West Virginia local distribution company Hope Gas has announced plans for a new natural gas pipeline project in Mason County, which borders the Ohio River northwest of Charleston. Projected to cost $250 million, the privately funded project aims to enhance long-term energy delivery and economic development as the area seeks to capitalize on its natural gas resources.
According to a March 4 announcement by Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R), construction on the initial 30-mile segment of the 24-in diameter pipeline will get underway in April, with completion targeted for the end of 2026.
The new infrastructure will support development of American Intelligence & Power Corp.’s Monarch Compute Campus, which is planned to eventually supply up to 8 gigawatts of power generation capacity to support hyperscale and enterprise data centers. Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with Caterpillar Inc., under which the equipment manufacturer will supply 2 gigawatts of fast-response natural gas generator sets. The units are to be delivered between September 2026 and August 2027.
State officials say the new pipeline will also support planned projects by energy generation specialist Babcock and Wilcox, as well as multiple proposed residential and small business development efforts and infrastructure expansion along U.S. Route 35.
In conjunction with the new pipeline project, Hope Gas and union insurer Ullico announced the opening of a technical training facility in Clarksburg, W.Va., focused on energy workforce development. The 20,000-sq-ft center includes heavy equipment simulators and live pipeline infrastructure, as well as hydrogen research partnerships with the National Energy Technology Laboratory and the University of Pittsburgh.
The facility is reported to be the first in West Virginia designed to prepare workers for hydrogen and hydrogen-blended natural gas operations
Source: www.enr.com
