EQT Corporation, Equinor, GE Gas Power, Marathon Petroleum (including its affiliate MPLX), Mitsubishi Power, Shell Polymers and U. S. Steel have formed a new alliance that will play an important leadership role in decarbonizing the industrial base in the Northern Appalachian Region of the United States.
The alliance will work with stakeholders on a shared vision for a low-carbon and hydrogen industrial hub in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia that can be a national model for sustainable energy and production systems. Effective implementation of this industrial hub and its associated infrastructure development could generate thousands of new jobs, protect current jobs, and help achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.
The hub concept will include a focus on carbon capture, utilization & storage (CCUS), as well as hydrogen production and utilization. This large-scale, regional approach will require new levels of public-private partnerships across borders and sectors. The alliance is working to establish a collaborative network to directly engage industry, labor, universities, communities, government, research institutions, non-profit organizations and other groups in these efforts.
The Northern Appalachian Region brings tremendous assets, from world-class universities and national laboratories to deep-rooted industrial capabilities, with key strengths in manufacturing, materials, and energy. All of this is supported by the region’s highly skilled and experienced work force, as well as a strong and growing startup ecosystem. This industry-led alliance and network brings the knowledge, scale and relationships to make this transformative opportunity a reality.
As this alliance engages key stakeholders in the coming weeks, participants will work on defining the vision and plans for a regional CCUS/hydrogen hub that can drive economic resurgence and technical innovation, secure industrial jobs, and attract new companies and investments to the region. The alliance is being facilitated by IN-2-Market, a regional non-profit organization that will coordinate alliance activities and engagement with regional stakeholders.
“We look forward to working with other industry leaders to support the development of one or multiple low-carbon energy hubs in North Appalachia,” said Rob Wingo, EQT Corporation’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Ventures. “Our region has an abundant source of low-cost, low emissions-intensive natural gas which can be converted to low-carbon fuels and used to reduce our country’s carbon footprint. At EQT, we see a significant opportunity to expand beyond our existing business by leveraging this advantage to develop low-carbon fuel production and CCUS opportunities.”
“With an abundance of natural resources, industrial capabilities, and a highly-skilled workforce, the Appalachian region is poised to meet America’s energy needs while leading the transition to a low-carbon future,” said Chris Golden, Equinor U.S. Country Manager. “Equinor is committed to achieving net zero emissions, and we’re proud to work together with this alliance of ambitious companies to realize this opportunity.”
“As a leading energy company with equipment providing more than one third of the world's electricity, GE is excited to bring its unmatched industrial and power generation heritage and experience to this new alliance," said Jeremee Wetherby, Global Decarbonization Partnerships Leader for GE Gas Power. “GE knows firsthand the importance of pursuing an affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy system as the gas turbine OEM with the most operating hours using hydrogen and similar lower-carbon fuels—but we also believe that the energy transition can only be accomplished swiftly through the industry-wide collaboration, policy support, and public demand garnered by organizations such as this alliance. We are eager to begin the essential work of helping to transform the Northern Appalachian’s industrial operations into an American climate leader."
“This alliance in Northern Appalachia is a way for forward-looking companies to leverage the region’s many advantages as we work toward lowering the carbon intensity of the critical products and services we provide,” said Dave Heppner, Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s senior vice president of strategy and business development. “At Marathon Petroleum, we are committed to meeting the energy needs of today, while also investing in an energy-diverse future.”
Bill Newsom, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Power, said, “Developing a hydrogen hub in the Tri-State Region will be critical to achieving the aggressive net zero carbon goals. Mitsubishi Power realizes that we need to assemble teams with complementary expertise across the public and private sectors. This new alliance creates a collaborative network bringing together diverse companies and groups to solve one of the toughest challenges our industry is facing. Together with our customers and partners, we are creating a Change in Power.”
“As we march towards finishing the construction of our world-scale petrochemical plant in Monaca, Pennsylvania, we are excited to be in on the ground floor of this tri-state project that could help us reach our net-zero carbon emission ambitions”, said Hilary Mercer, Senior Vice President of Shell Polymers Pennsylvania Chemicals. “The creation of this hub could contribute to a more sustainable energy future for what is already a very advantaged region in terms of human and natural resources.”
“As U. S. Steel builds momentum toward our ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the opportunity to establish a low-carbon industrial hub in this region is cause for optimism,” said Richard Fruehauf, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer. “This Tri-State region has incredible assets, not only a highly skilled and experienced workforce, but also world-class universities, national laboratories and deep-rooted industrial capabilities.”
