §48C tax credit).