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1985.
that's the year the virginia department
of energy began its service to the
commonwealth the purpose behind its
creation placed the hub of this agency
in rural southwest
virginia the people here are our people
they are on our mind sites and our
offices training our workforce and most
importantly working toward a better
economy in a region that has experienced
significant job loss
virginia energy is well positioned to
keep southwest the energy capital of
virginia as the diverse expertise and
jobs throughout this well-integrated
agency are all contributing toward
re-energizing this unique part of the
commonwealth
coal represents the origin of this story
the entire region maintains a connection
to the industry that's been in virginia
for nearly 200 years
before 1977 regulations were limited and
offered little to ensure a coal mine
left minimal impact
today our abandoned mine land team is
literally cleaning up what is left
behind
with thousands of features identified
this effort is protecting residents
improving the environment and creating
opportunity
virginia energy is ready for emergencies
caused by these old sites like in this
case where a boulder was removed he was
very close to slipping and either
destroying homes or landing in a creek
and flooding this community
abandoned mine land projects also
provide longer term care for residents
below old mine sites they solved
drainage issues and put erosion
prevention measures in place
completed work has a significant impact
on the environment this gob removal
project stopped the largest source of
pollution to the clinch river
gob is waste coal that was left behind
due to a lack of technology to better
separate coal from rock it's common in
the coal fields an estimated 245 piles
remain
there is opportunity through removing
the cob blending it and selling it to
dominion energy to burn as fuel at its
plant in wise county
but gob holds greater economic potential
studies underway will determine the best
use of the elements and minerals in
these previously mined resources
research seeks to unlock ways to
separate highly saw critical minerals
found in these piles
we've teamed with the virginia center
for coal energy research at virginia
tech a 1.5 million dollar grant from the
u.s department of energy will promote
economic growth by speeding up the
extraction and processing of these
critical minerals from coal and its
byproducts in central appalachia
no matter the project abandon mineland
cleanup puts people to work since 2017
nearly 1 000 people have made a living
helping virginia energy reclaim and
repurpose this once unusable land
in the program's lifetime
844 projects and forty thousand four
hundred seventy five acres have been
reclaimed the uh partner with new money
is encouraging entrepreneurs to find a
purpose for those lands virginia energy
receives 10 million dollars each year
for the abandoned mine land economic
revitalization program it promotes
development on land affected by legacy
coal mining these grant funds created
industrial sites for new business
acres in russell county and in norton at
the intersection of two major highways
are ready for an investment it's also
provided a tool to boost local economic
activity through a list of a diverse
collection of projects in energy
agriculture i.t and community
development
first funded in 2017 this program has
already created over 200 jobs through
development and construction
the potential for more is much greater
recent federal funding has virginia
slated to receive a significant increase
in funds toward abandoned mine lands the
agency is already building
collaborations to use these funds to
reclaim eligible abandoned mine land
sites with the greatest potential of
repurposing for economic and community
development
by working with mining companies
virginia energy will create new contract
operations and increase job numbers
virginia energy also serves as a
resource for those seeking a place to
grow a business with several terabytes
of data on hand the agency is able to
serve specific needs of those looking
for an opportunity and available land
one solar developer found an opportunity
at this site in buchanan county a
conversation first facilitated by our
team
while virginia energy is hard at work
repurposing the land where mining is
complete we're also working with those
still mining the coal that is out of
demand globally
under the ground here in southwest
virginia is premium metallurgical coal
this is quality coal used in steel
making a majority of the coal mined here
finds its way through export markets to
china in parts of europe where they use
it in steel production
in 2020 9.8 million tons were mined in
virginia and the industry employed
nearly 2 000 people
numbers point toward 11 million tons
mined and a larger workforce at these
sites for 2021.
the agency's coal program works to
ensure safety at active coal mines
through inspections
trainings and by even providing
emergency response through the virginia
mine rescue team
the agency also works to ensure
environmental integrity is in place at
each site inspectors monitor water
ensure blasts remain within regulation
and see the reclamation process through
so the land can meet its greatest
potential
you'll find us doing similar work across
the state at mineral mining sites nearly
every county in virginia hosts at least
one mine this material is likely used in
your everyday life
hundreds of industrial materials
construction aggregates and metals come
out of virginia's ground
and onto the roads you drive on the
countertops you have in your kitchen
it's in the walls of your apartment used
on the farm down the road and in many
more things that could not possibly be
compiled in one list the commonwealth's
mineral mining industry put over 72
million tons of material into production
in 2020. it provided work for nearly 3
000 people
our gas and oil team is there from
drilling to pipeline for the natural gas
industry it too is exclusive to
southwest virginia over 8 000 wells
produce 102 billion cubic feet of
natural gas in 2020 that's enough to
power just under 1 million homes
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with so much coming from under the earth
virginia energy is naturally home to the
commonwealth's geologic survey
scientists assist in locating these
commodities and play a key role in
public safety hundreds of thousands of
grant dollars funneled to the geology
and mineral resources team annually the
end products are invaluable
resources such as geologic and mineral
resource maps and landslide potential
are available to the public
virginia geologists are also among a
group of states leading the effort to
identify critical minerals through the
federal earth mri project we are
assessing potential critical minerals at
new locations and former mining sites
the result is a collection of maps
identifying virginia's resource
potential
working alongside the bureau of ocean
energy management we are years into
studying the best offshore dredge sand
locations the project also looks at
techniques to separate critical minerals
from sand that is used for coastal
restoration
over 20 miles offshore of those beaches
is the 12 megawatt coastal virginia
offshore wind pilot project it's only
the second in the u.s with commercial
scale turbines and the very first to be
permitted and constructed in federal
waters
the potential for economic growth
surrounding this renewable energy is
massive that's according to the u.s
department of energy
numerous studies show the industry
providing significant gains in job
numbers over the next decade virginia is
ready
the assets at the port are easily
adaptable to supporting offshore wind
construction
its location alone makes it the only hub
where supply ship could travel to most
east coast lease areas within just one
day
the existing maritime workforce easily
translates to the offshore wind industry
and new specific skill training is
underway in the classroom through an
established training alliance
the potential impact is not exclusive to
those along the coast virginia energy is
partnering with a private economic
development firm coal field strategies
which leads the invest southwest
virginia marketing campaign to look for
ways southwest virginia could join the
offshore wind supply chain
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saving existing dollars is just as
important as bringing new dollars to
virginia
important energy efficiency work with
government-owned facilities has resulted
in 1 billion dollars of energy savings
to the commonwealth we are only second
to washington state to achieve that goal
programs to provide energy efficiency
financing are in place for willing
localities and virginia energy is
exploring financing opportunities for
low to middle income residents looking
for ways to save on energy costs
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as service to virginia's residents
continues each day at virginia energy
the opportunities for growth and
prosperity are many as we continue to
lead the commonwealth to a reliable and
responsible future
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