National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) technical experts and industry representatives convened at NETL’s Morgantown campus Sept. 24-25 for the inaugural Coal Center of Excellence (CoE) Stakeholder Workshop. Over the course of two days, attendees participated in technical presentations, discussions and laboratory tours and explored potential opportunities for future partnerships centered on acceleration of deployment of high-performance coal technologies. 

Industry provided valuable perspectives in the areas of Mining & Processing, Coal and Waste Gas to Products, Gasification, Capture & Gas Separations, Coal Power, and Digital Engineering.

The workshop highlighted how federal research directly supports affordable, reliable, and secure power generation. By opening communication related to advanced research and commercial implementation, NETL aims to optimize existing energy assets, develop high-value coal products, and fortify critical infrastructure against grid disruptions.

“This workshop fostered open dialogue and information sharing between federal technical experts and the commercial sector,” said Nathan Weiland, acting director of the NETL Coal CoE. “Understanding industry perspectives helps NETL in its mission to deliver more impactful research that leverages our nation’s coal resources to grow domestic manufacturing, protect national grid resilience and secure affordable baseline power for American homes and businesses.”

The event marks a key milestone in the Lab’s broader strategic vision to optimize, modernize, and restore the coal industry as a reliable cornerstone of the U.S. energy mix.

NETL’s CoEs are a keystone of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategy to secure the nation’s energy future. Through appropriate partnerships between research and development activities within NETL mission space and similarly focused U.S. industries, the Coal CoE is helping to support the growth and optimization of coal production, use, and power generation to establish a more affordable, reliable, and secure future of American energy.

NETL is a DOE National Laboratory dedicated to innovating and accelerating the nation’s energy solutions in hydrocarbons, geothermal energy, and critical minerals production. The Lab further strengthens its impact by engaging with industry, academia and other stakeholders through four strategically located Centers of Excellence: Coal, Critical Minerals and Advanced Alloys, Oil & Gas, and Geothermal. With research sites in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL operates as one laboratory to create advanced energy technologies that support DOE’s mission and enable affordable, reliable and secure energy to fuel human prosperity.