West Virginia steel town turns to battery production as old industry fades, but resists "green energy" label
A battery plant in Weirton, West Virginia, is hiring former steelworkers and reshaping the local economy, even as political divisions color its reception in the community.
Tim Craig reports for The Washington Post.
In short:
- Form Energy’s iron-air battery plant has created hundreds of jobs in Weirton, helped by state incentives and federal clean energy funding under former President Biden.
- The company resists the “green energy” label, aiming to market its batteries for grid reliability, including use with fossil fuels, amid rollbacks of clean energy programs under President Trump.
- Community reactions split between optimism for new opportunities and skepticism rooted in the loss of steel jobs and public resistance to clean energy branding.
Key quote:
“It’s like night and day. We are growing this company, and as it grows, we grow.”
— Ray Larkey, former steelworker now employed at Form Energy
Why this matters:
As heavy manufacturing declines in many U.S. towns, energy storage plants like Weirton’s mark a shift in how industrial communities navigate the clean energy transition. Batteries that stabilize power from renewable and fossil sources are vital for keeping the grid reliable, but the political framing of “green jobs” can provoke resistance in areas with longstanding ties to legacy industries. These tensions mirror broader national divides over energy policy under Trump’s second term. How former steel towns respond to emerging technologies could shape not only their economic future but also the pace at which the country diversifies its energy infrastructure.
Related: US shift away from clean energy puts factory expansion at risk
