PARKERSBURG – A project by Ohio Valley University to develop and build an alternative clean energy facility is moving forward and could begin construction next year, opening in 2018 or 2019.

The Parkersburg Rotary Club received an update on the project Monday from Jeff Dimick, executive vice president at OVU and president of OVU-ACE LLC.

The ACE facility is expected to generate revenue and educational opportunities for the college, in addition to new energy resources and jobs for the community.

The project’s goals include creating an alternative revenue source for OVU to assist in funding strategic initiatives, providing internships and increasing endowments for various scholarships and facilities enhancements, Dimick said.

If the funding can be finalized by the end of the year, Dimick said, the facility is scheduled to be operational in late 2018 and is designed to utilize approximately 500 tons of coal per day, producing up to 2,400 barrels of liquids a day.

The overall estimated cost for the project is expected to be around $250 million.

The site will produce primarily mixed alcohols (ethanol and methanol) along with other energy-related byproducts through patented processes utilizing coal as the primary feedstock, Dimick said. The project will integrate existing technologies into one facility to demonstrate that clean energy from coal is commercially viable and can be produced economically, he said.

Since the project was publicly announced in April, Dimick said positive progress has been made, including finding a site for the facility in the area of 29th Street north of the Memorial Bridge on the site of a former steel plant. The facility would provide approximately 60 new jobs, he said.

In addition to energy generation, the ACE facility will be used as a training and education center for OVU students. Since last year, OVU has started offering a bachelor’s degree in Energy Management and Production Engineering and these students will intern at the facility for hands-on experience.

Dimick said OVU has also been in discussions with other local colleges about ways their curriculums might integrate with what the ACE facility will be doing. He is working to find markets and outlets for its products and said there has been interest shown.

In addition to revenue and educational opportunities for OVU, the project could also help in research and development. Discussions are underway to create a laboratory in conjunction with the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey for research and education in the recovery of Rare Earth Elements from coal ash sources, Dimick said.

Dimick said the project provides the possibility for several new revenue streams for OVU, which can be used for scholarships, facility enhancement and other ways.

OVU officials have been talking with local manufacturers and industries which use mixed alcohols for energy production, which would provide a local market for the locally produced liquid products, he said.