Manchin Hosts Bill Gates In West Virginia To Highlight WV Energy

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, welcomed Bill Gates, Founder of Breakthrough Energy, to West Virginia to highlight the role the Mountain State has played in powering our nation and showcase the opportunities — made possible through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — to invest in our existing energy infrastructure, new advanced energy technologies and energy manufacturing in West Virginia that could help the nation become energy independent. Chairman Manchin and Mr. Gates traveled to Glasgow, WV to tour the Kanawha River Plant, a closed coal-fired power plant that used to provide 400 MW of electric generation capacity for homes and businesses across the region and employed more than 140 West Virginians at its peak. The tour highlighted the existing energy infrastructure that is ready for reinvestment and the skilled West Virginia workers ready to help develop new and advanced energy technologies to help realize the energy security benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the IRA. Throughout the day, the two met with federal and state officials representing West Virginia, local business leaders and various stakeholders who are evaluating opportunities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA to site new energy production and manufacturing in West Virginia, including through re-developing existing sites that have been closed. The day concluded with a moderated discussion hosted by Marshall University President Brad Smith.