Form Energy, the cutting-edge battery manufacturer bringing new life to the old Weirton steel plant property, could benefit from up to $150 million in federal dollars aimed at bolstering the United States energy grid.
In an online press conference, Senator Joe Manchin and Form chief executive Mateo Jaramillo said the federal dollars flowing to a private manufacturer represent an appropriate role for government to support the nation’s energy needs.
“I’ve always believed that government should be your partner. Government should never be your provider. If you’re intending on government to provide everything you need in the marketplace, that’s not who we are in a capitalist, entrepreneurial society,” Manchin said. “This is a good partnership.”
Jaramillo said support at all levels of government is a necessity for ambitious projects like the battery plant.
“I don’t know what the role of government should be, but I do know that the government is required to do big projects and to take on big initiatives like this,” Jaramillo said in response to a MetroNews question about the intersection of government and the private sector…