US Dept. Of Energy Awards Funding For Projects Repurposing Existing Energy Facilities, Including 4 In PA Promoting Reuse Of Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells, Mine Pools, Abandoned Mine Lands

On June 26, the US Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management announced $1.4 million in federal funding for 14 local organizations and universities representing communities across the country that will each create a roadmap toward repurposing their existing energy assets. 

The Capacity Building for Repurposing Energy Assets initiative assists communities where a significant portion of their local economy has historically been supported by energy assets, such as coal, oil, and/or natural gas facilities and accompanying equipment and infrastructure. 

Four of the projects, each receiving $100,000, were in Pennsylvania--

-- Penn State Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences (University Park, Pennsylvania): Assessing the transformation of abandoned oil and gas wells in Venango and Mercer Counties for renewable energy production—specifically targeting the agricultural sector's energy needs—utilizing a closed-loop geothermal system.

-- Indiana County Thrives (Indiana, Pennsylvania): Evaluating the development of an industrial ecosystem among four coal-fired generating units at the Florence, Pennsylvania Conemaugh Plant, brownfields, and abandoned lands.

-- Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (Ashley, Pennsylvania): Exploring the use of flooded mine pools at the abandoned Morea Mine Complex in Frackville, Pennsylvania to cool data centers and store thermal energy in conjunction with a new solar farm.

-- Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania): Evaluating the repurposing of abandoned oil and gas wells to provide heat for sustainable tunnel farming at Gruber Farms in Shippenville, Pennsylvania.

A previous round of funding from the same program supported projects in--

-- Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development (Shippingport, Pennsylvania) is planning to develop the multi-hundred-acre Shippingport Industrial Park to create a new epicenter for Beaver County and the greater Pittsburgh region, targeting the manufacturing, energy, construction, and transportation/warehousing sectors.  

-- Grow Rural PA (Ridgeway, Pennsylvania) plans to support the rural communities of Mountain View, Womer, and Swampoodle through the development of new green hydrogen infrastructure to anchor feedstock production for regional advanced manufacturing.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

[Posted: June 28, 2024]  PA Environment Digest