MASON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Mason County’s economic development is growing as two companies have pledged to set up in north Point Pleasant.

“This is a grand slam,” President of the Mason County Commission Rick Handley said.

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey announced that Fidelis and Babcock and Wilcox have joined forces to develop B&W’s Brightloop™ Facility at the Mountaineer Gigasystem™ site.

According to the governor’s press release, The Brightloop facility will enable an “all of the above” approach to power the on-site AI data campus, utilizing West Virginia’s abundant coal, natural gas, and biomass energy resources.

“To have those two select Mason County proves to people that we have been a hidden gem in the past,” Handley said.

The Brightloop facility will provide power to Fidelis’ Mountaineer GigaSystem site, the planned 2,300-acre Monarch AI Data Center System, which consists of the Monarch Compute Campus (MCC) at North Point Pleasant and the Expansion MCC (EMC2).

Handley says a 60-inch gas line will coming through Mason County to power the company through coal.

“So, we are going to use plenty of electricity, plenty of gas, and coal to do what we need to do for their company,” Handley said.

Handley says the site is expected to bring 3,000 high-paying jobs, including for construction and technical, installation, more than 10 years.

“Just knowing in the future generations of Mason Countians will have the chance to work there or have relatives come in to work there and it’s just a godsend for Mason County,” Handley said.

“West Virginia is uniquely positioned to power America’s energy resurgence,” Morrisey said. “With today’s partnership, West Virginia is set to gain high-paying jobs and help the United States compete on a global scale to power the future of technology.”

Leaders of Mason and Cabell counties are asking the new state transportation secretary for an expansion to state Route 2 as these new businesses come to the area. Handley said they it is important for the new businesses.

Handley says there is no timeline for this project yet. The B&W’s Brightloop™ facility will be on both sides of Airport Road and off state Route 62. They are in the process of closing the Mason County Airport to make more developable land for the new facility.

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