A proposed 1,200-megawatt natural gas power plant from Mon Power and Potomac Edison, both
FirstEnergy companies. FirstEnergy announced the plan in November 2025 at an event at Harrison
Power Station, before a site had been chosen. In February 2026 the companies selected a
35-acre site next to their Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville, Monongalia County.
The plan also includes about 70 megawatts of industrial solar at three other sites: 50 MW
in Valley Point (Preston County), 8.4 MW in Weirton (Hancock County), and 11.5 MW in Davis
(Tucker County).
The project needs approval from the WV Public Service Commission. If approved, FirstEnergy
says site work could begin as early as 2027, with the plant online in late 2031.
Key dates
FirstEnergy announces plans for a new gas plant and industrial solar projects in West Virginia
Site next to Fort Martin selected; application filed with the WV Public Service Commission
The Sierra Club's statewide chapter. It was one of three groups that appealed the Ridgeline air permit, opposes FirstEnergy's planned gas plant at Fort Martin, and tracks data center projects across the state. It is a member of the WV Data Center Accountability Project.
A statewide coalition of neighbors, organizations, businesses, municipalities and elected officials working for affordable, locally owned clean energy. It asks the PSC to put ratepayers first as it writes rules under HB 2014, and questions who should pay for new power plants and transmission lines built for data centers.
WV Clean and Beautiful