U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, left, and TIMET Human Resources Manager Hannah Hesson, center, listen as BHE Renewables President/CEO Alicia Knapp talks Friday about the company’s construction of an energy microgrid system renewable in Jackson County. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

MILLWOOD — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito expressed excitement Friday about the speed of development of TIMET’s Jackson County site and support for eliminating tariffs that add costs to the company’s raw materials.

Capito, RW.Va., toured the space at the former Century Aluminum site near Ravenswood, where TIMET is building a titanium smelter and Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables is building a microgrid system to power it.

“I’m excited about what I’m seeing and I’m impressed with how quickly it’s gone.” Capito said after speaking with representatives of both companies about the timing of the projects and how they will work.

“TIMET is really moving the dirt here,” she said, adding that the company’s arrival will “help us enter the space race and the aerospace industry.”

When operational, the facility will produce machined titanium alloy chips and titanium ingots using an electron beam hearth melter and seven vacuum arc remelting furnaces, said Patrick Pettey, director of quality and technology for TIMET. About 50% of the company’s products are used in aerospace engines and 35% in aircraft structures.

TIMET Human Resources Manager Hannah Hesson, left, talks with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito about the company’s welcome and efforts to support the Jackson County community during a tour of the site Friday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

“This is our bread and butter,” Pettey said. “This is where we live.”

One issue company officials have discussed with Capito is the tariff on imports of titanium sponge, the raw material that TIMET uses. Vice President of Procurement Jeff Easto said all titanium producers pay a 15 percent import tariff, despite the fact that there are no producers of the material in the United States.

“There is no domestic industry to be protected” he said.

That means products from TIMET and other domestic manufacturers cost 15 cents more on the dollar than those in countries without such tariffs, Easto said.

Capito co-sponsored legislation to eliminate the fee.

BHE Renewables President/CEO Alicia Knapp, left, answers questions from U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito about her Jackson County project during a site tour Friday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

“We want to be able to have our competitive American products everywhere,” she said.

The company has been welcomed with open arms by the community, said Hannah Hesson, TIMET human resources manager. There are now 39 local employees, some of whom are being trained at the TIMET facility in Morgantown, Pa., on the processes they will use in Millwood once the plant is operational, expected in the second quarter of 2025. The company expects to hire 200 employees. people locally once everything is up and running, but they already have more than 300 interested and qualified candidates pre-screened, Hesson said.

In addition, the company contributes to the community in a variety of ways, including installing solar lights at Ripley High School and distributing educational materials about photosynthesis at the Jackson County Fair.

As the TIMET project takes shape, BHE Renewables is preparing to deploy its solar arrays and batteries to store the energy it generates. The microgrid will generate 106 megawatts of electricity to meet TIMET’s energy load for a year, said Alicia Knapp, president/CEO of BHE Renewables.

Capito noted West Virginia’s history as an energy producer, particularly in fossil fuels, as the company expands renewable energy options here.

“I think it shows that West Virginia is ready to innovate,” she said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at [email protected]