Gridlocked
A West Virginia utility’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) demonstrates the need for a more flexible electric grid.
West Virginia and the Base Load Model of Grid Management Versus the Flexible Grid
[button link=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/West-Virginia-and-the-Base-Load-Model-of-Grid-Management-Versus-the-Flexible-Grid-FORMAT.pdf” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Download report[/button] [button link=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Base-Load-v3-4-pager-FORMAT.pdf” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Download four-page summary[/button] [button link=”https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.naughty-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Base-Load-v3-One-Pager-FORMAT.pdf” type=”big” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Download one-page summary[/button] As West Virginia and other states grapple with data center-driven electricity demand growth and rate hikes, transitioning to a “flexible grid” model could lower rates, boost reliability, and slash carbon emissions. West […]
Appalachian Gas: Near-Term and Long-Term Trends
Analysts expect natural gas production in Appalachia to grow in the coming decades, but the immediate outlook is a murkier prospect.
Data Centers 101
The race towards data centers is already reshaping energy systems, land use, and local economies across Appalachia.
Data Center Expansion Continues a Legacy of Fossil Exploitation
Data center projects in Appalachia would use a staggering amount of fracked gas and could harm communities’ health and the environment.
Proposed “Blue” Ammonia Could Cost Taxpayers More Than $5 Billion Each Year
Taxpayers could be on the hook for billions of dollars worth of gas-fired ammonia production.
Adams Fork is a Giant Waste of Energy
The projected gas consumption of TransGas’ ammonia and data center plans at the Adams Fork Energy site keeps ballooning.
The Borealis pipeline will bring more Appalachian gas to the Midwest and Gulf Coast
New gas pipeline projects could open the valve of Appalachia gas even wider, fueling the buildout of power plants and data centers.
Why Data Centers Will Be Economic Development Duds
Data centers are highly capital intensive, non-labor intensive enterprises that create few jobs & inject little money into host communities.
Data centers are driving pipeline expansions and production growth in Appalachia
Appalachian gas production has been hamstrung by a slowdown in pipeline construction; data center demand could change that. A planned buildout of new, AI-specialized data centers could unlock enough energy demand across the eastern half of the US to drive up Appalachian gas production and spur expansion of the pipelines to transport it. Appalachian gas […]