WV’s First-Ever Gas-Fired Power Plant to Begin Construction
NOTE: This post was updated 12/17/25 to reflect that there are, in fact, four existing (but small) gas-fired power plants in WV, built years before the shale energy revolution. We have the list—two in Wayne County, one in Marshall County, and one in Pleasants County— embedded below. Our thanks to a faithful reader for alerting us to this information.
How many times over the years have we reported on (and cheerleaded for) gas-fired power plants to get built in West Virginia? MANY times. Dozens, maybe hundreds of posts about this topic. Yet, in all the time we’ve been writing MDN (since January 2009), not a single, solitary gas-fired power plant has been built in the Mountain State. Not one new plant! Until now. Energy investment firm Blackstone announced yesterday it has made a final investment decision (FID) to move forward with building the $1.2 billion Wolf Summit Energy Center power plant in Harrison County, WV. Read More “WV’s First-Ever Gas-Fired Power Plant to Begin Construction”
Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. national rig count gained rigs again after dropping rigs in the prior week. The national count added two rigs, going from 546 to 548. The BH rig count has added rigs in three of the last four weeks. Rigs in the Marcellus/Utica remained the same last week at a combined 37, the same number for six weeks in a row. Pennsylvania remained unchanged at 17 active rigs (six weeks in a row). Ohio was the same at 13 rigs (seven weeks in a row). And West Virginia maintained its 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30 (24 weeks in a row). There were 23 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 14 targeting the Utica. 
We continue to be delighted with the number of new permits issued to drill shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica. Three weeks ago, that number soared to 37. Two weeks ago, it increased to 39. And last week the number remained high, down just two, back to 37 once again. Wow! We haven’t seen a sustained trend of high permit numbers like this in many moons. Pennsylvania issued 13 new permits last week, down from 23 the prior week. Ohio issued 8 new permits, down from 11 the prior week. It was West Virginia that was the breakout star, issuing 16 new permits, up from issuing 5 the preceding week. 
Mon Power and Potomac Edison are local utilities and subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. The two companies recently submitted an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to the West Virginia Public Service Commission, outlining how they will continue to deliver reliable, cost-effective power to West Virginia homes and businesses over the next decade (see 
Antero Resources, the largest Marcellus/Utica (M-U) driller in West Virginia, released its Q3 2025 update with two significant announcements. One is that newly appointed CEO Michael Kennedy is “excited” for the company to return to dry gas drilling after “more than a decade,” with the first new dry gas well specifically intended to service the data center market. Second, we can confirm our prior speculation to say that Antero is officially marketing its Ohio Utica assets for sale. We previously brought you that rumor in early September (see 
During the third quarter, Expand Energy, formed by the merger of Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy in late 2024, significantly expanded its portfolio by acquiring 82,500 new acres across the Marcellus and Haynesville shale plays for approximately $235 million. The company added approximately 7,500 acres in the Marcellus in Ohio and West Virginia for $57 million, which can accommodate over 40 well locations. The larger acquisition involved 75,000 acres in the western Haynesville for $178 million, with the potential for over 200 locations. Expand, which produced 7.33 Bcfe/d (92% natural gas), reported strong financial results for the quarter, including nearly $3 billion in revenue and a profit of $547 million. The company produced 7.2 Bcfe/d in 2Q25. Expand is the largest natural gas producer in the country. 
In October of last year, MDN told you that both EQT Corporation and Tenaska are “dipping their toes” in the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) space (see 
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed new permitting processes in West Virginia and Ohio that would allow certain fossil fuel projects to be built through wetlands and streams without a public comment opportunity. The proposals would allow mines, natural gas pipelines, hydropower dams, and other energy infrastructure projects in WV and OH to proceed using two simplified permits: “letters of permission” and “regional general permits.” For these projects, water pollution impacts must be limited to 2 acres or less for a letter of permission and 1 acre or less for a regional general permit. This action has the potential to speed up new natural gas pipeline projects in the Marcellus/Utica region. 
Yesterday, West Virginia and Diversified Energy unveiled a new public-private partnership to solve one of the most persistent environmental problems in oil- and gas-producing regions. WV Governor Patrick Morrisey and Diversified CEO Rusty Hutson, Jr., announced the creation of the Mountain State Plugging Fund, a unique, non-taxpayer-funded approach designed to retire an estimated 20,000 abandoned oil and gas wells permanently. By capping this old infrastructure, the state will significantly reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and stop the release of methane.