FirstEnergy ready to make more power

By Autumn Shelton, RealWV

HAYWOOD, W.Va. – Last week, FirstEnergy CEO Brian Tierney made a major announcement that will impact West Virginia – the company has plans to build a 1,200 megawatt combined-cycle natural gas power plant. And, although the plant’s location has not yet been determined, Tierney said the goal is to have the new plant work alongside the company’s existing plants, including the Harrison Power Station in Harrison County and the Fort Martin Power Station in Monongalia County, to bring increased power generation and thousands of jobs to the Mountain State. 

Making the announcement on Nov. 6 at the Harrison Power Station, and joined by West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey and West Virginia Chamber Vice President of Policy and Advocacy Brian Dayton, Tierney said that MonPower and Potomac Edison, two of the company’s subsidiaries, will file their plans with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia in early 2026 for approval. 

Pending that approval, the goal is to have the plant operational by 2031. 

“Harrison Power Station has been a cornerstone of reliable power generation in West Virginia for more than five decades,” Tierney said. “This facility has produced enough electricity to power millions of homes, supported thousands of jobs, and contributed nearly a billion dollars in economic impact to the region since the first unit came online in 1972.” 

But, the new plant, according to Tierney, will align with Gov. Morrisey’s 50 by 50 initiative, which has the goal of “supercharging” the state’s power production by increasing its current baseload generation capacity from 16 gigawatts to 50 gigawatts by 2050. 

“Our commitment to West Virginia’s future is expansive,” Tierney said. “Between 2025 and 2029, we plan to invest $5.2 billion in West Virginia in infrastructure enhancements, people, processes and facilities. Pending regulatory approval of this generation, we anticipate investing an additional $2.5 billion – further accelerating economic growth and opportunity throughout the region.”

There will be two paths forward to make the new gas generation plant become a reality, including partnering with a separate company to build and transfer the plant to FirstEnergy companies, or to build the plant independently using construction and design experts,  Tierney explained. 

“This new generation is a promise – a promise to keep energy costs manageable, to ensure reliability during peak demand, and to support local investment and job creation,” Tierney said. “It’s a promise to West Virginia families, workers and industries that FirstEnergy will be here for the long haul.” 

“Our plan also includes 70 megawatts of utility-scale solar by 2028, and continued operation of both Harrison and Fort Martin power stations,” Tierney said. “This investment is a catalyst for economic growth. The construction phase is expected to support more than 3,200 direct and indirect jobs and $68 million in state and local tax revenue.” 

Ongoing, Tierney said that operations will provide 2,200 direct and indirect jobs and $86 million in state and local tax revenue annually. 

“With this investment, we’re laying the groundwork for data centers, advanced manufacturing and other innovative businesses to choose West Virginia as the place to grow, invest and thrive,” Tierney said. 

Morrisey added that although some have called his “50 by 50” goal ambitious, the initiative is off to a great start. 

“Mark my words. Over the next few months you’re gonna see this come to fruition,” Morrisey said. 

“We can’t meet America’s electricity demands unless we have reliable baseload generation for coal, gas and nuclear, and that’s at the heart of our 50 by 50 plan,” Morrisey continued, blaming the “Green New Deal” for current concerns surrounding energy generation. 

Morrisey said that West Virginia will use an “all of the above” energy approach to meet these new energy demands. And, with increased revenue from energy generation, the goal is to “wipe-out” the state’s income taxes. 

“It’s an exciting time in West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “I think this will be the first of many announcements.” 

Dayton added that projects, like this proposed power plant, “ensure that West Virginia will always be known as the energy state.”

“Our state is blessed with abundant natural resources in coal and natural gas that power our nation,” Dayton said. “But, the electricity generated from our natural gas has been occurring beyond the borders of West Virginia. And, today is the first step in change.” 

MonPower serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties, including Greenbrier County. 

Potomac Edison serves about 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.