A Houston energy transition company is planning a $2 billion investment to produce clean hydrogen with natural gas in West Virginia, a project estimated to create up to 800 permanent jobs, Gov. Jim Justice announced.
Once it clears regulatory hurdles, Fidelis New Energy will locate its Mountaineer GigaSystem facility on 1,000 acres in Point Pleasant along the Ohio River in Mason County.
The project would be built in four phases, with each one producing more than 500 tonnes of hydrogen per day. Operations are expected to begin in 2028, the governor said.
The hydrogen would power the company’s data center campus planned for the site and also be transported for other industries such as greenhouses, transportation. and steel production, Justice said.
Under the company’s plan, the project would remove and annually store about 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions underground, beneath state forests, wildlife management areas, and other state-owned properties.
“We’re going to move forward in a way that is absolutely environmentally sound, first and foremost,” Justice said.