NETL Director Brian Anderson will deliver opening remarks at the 2022 West Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit, Oct. 25-26 at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia. There, Anderson will highlight NETL’s latest developments in hydrogen energy research and the Lab’s contributions to the White House Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization.

Hosted by the West Virginia Office of Energy, this annual summit welcomes elected officials, state and local government agencies, industry, research universities, technical and community colleges, non-governmental organizations, and regional and national experts to discuss ongoing energy-related topics in the Mountain State. The event is an excellent opportunity for NETL to initiate and continue collaborations with West Virginia energy stakeholders.

Anderson will open this year’s summit with a focus on how NETL’s hydrogen research, could help decarbonize the U.S. economy while meeting its energy needs by pairing hydrogen production technologies with carbon capture..

Anderson opened the Summit, speaking as Director of NETL and Executive Director of the IWG.

“NETL isn’t just located in West Virginia; we are of West Virginia,” Anderson said. “Some of our best scientists and engineers hail from Appalachian communities with a long history of mining and energy production that built this country’s industries and kept the lights on for generations. Through IWG, our Lab is committed to ensuring these communities aren’t left behind and thrive during the ongoing energy transformation. Gatherings of stakeholders and partners at events like the WV Governor’s Energy Summit present opportunities to network and make the prosperity of our energy communities possible.” 

Anderson will also detail funding opportunities made available via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for environmental justice, clean energy and manufacturing infrastructure and hydrogen hub projects.

“When combined with carbon capture projects, hydrogen sourced from the country’s fossil energy resources holds the promise of decarbonizing our economy and addressing climate change while simultaneously providing all the power we need, along with exciting new employment opportunities,” Anderson said. “For example, West Virginia’s mining communities could be on the leading edge of a new industry providing the country with much-needed rare earth elements vital to the economy which are currently imported from overseas.”

Established by President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the White House IWG on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization is working to catalyze economic revitalization, create good-paying union jobs, and support working in energy communities, especially hard-hit coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities across the country.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.