Regional diversity supports growth in nuclear energy and industrial manufacturing
ORNL’s Edgar Lara-Curzio, director of energy resources programs, welcomes more than 100 attendees to the West Virginia University campus for a two-day forum focused on energy and workforce development solutions in Appalachia. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
A region rich in natural resources took centerstage recently at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s third Appalachian Carbon Forum in Morgantown, West Virginia, where leaders in nuclear energy, critical materials and infrastructure exchanged ideas on how to strengthen energy innovation in Appalachia.
ORNL co-hosted the two-day event with West Virginia University (WVU) on the campus of the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, bringing together industry, community, government, university and national laboratory leaders.
Stretching from New York to Northern Mississippi, the Appalachian region spans 206,000 square miles across 13 states, includes 423 counties and is home to the Appalachian Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains and more than 26.6 million residents. The region is also a major U.S. energy hub which includes the Tennessee Valley Authority and diverse resources including natural gas, coal, petroleum, liquids and nuclear energy.
“From timber to minerals, extraction and utilization of natural resources is a critical element of the regional economy, impacting everything from power generation to industrial manufacturing,” said ORNL’s Edgar Lara-Curzio, a distinguished scientist and director of energy resources programs. “We recognize the challenges, opportunities and significance of Appalachia and have a commitment to increasing its energy security.”
Lara-Curzio led discussions with leadership from the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster in West Virginia on the history of volunteer service in Appalachia including recovery efforts and increasing resiliency against future severe weather events.
Panel sessions moderated by experts from the Ohio River Valley Institute, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Central Appalachia Network and WVU focused on four themes: resiliency in Appalachia, powering Appalachia, responsible utilization of Appalachian resources and industrial competitiveness in Appalachia.
With utility companies in the region facing increasing demands from residential and commercial customers, panelists from the Charleston Area Alliance, Kairos Power, Hope Gas and Babcock & Wilcox provided industry and community perspectives on how to navigate energy use in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
Keynote speaker David Pointer, ORNL’s interim nuclear energy program director, also shared updates on how the laboratory is accelerating technology to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors. Researchers are at the forefront of next-generation nuclear reactor design development and are exploring advanced manufacturing methods.
By leveraging the capabilities of the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), ORNL is developing qualification methods for 3D-printed components that will speed the deployment of nuclear energy. The MDF, supported by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, is a nationwide consortium of collaborators working with ORNL to innovate, inspire and catalyze the transformation of U.S. manufacturing.
Energy demand and AI strengthen job opportunities
Additional discussions focused on workforce development and addressing how the increasing demand for energy and data centers will require a strategic approach with the regional economy to ensure positive impacts on the communities of Appalachia. Leaders from System One, an energy and utility provider; McKinsey, a management consulting company; Reimagine Appalachia, a coalition to amplify Appalachian voices; and the RAND School of Public Policy provided thought leadership on workforce engagement.
WVU leadership, including President Michael T. Benson, and Vice President for Research Ming Lei, set the stage for discussions both days of the forum, with a theme of strengthening workforce development. Additional participants representing industry, community organizations and government included Ramaco Carbon, Green Assets, Coalfield Development, Land of Sky — a regional planning council — and the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey.
WVU and Ramaco Carbon were official sponsors of the 2026 Appalachian Carbon Forum. This is the third in a series of energy discussions hosted by ORNL in Appalachia with previous meetings held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Lexington, Kentucky.
“We are grateful to our regional host, West Virginia University, and particularly my fellow chair Xingbo Liu, from the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, who has provided excellent guidance for these discussions,” said Lara-Curzio. “WVU’s support has enabled meaningful and actionable plans that we can carry forward for the next decade to improve the energy infrastructure and workforce talent in such a critical part of the United States.”
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science. The single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
