POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — An energy technology company that uses coal in a whole new way has broken ground in Mason County.
Several West Virginia elected officials were on hand Thursday morning as Frontieras North America began its work on a FASForm facility.
Once completed, the $850 million facility will be the first of its kind in the United States.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey cited the arrival of Frontieras as a key moment in his plan to grow West Virginia.
“West Virginia’s on a real comeback. You’re starting to see the plan that I announced in early 2025 start to come together,” Morrisey told WMOV Radio. “We wanted to make sure that energy was going to be a foundational part of West Virginia’s comeback story. That’s important because that’s what everyone knows we’re really, really good at, and in order to attract the tens of billions of dollars that are going to be coming in — these are record-breaking things, the state has never seen that before — this is economic development the way it should be, not the garbage way.”
“This fits perfectly into that,” Morrisey continued. “Because it’s a good company, terrific people, they’re leveraging our energy resources and it’s actually going to be coming in a place that’s very receptive to this kind of product and service.”
Frontieras Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Matthew McKean said that the FASForm facility will extract molecules from coal to create products.
“The easiest way to say it is we take coal and we crack it apart. Inside of coal, we remove the molecules that we can make into diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, even a technical Coke product that can be used in steel manufacturing, or it can be used as a thermal fuel that burns as good as natural gas.”
District 4 senator Eric Tarr said he’s thrilled Frontieras is coming to the state.
“I was talking to them about how opportune the timing is for them to invest in West Virginia, because it is like a gold rush in District 4 anymore for all the investments coming in across a bunch of different industry sectors. This one is coming in, really bringing West Virginia’s roots back into it because it’s taking coal, and using coal to make products from that coal, and sending it across the world.”
Morrisey said to expect more job opportunities in West Virginia in part due to Frontieras’ investment.
“We’re going to see so many new opportunities for West Virginians. We’re going to have new economic development projects for the next 5-10 years, and you’re seeing that record-breaking number. We’re looking at over 12.8 billion dollars of announced investment since October 1 alone. That’s never happened before in that period. That’s projected close to 11,000 jobs. That’s what makes me happy, that you have the jobs that are going to be coming in and more will be coming.”
McKean said that Frontieras chose West Virginia for this site over Wyoming and Texas. He said Mason County was chosen due to its access to the Ohio River and the abillity to start a facility from scratch.
Both West Virginia U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice commended the news.
“Frontieras’ technology is creating new opportunities for our coal industry, while reducing waste and driving innovation,” Capito said. “Just as important, this project strengthens America’s energy security and unleashes American energy dominance by using our own abundant resources to power the future. I was proud to be on hand to help celebrate this milestone and look forward to seeing the benefits of this facility for years to come.”
“From the very beginning, my partnership with Frontieras has been built on a fundamental truth: coal is the bedrock of West Virginia and the backbone of American energy,” Justice said in a statement. “When I was Governor, we laid the groundwork that has led us to where we are today. Now, in Mason County, we are seeing that vision take flight. Frontieras is a key player in strengthening our economy, creating jobs for our folks, and continuing to move the needle on American energy independence. I’m especially proud of how far we’ve come, and I look forward to continuing to work with Frontieras for years to come.”
WMOV Radio assisted with this story.