CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – The West Virginia Office of Energy announced it has engaged Davis Energy & Infrastructure Strategy Group, led by former Virginia Department of Energy Director Glenn Davis, to support the state’s efforts to expand energy infrastructure and attract large-scale economic investment.
“While other states are turning their backs on the reliable power needed to support growth, West Virginia is stepping up,” said Governor Patrick Morrisey. “We understand that if you want to create jobs, if you want to attract investment, and if you want to compete, you have to have the energy to support it. We are building that here, and we are ready to lead.”
West Virginia’s approach stands in contrast to recent developments in Virginia, where Governor Abigail Spanberger appointed a new Chief Energy Officer from the Southern Environmental Law Center, an organization that has opposed major dispatchable generation projects and certain infrastructure, including natural gas facilities and pipeline development.
The move comes as electricity demand accelerates across the Mid-Atlantic, driven by data centers, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing, placing increased importance on state energy policy.
“States competing for economic growth cannot afford confusion when it comes to energy policy,” said Nicholas Preservati, Director of the West Virginia Office of Energy. “You either build the generation needed to support demand, or you fall behind. West Virginia has made its choice.”
West Virginia’s strategy focuses on expanding reliable, dispatchable generation and aligning energy policy with long-term economic development goals. The state remains a leading net exporter of electricity within PJM and is positioning itself to meet the next wave of high-density demand.
“Energy policy is now economic policy,” Preservati said. “If a state signals that it is unwilling to support the infrastructure required for reliable power, capital will move elsewhere. We intend to be that ‘elsewhere.’”
“Reliable power doesn’t happen by accident – it requires a deliberate decision to build and support dispatchable generation,” said Glenn Davis. “If your policy framework is shaped by opposition to the very resources that provide that reliability, you are putting your economic future at risk.”
West Virginia is advancing policies, including expanding dispatchable generation, developing advanced nuclear and next-generation energy technologies, supporting co-located and microgrid solutions, and aligning regulatory frameworks with large-load economic development.
“The next generation of economic development will follow power,” said Davis. “States that are serious about building capacity, including natural gas and advanced nuclear, will lead. States that hesitate or restrict those resources will fall behind.”
As regional competition intensifies, the direction states choose today will determine where investment flows in the years ahead.
“West Virginia is not guessing about what it takes to compete. We are building it,” Preservati said.
About the West Virginia Office of Energy
The West Virginia Office of Energy is responsible for the formulation and implementation of fossil, renewable and energy efficiency initiatives designed to advance energy resource development opportunities and provide energy services to businesses, communities and homeowners in West Virginia.
