The Biden administration recently allocated additional funding for clean energy initiatives, announcing up to $475 million in federal support for projects across five states, including key political locations like Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.

This initiative aims to promote clean energy development on both current and former mining sites, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The other states benefiting from this funding—Kentucky and West Virginia—are strongholds of the Republican party and have faced significant challenges due to the decline of coal.

This financial backing is part of a broader legislative success for President Joe Biden and stems from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law. Projects in the aforementioned states are transitioning from coal to alternative sources like solar and hydroelectric power.

The administration expressed that these clean energy efforts will bolster the nation’s energy security while ensuring that the mining sector remains integral to the energy landscape.

“The workers and communities that have fueled our nation’s progress for the last century deserve the chance to contribute to our future,” said Deputy Director David Turk in a recent report.

Energy and climate change issues have become pivotal in the ongoing presidential race, with Biden facing off against former President Donald Trump, who has sought to roll back Biden’s clean energy initiatives and expand oil and gas drilling if he regains office.

The latest funding reflects Biden’s pledge to create “a comprehensive, equitable clean energy future that will foster healthier and more resilient communities.”

In Kentucky, plans are underway to establish $1.3 billion pumped storage hydroelectric facilities on land previously used for coal mining, as announced by Democrat Andy Beshear. The project received federal approval for a grant of $81 million to support a factory in Bell County, located in southeastern Kentucky.

“The landscape in this region is ideal for moving water between elevations to generate electricity as required,” Turk mentioned.

Job losses in Kentucky’s coal sector have been notable, with a significant decline over the past ten years. By the end of 2023, around 4,700 miners were employed, starkly down from approximately 12,000 a decade prior.

The Lewis Ridge storage initiative, led by Rye Development in Kentucky, is expected to generate 1,500 construction jobs while establishing the first coal pumped storage hydropower facility, according to Beshear.

“We believe this is the largest investment we’ve seen in eastern Kentucky,” he added.

Upon completion, the facility is projected to create 30 permanent jobs and produce enough energy to supply nearly 67,000 homes.

The project details are as follows:

• A project in Southeast Arizona aims to implement direct-use geothermal and clean heat systems paired with battery storage at two operational copper mines. This approach is set to mitigate the mines’ dependence on thermal backup power while assisting in the annual extraction of 25 million pounds of copper. Kathleen Quirk, president of Freeport Minerals Corp., indicated that previously, the copper sourced from the materials was considered unrecoverable. This venture aims to generate 121 construction positions and 12 long-term operational roles.
• In Nevada, plans for solar power facilities and battery storage systems are underway across three active gold mines in Erko, Humboldt, and Eureka Counties. This move towards clean energy is anticipated to illustrate viable methods for the mining sector to achieve net-zero operations while addressing the rising demand for minerals. About 300 jobs are expected to be created during construction.
• In Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, 2,700 acres of former coal mining land will be transformed into a utility-scale solar facility capable of powering over 70,000 homes. This project is designed to improve local clean energy access, bridging a significant power generation gap following the shutdown of the Homer City coal plant. It is expected to create over 750 construction jobs along with six operational jobs, with construction possibly commencing in early summer 2024 and full operation by the latter half of 2026. Swift Current Energy announced a 20-year contract to supply power to the New York grid.
• A project in Nicholas County, West Virginia, aims to convert two former coal mines into a solar system that will generate energy for around 39,000 homes. The initiative will utilize existing mining sites and infrastructure to transmit the produced solar energy to the grid, creating roughly 400 construction jobs and four operational positions.