Officials Break Ground On Form Energy Plant In Weirton

State officials gathered in Weirton Friday to break ground on a plant that will make utility scale storage batteries.

As they signed a steel beam that will become part of the Form Energy plant, on the site of what was once Weirton Steel, a local musician sang “Country Roads.”

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, West Virginia Commerce Secretary Mitch Carmichael, and Mateo Jaramillo, founder and CEO of Form Energy, spoke about what the plant means for the state.

It represents an investment of $760 million. The factory will employ 750 workers – not as many as once worked at Weirton Steel, but still a welcome development in the Northern Panhandle.

Form’s iron oxide batteries will store energy produced by wind and solar and provide stability in the grid. They are designed to store power for days, instead of hours like lithium-ion batteries.