Three TNT projects, the OASIS Innovation Campus, and a Fund commitment to American sovereignty, clean water, workforce capacity, and the resilience of Appalachian communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. AND MERCER & McDOWELL COUNTIES, WEST VIRGINIA — alfa8, a veteran-owned strategic design and development firm, the Made in America Fund, and TNT Biofuels today announced an integrated energy, advanced-materials, and innovation program for Southern West Virginia. The program pairs TNT Biofuels’ three projects — TNT MME – Mercer McDowell Energy (Mercer County), TNT Graphite, and the TNT Cornerstone Plant (McDowell County) — with alfa8’s OASIS Innovation Campus, and carries the Fund’s commitment to support both.
Born from alfa8’s Made in America Initiative — which first came to McDowell County at the recommendation of former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin — the Fund launches with Southern West Virginia as its first focus. Its mission is to strengthen American sovereignty by investing where American communities need it most: restoring capacity, creating opportunity, and building resilience into the fabric of American life.
| 2,400 TONS OF COAL PER DAY, PER PLANT | 100 MW BEHIND-THE-METER POWER PER FACILITY | 350 DIRECT JOBS | 500+ INDIRECT JOBS | $70M ANNUAL DIRECT PAYROLL | 40–50 YR OPERATING LIFE |
★ Three Projects, One Integrated Vision
| TNT MME MERCER COUNTY Resilient hydrogen-generated power and advanced carbon products — the energy anchor of the OASIS Innovation Campus. | TNT GRAPHITE CRITICAL MATERIALS A secure domestic source of Made-in-America synthetic graphite and activated carbon for battery, defense, aerospace, and semiconductor supply chains. | TNT CORNERSTONE PLANT McDOWELL COUNTY Power generation and environmental reclamation — converting legacy coal refuse into value while addressing historic mining conditions. |
★ Powering the OASIS Innovation Campus
TNT MME’s generation capability anchors the OASIS Innovation Campus — a 500- to 800-acre development envisioned for next-generation data centers, distributed smart manufacturing, research institutions, vertical farming, and workforce training. Behind-the-meter power gives participating facilities dedicated, resilient energy while reducing pressure on the regional grid, and gives the region on-premise compute and rapid-prototyping capability that stays in local hands as artificial intelligence, national-security systems, and advanced manufacturing drive unprecedented demand for dependable electricity.
| “Our commitment is to holistic capacity for West Virginia — jobs, education, and the tools of modern industry rooted in the region’s own soil. Next-generation data centers with behind-the-meter power give these communities on-premise compute, distributed smart manufacturing, and rapid-prototyping capability that belongs to them. That is how you build resilience into the fabric of American life. We are committed to a sustainable future for America and its communities.” ILIAD TERRA, AIA, NCARB Chief Executive Officer, alfa8 Co-Founder, Made in America Fund | “West Virginia has powered America for generations, and it can now help power the industries that will define America’s future. TNT MME, TNT Graphite, and the TNT Cornerstone Plant represent an integrated vision for energy security, sovereign American manufacturing, environmental renewal, and lasting economic opportunity. Southern West Virginia can once again become one of the nation’s most important centers of industry and innovation.” TIM HAWKS Chief Executive Officer TNT Biofuels, LLC |
