Recent criticism of the proposed Maidsville Energy Center presents West Virginians with a false choice: either protect existing coal plants or build the natural gas generation our state increasingly needs. West Virginia should do both.
The Mountain State can support its existing generating assets while also creating new markets for another resource produced right here at home. In fact, state law calls for maximizing electricity generated in West Virginia using coal or natural gas produced within the state.
This is important because West Virginia cannot claim to support and “all-of-the-above” energy strategy while treating investment in natural gas generation as a threat simply because it’s located near coal-fired facilities.
Fort Martin and Harrison are important generating assets. FirstEnergy should be expected to explain how it will meet its obligations to those plants, address transmission constraints and protect customers from unreasonable costs. But regulatory scrutiny shouldn’t erase the larger issue confronting our state. The larger question is whether West Virginia intends to compete for economic opportunity being created by growing electricity demand – or continue watching neighboring states turn Appalachian natural gas into investment, jobs, and reliable power.
Our neighbors have not waited.
According to the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration data, natural gas remains the leading source of electricity generation in both states. In 2025, natural gas accounted for approximately 58.6% of electricity generation in Pennsylvania and 54.4% in Ohio. Pennsylvania also exported an estimated 89 million megawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, nearly twice as much as the nation’s second-largest electricity-exporting state. Ohio has followed a similar path, supported by modern natural gas-fired generating facilities that draw upon the same Appalachian energy advantage shared by West Virginia.
West Virginia followed a very different path. From 2015 through 2024, West Virginia’s residential electricity rates have risen considerably faster than those in Pennsylvania and Ohio at nearly 50%. While fuel mix is only one of several factors affecting rates, it is an important part of the equation.
Meanwhile, West Virginia is one of America’s leading natural gas-producing states, yet natural gas accounts for only a small fraction of our electricity generation. We extract the resource, move it across out borders, and watch neighboring states use Appalachian gas to generate electricity, attract and grow industry and expand their tax base.
That is the missed opportunity the Coal Association’s argument ignores.
Calling projected demand for Maindsville a “stack of maybes” makes for a good sound bite, but it oversimplifies how major economic-development projects happen.
Using more West Virginia natural gas here at home would allow the state to capture more of the value associated with the resource. A new generating facility represents construction employment, permanent operating jobs, property-tax investment, demand for supporting services and a significant new customer for Appalachian natural gas. It also builds a solid foundation for the next generation of energy-intensive development.
That doesn’t mean that utilities should get a blank check. The PSC should determine whether the project it needed, whether its costs are reasonable, and how financial risk should be calculated. These are arguments about the structure of one project, not arguments against natural gas generation.
Nor does building Maidsville automatically mean sacrificing Fort Martin or Harrison. A point made abundantly clear by company officials and PSC representatives alike during a recent hearing on the matter. Adding one form of dispatchable generation does not inherently require eliminating another. Coal and natural gas can serve different needs and together strengthen West Virginia’s electric system.
Natural gas producers, pipeline workers, contractors, royalty owners and the communities supported by the industry are West Virginians too. Creating a major new in-state customer for West Virginia gas strengthens an industry that supports thousands of families and contributes significantly to our economy.
Natural gas is already one of the state’s most important economic engines. In fiscal year 2024-2025 alone, the industry delivered $318.3 million in severance taxes and $122.8 million in property taxes – with the natural gas industry accounting for nearly 70% of all severance tax revenue paid to the state.
Our energy debate should be focused on growing West Virginia’s economic pie, not protecting small slices of it. West Virginia produces the energy. We should have the courage to put it to work here at home.
