The West Virginia Department of Economic Development has announced that they will be providing funding of up to $10 million to Babcock & Wilcox. This funding will be provided to the company, in order to support the development of a BrightLoop™ hydrogen production and carbon capture facility.

It has been announced that the agreement made between B&W’s wholly-owned Mountaineer C2H, LLC subsidiary, as well as the state will be responsible for providing performance-based financial and economic development assistance. This will be especially important when it comes to the development of a low-carbon emissions hydrogen production facility, which is dedicated to using B&W’s BrightLoop chemical looping technology. The facility in question will be powered by coal and biomass and the $10 million which is available in funding, will be gradually provided through the achievement of project milestones.

The company has stated that, ‘B&W's BrightLoop technology uses a proprietary iron-oxide TranspO2rt™ particle and produces hydrogen by splitting water molecules while simultaneously capturing carbon emissions more efficiently, at a lower cost per kilogram and with a wider range of fuels – including solid and gaseous fuels – than other technologies. The process reduces the amount of energy input needed to create hydrogen while doing so with a carbon-neutral or net-negative impact.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, commented, "This is a tremendous win for West Virginia, Mason County, and our entire state. Babcock & Wilcox's decision to bring its technology and expertise here is a testament to our state's growing reputation as a hub for innovation and forward-thinking energy solutions. This investment not only creates jobs but also positions West Virginia to continue being the leader in the energy industry.”

B&W Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Jimmy Morgan, mentioned, “We are grateful to the state of West Virginia and the Department of Economic Development for their support of B&W’s cutting-edge energy technology that will utilize coal and biomass from West Virginia while simultaneously capturing and sequestering the CO2 emissions to create low carbon intensity hydrogen. We’re seeing tremendous interest in our BrightLoop hydrogen production technology from potential customers and partners across the U.S. and globally, and we’re excited to begin development of this project in West Virginia as we pursue additional financing and equity partners to complete this project. Demand for hydrogen is growing rapidly across many sectors, and we look forward to developing a facility that will have a major economic impact in West Virginia. The clean hydrogen generated by this project could be used for a variety of purposes, including power generation and industrial applications. B&W has a long history of energy projects in West Virginia and we are committed to further job growth to support these projects.”

Morgan concluded, “The total financial commitment by the State of West Virginia requires B&W to complete the project by 2030 and produce 28 full-time, high-paying local jobs. The project is also expected to result in numerous additional jobs for skilled laborers and craftspeople supporting construction. This is a true partnership with West Virginia and we’re excited to be a part of the energy transition and economic growth within the state.”