Thanks to the continued development of the Marcellus Shale, natural gas production has consistently increased over the last decade, fueling new power plant projects that will take advantage of the affordable and abundant energy beneath our feet. According to a recent article in the Scranton Times Tribune:
“Hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania has turned U.S. gas markets upside down. Now, that seismic shift is spreading to the electric power industry and Northeast Pennsylvania is the epicenter of that change.”
Currently there are four natural gas power plants proposed for Northeast Pennsylvania and construction of these facilities will help grow the economy and create hundreds of jobs:
- According to Invenergy, Lackawanna Energy Center will create 600 jobs during construction of the facility and once completed the project will generate more than $50 million in community investment.
- The Panda Patriot will “create approximately 500 construction jobs; 27 direct jobs to operate the plant and 45 indirect jobs to support the plant,” and supply up to one million homes.
- The Panda Liberty is estimated to create the same number of jobs as the Patriot, and in supplying another million homes will generate “approximately $5.9 billion to the area’s economy during construction and the plant’s first ten years of operation.”
- The Moxie Freedom is estimated to create yet another 600 jobs that will produce roughly $120 million in payroll and other worker-related revenue.
Aside from the economic benefits, the proposed projects will also serve to decrease emissions during power generation. Improving air quality through natural gas end use is a trend we’ve been seeing across the Commonwealth, as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently stated:
“Significantly, since 2008, when unconventional drilling across the state began quickly increasing, cumulative air contaminant emissions across the state have continued to decline. In particular, sulfur dioxide emissions from electric generating units (EGU) have been reduced by approximately 73 percent. The emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter have also been reduced by approximately 23 percent and 46 percent, respectively, from this sector.”
And, as EID recently reported, Pennsylvania is not alone in this emission reduction trend. New York has also embraced cleaner burning natural gas as a main fuel source for electricity generation and has benefitted greatly because of it. According to a recent report from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO):
“From 2000 through 2014, New York power plant emission rates dropped by double digits. SO2 emissions rates declined 94 percent. NOX emission rates declined 78 percent. CO2 emission rates declined 39 percent.”
Natural gas development in Pennsylvania has created hundreds of thousands of jobs across the Commonwealth and has helped the United States significantly decrease emissions associated with electricity generation. As more of these projects are completed, Pennsylvania will continue to be an energy power house thanks to the abundant Marcellus Shale.