By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. on Tuesday announced $428 million in subsidies to build or expand battery manufacturing and recycling plants and other clean energy production in communities hit hard by recent coal mine and power plant closures.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 5 election, have pledged to support struggling communities as the country reduces burning coal to generate energy in an effort to combat climate change to curb. Many of the projects are in states that have gone Republican in recent elections or are battleground states.
IMPORTANT QUOTE
“These are communities that have been powering America for literally decades, and this administration, the Biden-Harris administration, believes they are exactly the right people in the right communities to lead the clean energy transition for decades to come.” , says Deputy US Secretary of Energy David. Turk told reporters in a phone call.
BY THE NUMBERS
The 14 projects span 12 states, including Kentucky, Utah, West Virginia, Texas and Pennsylvania. Turk said the grants, funded by the bipartisan infrastructure bill of 2021, will bring in about another $500 million from the private sector and create more than 1,900 good-paying jobs.
PROJECT EXAMPLES
One project in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania will receive more than $87 million from Mainspring Energy to produce 1,000 linear generators per year. The technology, designed to support utilities, data centers and microgrids, can generate energy through the combustion of natural gas, hydrogen and biogas, or from gas generated from animal manure.
Another project called Sparkz Inc in Bridgeport, West Virginia was awarded $9.8 million to build the first iron phosphate plant of its kind in the United States.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Chris Reese)
