March 25, 2026 - Three West Virginia coal-fired power plants are set to receive upgrades following the Department of Energy’s (DOE) $175 million project to modernize rural units nationwide. 

Coal-fired power plants generate electricity by burning coal to produce heat, which turns water inside the unit into steam that drives the turbine. 

Appalachian Power Company and Monongahela Power Company were two of six projects funded by the DOE. 

Appalachian Power Company’s project is titled the Amos and Mountaineer Coal Plant Modernization and Resiliency Program, which will provide upgrades to the Mountaineer Power Plant in Letart, West Virginia, and the John E. Amos Power Plant in Winfield, West Virginia. Combined, the two projects will cost about $87.7 million, with the DOE providing $34,592,797. 

Both plants have a goal of improving efficiency and improving environmental performance and compliance. 

Xingbo Liu, associate dean for research in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, said while coal-fired plants generate carbon dioxide, the overall impact has improved. Plants also treat the water used before discharging it. 

“They all produce some water, but most of them have been through very rigorous water cleaning process,” he said. “They discharge water, but most water has been cleaned. Again, nothing [is] 100% clean.”

Both plants will also receive replacements for their hot roofs.  

“The proposed project will replace the existing hot roofs with modern, high-performance assemblies that improve thermal insulation, structural integrity, and sealing,” Debra Pannell, senior communications specialist for Appalachian Power, said in an email to The Daily Athenaeum. 

The Mountaineer Power Plant will replace all 256 of its conventional transformer rectifier sets alongside a restoration of pendant reheater, Pannell said. 

The John E. Amos Plant will replace its cooling tower fill and condenser tube to improve efficiency by lowering circulating water temperatures and minimizing the risk of contamination. 

The plant will also see construction of a Coal Combustion Residuals Beneficial Loadout Facility for transportation vehicles. 

“The project will include the load-out facility and equipment, along with a means of transportation from the source locations to the load-out facility,” Pannell said. 

Pannell said these projects have a completion goal of 2027. 

The Fort Martin Handling Optimization is Monongahela Power Company’s project to modernize the Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville, West Virginia. The project will cost about $8.5 million; the DOE will provide about half of the funds. 

The goal of the Fort Martin modernization is to improve efficiency while reducing costs. Specifics of the project are unavailable until the funds are finalized. 

“The proposed grant will support planned improvements to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of Fort Martin Power Station,” Will Boye, senior communications representative for First Energy, said in an email to The Daily Athenaeum. “We appreciate the U.S. Department of Energy’s investment, which will help reduce costs for customers and aligns with our commitment to provide dependable and affordable power for the communities we serve. Because the award has not been finalized, we are unable to share further details at this time.” 

Liu said the energy industry is essential to the state’s economy and modern living. Power is used constantly, and West Virginia produces natural gas and coal. 

“[The economy depends] on mining coal, burning coal, selling coal, mining natural gas, selling natural gas or using natural gas,” he said. “Those are the two major ways.”

While Liu says the future of coal-powered energy is a political issue, the plants are needed to keep up with the amount of power used today, despite past, present and current challenges.

“Right now, the issue is we need much more power than before,” he said. 

More information on the modernization projects can be found on the DOE’s website.