The TerraSpark Energy Campus has taken a significant step toward realisation after Babcock & Wilcox signed on as lead technology supplier and construction partner for the proposed facility in Grant County, West Virginia. Sited near the existing Mt. Storm energy complex, the campus is designed around a 1.6GW coal power station comprising four 400MW supercritical boilers, all of which Babcock & Wilcox will engineer and supply alongside a full suite of advanced emissions control equipment. The project received up to $18.5 million in federal funding from the US Department of Energy under its Coal-Based Power and Energy Infrastructure initiative, with the grant directed at front-end engineering and design work, permitting, and early technical studies. Beyond the power plant, the campus will house a multi-industry hub and a Coal Innovation and Training Centre dedicated to rare earth extraction and advanced materials research, the latter to be managed by West Virginia University. On carbon capture, Babcock & Wilcox will collaborate with Mantel Capture, whose proprietary molten-borate system integrates directly into industrial operations, reportedly reducing energy losses by 97% while running at less than half the average sector cost per tonne. Mantel counts Shell, Eni and bp among its investors. At full buildout, the campus is projected to support approximately 500 permanent jobs alongside hundreds of additional construction roles.

Appalachian Coal Finds New Champions as a Wave of Industrial Conviction Sweeps the State

The TerraSpark announcement arrives in the context of a broader and accelerating reinvestment in West Virginia’s coal sector, with developers and technology firms increasingly staking capital on coal’s relevance in a power market shaped by industrial and data centre load growth rather than the residential demand patterns that made cheap renewables so disruptive. TerraSpark’s proposition is straightforward: pair a proven supercritical boiler design with advanced carbon management and position the facility to serve large power demands behind the meter, delivering the dispatchable capacity that intermittent resources cannot reliably provide. That argument is finding traction not just at TerraSpark but across the state. The Frontieras North America Mason County commercial facility, an $850 million coal conversion plant that broke ground in April 2026 at a site near Point Pleasant, is pursuing a different but complementary thesis, converting coal into fuels, fertilisers, and industrial carbon products through a patented fractionation process rather than burning it for electricity. Together, these projects reflect a maturing argument that coal can underpin a portfolio of high-value industrial outputs, with West Virginia well positioned to capture the jobs and revenue attached to that repositioning. Babcock & Wilcox executive vice-president Jimmy Morgan framed the case plainly, describing coal as capable of delivering dependable, high-capacity and low-emissions power for precisely the kind of energy-intensive industrial and manufacturing infrastructure that is reshaping grid demand across the country.

Project Fact Sheet

• Project Name: TerraSpark Energy Campus
• Location: Grant County, West Virginia, USA — near the existing Mt. Storm energy complex
• Project Value: Development stage (US Department of Energy grant of up to $18.5 million awarded for FEED, permitting and early technical studies)
• Client / Developer: TerraSpark
• Generation Capacity: 1.6GW (four 400MW supercritical boilers)
• Key Components: Coal power station, multi-industry hub, Coal Innovation and Training Centre (rare earth extraction and advanced materials research, managed by West Virginia University)
• Carbon Capture Technology: Mantel Capture molten-borate system
• Government Funding Programme: US Department of Energy Coal-Based Power and Energy Infrastructure initiative
• Water Management: Closed-loop water systems designed to minimise withdrawals and prevent untreated discharge
• Jobs Created: Approximately 500 permanent roles plus hundreds of construction positions at full buildout

Project Team

• Developer: TerraSpark
• Lead Technology Supplier and Construction Contractor: Babcock & Wilcox and Babcock & Wilcox Construction
• Carbon Capture Technology Partner: Mantel Capture
• Research and Training Partner: West Virginia University (Coal Innovation and Training Centre)
• Government Funding Body: US Department of Energy
• Congressional Support: Congressman Riley M. Moore (West Virginia Second Congressional District)
• Key Investors in Mantel Capture: Shell, Eni, bp
• Regulatory Authority: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (expected involvement in grid interconnection approvals)