Biden-Harris Admin Announces $428M for Former Coal Communities to Expand Clean Energy Manufacturing

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Tuesday $428 million in grant funding for the building and expansion of green energy manufacturing in communities where coal mines have recently been decommissioned.

The 14 projects in 15 United States coal communities were chosen by DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and will help accelerate domestic manufacturing of clean energy, a press release from DOE said.

“The transition to America’s clean energy future is being shaped by communities filled with the valuable talent and experience that comes from powering our country for decades,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in the press release. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation.”

Led by small- to medium-sized businesses, the projects will address crucial vulnerabilities in the country’s energy supply chain.

Five of the projects selected will be in or near disadvantaged communities. Each of the projects will include a benefits plan developed to maximize heath, environmental and economic benefits.

“These are communities that powered America for literally decades, and this administration, the Biden-Harris administration, believes they’re exactly the right folks in the right communities to lead the clean energy transition for decades to come,” David Turk, deputy U.S. energy secretary, told reporters during a call, as Reuters reported.

The projects span a dozen states — including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas and Utah — and will leverage more than $500 million in investments by the private sector, while creating 1,900-plus jobs.

“These investments from the Biden-Harris Administration – catalyzing even more in private sector investment – will lift up these energy communities by creating good-paying union jobs, enhancing our supply chains,” said Ali Zaidi, White House national climate advisor, in the press release.

The chosen projects will address five essential supply chains — batteries, grid components, clean power generation, low-carbon materials and energy efficiency projects.

“As demand grows for clean energy technology, the projects will help prepare the manufacturing industry for what lies ahead. The fourteen projects selected for negotiation of award focus on manufacturing products and materials that address multiple needs in the domestic clean energy supply chain,” the press release said.

It is anticipated that the global clean energy market and carbon reduction technologies will reach at least $23 trillion by the end of the decade.

“Swiftly increasing U.S. manufacturing output and deployment of clean energy technology is critical to meet our climate, jobs, and industrial competitiveness goals. By manufacturing clean energy technology domestically, the U.S. will strengthen national security and energy independence, revitalize industrial and energy communities, and mitigate the climate crisis,” the press release said.