EKB News

American Clean Energy of Charleston , a subsidiary of East Coast Clean Energy, is planning to build a $150 million wood-fired-electricity-generating plant at the Harless Wood Products Industrial Park in Mingo County. Charleston developer and President Tom Loehr says he selected the abandoned surface mine site along Corridor G because wood waste in the region is plentiful. Loehr says the plant would be "carbon neutral" and produce renewable energy while burning wood chips loggers leave on the ground and would use 400,000 tons of wood waste a year while creating about 40 full-time jobs. Loehr says he plans to submit a proposal to sell the plant's power to American Electric Power. The West Virginia Economic Development Authority has approved a resolution allowing American Clean Energy to issue up to $100 million in tax-free bonds for the construction of the 28-megawatt plant which is slated to begin construction in July and take a year to complete.