Blackstone Invests $1.2B to Build 600-MW Energy Facility in West Virginia
Blackstone Energy Transition Partners has unveiled a $1.2 billion commitment to develop Wolf Summit Energy, a 600-megawatt natural gas facility in Harrison County, West Virginia. The greenfield project—the first of its kind in the region—will supply reliable power to meet the rapidly increasing electricity needs of data centers supporting artificial intelligence and other high-demand technologies.
Construction could begin soon, following the firm’s final investment decision last week. The project is expected to generate approximately 500 construction jobs while boosting the local economy and supporting Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, the regional energy provider.
“Helping meet the rising demand for electricity from AI and other areas is among our highest conviction investment themes at Blackstone,” said Bilal Khan, Senior Managing Director, and Mark Zhu, Managing Director at Blackstone.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey praised the initiative, noting that “West Virginia’s status as a global energy player is only beginning to be realized. Blackstone’s $1.2 billion investment not only signifies its commitment to West Virginia—it highlights our emergence as the leading state in the country for energy growth and investment.”
Wolf Summit Energy adds to a growing list of Blackstone Energy Transition Partners’ natural gas power investments in the Mid-Atlantic. Recent transactions include the Hill Top Energy Center, a 620-megawatt facility in Western Pennsylvania, and the Potomac Energy Center, a 774-megawatt plant in Loudoun County, Virginia. Over the past three and a half years, the firm has invested in roughly 1,600 megawatts of new-build power generation capacity in the United States.
Blackstone Energy Transition Partners—focused on control-oriented equity investments across energy-related businesses—has committed more than $27 billion of equity globally across a wide spectrum of energy sectors.
