ORVI Tries to Pee All Over WV Coal-to-Hydrogen Power Plant Project
The old Energy Harbor coal-fired power plant in Pleasants County, WV, which had been offline since June 1 and was scheduled to be demolished, recently roared back to life under new ownership (see WV Coal Power Plant Roars Back to Life, Will Convert to Hydrogen). Omnis Fuel Technologies invested $800 million to restart operations at the plant, which is now back online and producing electricity. Omnis’ plan is to transition the plant, renamed Quantum Pleasants, to use hydrogen instead of coal. The Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI), a sham front group for the ultra-left, biased, and virulent anti-fossil fuel Heinz Endowments, is trying to pee all over the huge investment and hundreds of new jobs coming from Omnis in Pleasants County.
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The old Energy Harbor coal-fired power plant in Pleasants County, WV, which had been offline since June 1 and was scheduled to be demolished, recently roared back to life under new ownership (see 
Not only are fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) loathsome and evil and racist, not to mention toasting Mom Earth into a cinder, but if the Bidenistas move forward with pushing hydrogen energy as a replacement, hydrogen will be just as loathsome, just as evil, and just as racist–according to 180 so-called environment groups (Communist groups masquerading as environmental groups). The problem is, Biden may be dumb enough to believe them! He’s not the brightest bulb in the pack.
In August, MDN told you about a new $2 billion hydrogen project coming to West Virginia (see 
The old Energy Harbor coal-fired power plant in Pleasants County, WV, which had been offline since June 1 and was scheduled to be demolished, has roared back to life under new ownership. Omnis Fuel Technologies invested $800 million to restart operations at the plant, which is now back online and producing electricity. Omnis’ plan is to transition the plant, renamed to Quantum Pleasants, to use hydrogen instead of coal.
Hydrogen energy continues to interest those of us in the Marcellus/Utica (and elsewhere). Why? Billions of dollars are being thrown at companies as an incentive to make hydrogen energy the next BIG THING that can potentially replace evil, vile fossil energy. Thing is, 95% of all hydrogen comes from cracking methane (natural gas), a fact that drives the left crazy, and the reason why we love it (a huge new customer for M-U gas). Widespread use of hydrogen energy will only happen by mixing hydrogen with natural gas in existing pipelines. Except that’s a problem. Existing equipment can’t flow hydrogen–at least not over a 10% or so mix of hydrogen. But, maybe it can! A researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory says math can solve the problem. Math to the rescue!
Last week we told you about a new $2 billion hydrogen project coming to West Virginia (see 
Yesterday we told you about a new $2 billion hydrogen project coming to West Virginia (see 
The ARCH2 (Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub) project, the West Virginia-led effort to attract government funding for one of 6-10 regional hydrogen hubs, has just landed its second major commitment–even though ARCH2 hasn’t officially been selected for government funding. Yesterday Fidelis New Energy announced it has selected Mason County, WV, for a $2 billion “net-zero” hydrogen production facility and low carbon microgrid, which it has dubbed The Mountaineer GigaSystem. The Fidelis plan includes building data centers powered by net-zero hydrogen. Mountaineer will use FidelisH2 technology that produces hydrogen with zero lifecycle carbon emissions from a combination of Marcellus/Utica gas, renewable energy, and CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration).
We have U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (lib Dem from WV) to thank for passing the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) one year ago (see 
The KeyState Natural Gas Synthesis project in Clinton County, PA, is developing the first carbon capture project in Pennsylvania, which will locally produce hydrogen, ammonia, and urea (see 
You never know how Marcellus/Utica gas affects the entire country for the good. Here’s an interesting example. In April, the ARCH2 (Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub) project, the West Virginia-led effort to attract $1 billion of government funding for one of 6-10 regional hydrogen hubs, took a big leap forward with the announcement of a plan to build a “multi-billion-dollar” clean ammonia manufacturing facility in southern West Virginia (see 
The League of [Liberal Democrat] Women Voters of Pennsylvania is “teaming up” with the leftist fanatics at Food & Water Watch to launch a zombie (i.e., form) letter-writing campaign, hoping to convince the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) NOT to award a $1 billion hydrogen hub contract for any application that includes the Keystone State (there are three such applications). Cause, you know, it would involve building more fossil fuel infrastructure in the state, and *everybody* knows that fossil fuels are Satanic. The Lib Dem groups are hoping if they can’t dazzle the DOE with brilliance, they can baffle them with mountains of Barbara Streisand form letters.
Hydrogen energy is closely tied to natural gas. Currently, 95% of all hydrogen produced in the world is produced by cracking methane (natural gas). The so-called regional hydrogen hubs being dangled by the Bidenistas (up to $1 billion of government financing for 6-10 projects) can potentially launch expanded demand for natural gas in the Marcellus/Utica (see 
The political situation in Pennsylvania is quite fascinating to watch. The PA House has a one-seat Democrat majority, which means all of the committees in the House are now (for the first time in years) run by Democrats. One of them, Rep. Greg Vitali from Delaware County (near Philadelphia), chairs the powerful House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. Immediately upon seizing power, Vitali tried to ram through a number of radical bills that would greatly harm (or even end) the Marcellus industry in the state. We previously told you members of his own party slapped him down, making him pull back and abandon two bills he really really wanted (see