West Virginia-based Cenergy LLC, which works as a subcontractor for the Appalachian Basin’s oil and natural gas industry, is adding a new assembly plant, its fourth expansion since it was founded nine years ago.

Built in Cabell County in the western part of the state, the facility was constructed to manufacture measurement skids, which measure the sale of natural gas from producers to midstream companies. Cenergy was founded in 2006 and has continually grown, according to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s administration.

Tomblin, who attended the facility’s grand opening on Wednesday, touted the company’s track record and praised the oil and gas industry’s economic effects. According to the governor’s office, the new plant is to employ 170 employees, mostly local workers, for three shifts to weld, fabricate and test the steel measurement skids.

Cenergy provides civil, mechanical, electrical and construction services to the industry in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, including pipeline capacity upgrades, compressor station construction and the design, fabrication and assembly of measurement and regulation facilities, among other things.

In 2009, West Virginia’s oil and gas industry directly employed 9,900 individuals. It’s estimated that more than 6,000 additional jobs have been created since then, according to a study by West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business & Economic Research. The increase in employment has mainly been related to the industry’s supply chain and support services.