Former Mine Land Energy Storage Technical Comparison Project
A FY27 Community Project Funding request of $1,310,000 for Mountain Empire Community College to conduct a one-year technical analysis comparing pumped storage hydropower and battery energy storage on former mine lands in Wise County, Virginia, with potential application to other coalfield area sites throughout the Appalachian Basin, including engineering and cost analysis, comparative evaluation, technical outreach, and student engagement.
Turning Former Mine Lands into a Data-Driven Energy Storage Opportunity
Analysis compares pumped storage and batteries to inform utilities, regulators, and future deployment across the coalfields.
The requested amount of $1,310,000 would be used by Mountain Empire Community College to conduct a one-year technical analysis evaluating energy storage options on former mine lands in Wise County, VA, with potential application to other coalfield area sites in Southwest Virginia and throughout the Appalachian Basin. Funds would support five related activities: (1) an engineering feasibility and cost analysis of a pumped storage hydropower project on former mine lands; (2) a comparable feasibility and cost analysis of a battery energy storage project of similar scale and scope; (3) a standardized comparison of the benefits and disadvantages of both technologies for use by utilities, regulators, and other public-sector decision-makers, including the Virginia State Corporation Commission; (4) technical outreach to electric utilities and prospective market participants to share findings, validate assumptions, and identify implementation and interoperability considerations; and (5) student engagement through Mountain Empire Community College in applied data collection, technical analysis, and educational activities associated with the project.
Properly described, these activities align with NIST's statutory functions related to measurement methods, testing methods, technical evaluation, data dissemination, workshops, and technology transfer. The strongest statutory anchors are 15 U.S.C. Section 272(b)(4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (10), and (11), together with Section 272(c)(3), (24), (27), and (31).
De-Risking Energy Storage on Former Mine Lands
A public college-led, NIST-aligned technical framework to guide utilities, regulators, and future private investment without subsidizing construction.
This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would produce a practical, public-purpose technical framework for evaluating energy storage on former mine lands in an economically distressed coalfield region, rather than subsidizing construction of a single commercial project. The results would help utilities, regulators, local governments, and communities better understand which storage pathways are most technically and economically viable, while also supporting applied student learning through a public higher education institution. The project would also help lay the foundation for future deployment by reducing uncertainty around cost, feasibility, and implementation. Based on current project assumptions, a single 300-megawatt pumped storage hydopower project in the region could represent approximately $1.5 billion in private investment and, if future deployment proceeds, could create project-related jobs, engage contractors with experience in the current coal industry during a multi-year construction period, generate durable local tax revenues, and produce long-term financial benefits for local governments through existing revenue-sharing arrangements. The project is designed to align with NIST’s mission by focusing on standards-related research and technology development, technical evaluation, dissemination of findings, and student participation in research-related activities, rather than building construction or commercial project finance.