CertainTeed Opens New Gypsum Plant in Marshall County, W.Va. 

Gov. Joe Manchin and officials from CertainTeed announced the grand opening at the customer event, which included a guided tour of the new facility.

At more than $100 million, the CertainTeed Gypsum plant represents the largest manufacturing investment in the state since 1996, when Toyota announced it was locating a $400 million engine plant in Buffalo. The new plant is expected to create 200 jobs within three years.

The 750,000-square-foot manufacturing facility sits near the American Electric Power (AEP) Kammer-Mitchell coal-burning power plant. CertainTeed recycles the would-be waste fly ash from AEP’s scrubber stack and converts it into raw material for producing high-quality gypsum wallboards.

Using synthetic gypsum, or desulfogypsum, created under a strict quality specification by the coal desulfurization process at the Kammer-Mitchell plant, CertainTeed is manufacturing its popular ProRoc® gypsum wallboard at the facility. Instead of being sent to a landfill, the synthetic gypsum is transported to CertainTeed and used to replace natural mined gypsum in the manufacturing process.

“We are pleased that CertainTeed, a world leader in building products, chose West Virginia for its plant,” said Gov. Joe Manchin. “West Virginia has a great atmosphere for growing businesses. The work we’ve done with the legislature in recent years is attracting great partners like this and bringing quality jobs to our state.”

A two-mile-long conveyor belt transfers the synthetic gypsum from Kammer-Mitchell to the CertainTeed plant. The proximity of the power plant gives the board manufacturer convenient access to the raw material gypsum with little time or fuel expended on transportation.

“The proximity to American Electric Power’s plant – and to the key ingredient of our gypsum board - was a driving force behind CertainTeed Gypsum’s decision to locate in West Virginia,” says Peter Dachowski, president and CEO of CertainTeed Corporation.  “Coupled with the support we’ve received from Gov. Manchin and the state of West Virginia, we knew that Moundsville was destined to be the home of CertainTeed Gypsum’s new facility.”

The now-operational plant is the culmination of efforts from numerous governmental agencies. The West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA) issued $200 million in revenue bonds to help provide financing for the project. The West Virginia Development Office (WVDO) facilitated the project, coordinating efforts between the company and other resource and regulatory agencies. WORKFORCE West Virginia provided technical assistance with applicant screening and employee training.

“This new plant is the result of CertainTeed, AEP and state government working in partnership,” said Secretary of Commerce Kelley Goes. “Part of our mission in state government is to develop a business environment that supports success. This project is a successful example of our ‘open for business’ approach to economic development.”

Contributes LEED® points

The CertainTeed plant will produce ProRoc® gypsum board, used in residential and commercial interior walls. The wallboard contributes to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) NC (new construction) points for green building design. Products made in the Moundsville plant contain enough recycled content to qualify as EPP for LEED-H (home).

About CertainTeed

CertainTeed is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the top 100 industrial companies in the world. CertainTeed’s product line includes gypsum board products, sheathing products and finishing products for builders and distributors. With the opening of the high-speed wallboard plant in West Virginia, the company now operates 13 gypsum board plants in North America.

About the West Virginia Development Office

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