The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has closed a $1.5 billion loan to Wabash Valley Resources, LLC, aimed at restarting and repurposing a coal gasification plant in West Terre Haute, Indiana. The facility will use coal from a local Southern Indiana mine and petcoke to produce 500,000 metric tons of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer per year.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated, “For too long, America has been dependent on foreign sources of fertilizer. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are changing that by putting America first, relying on American coal, American workers, and American innovation to power our farms and feed our families.”
The project is expected to reduce reliance on imported fertilizers from regions such as Canada, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Russia. It aims to support farmers in the Eastern Corn Belt by providing domestically produced ammonia fertilizer.
According to DOE officials, the investment will help strengthen domestic supply chains and lower costs for both farmers and consumers while creating hundreds of jobs in the region. The loan was approved under new guidance from DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO), following directives from Secretary Wright.
“The loan, which was carefully evaluated under the new LPO guidance directed by Secretary Wright, delivers on the Trump administration’s promise to responsibly steward taxpayer dollars and unleash American energy dominance,” DOE noted in its announcement. “The Wabash financial close is the second closed loan under the Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) Program created by the Working Families Tax Cut, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
DOE officials said this move demonstrates their commitment to achieving national security objectives set forth by President Trump through securing domestic fertilizer supplies for farmers across key agricultural regions.
“Today’s announcement highlights DOE’s commitment to achieving President Trump’s national security and energy dominance goals by securing domestic fertilizer supply for farmers in the Corn Belt and ensuring the American people’s access to reliable, abundant, and affordable energy,” Secretary Wright said.
