By MATT SMITHMIER

MASON COUNTY, W.V. – Frontieras North America, a Texas-based energy and environmental technology company, has begun work in Mason County, W.V. on an $850 million industrial development – its first commercial facility in the region.

The new development will operate near Point Pleasant and convert coal into fertilizer, liquid fuels, hydrogen and industrial carbon products through a closed-loop process that captures and reuses byproducts — a patented process known as FASForm Solid Carbon Fractionation. The region was chosen because of its ample access to coal reserves, easy rail access and proximity to the Ohio River.

“This (April 2) groundbreaking marks a decisive step in the commercialization of FASForm and the return of serious industrial investment to America’s energy regions,” said Matthew McKean, CEO and co-founder. “We’re building a new class of energy infrastructure that extracts maximum value from domestic resources — profitably, at scale and with a zero-waste design.”

The company estimates the project will create approximately 300 full-time jobs, as well as about 2,000 construction jobs during the building process, which should be complete in 2028.