Nacero Coming to NEPA to Make Clean Gasoline from NatGas!

Nacero

Jim Willis on NGL Pipelines
Editor & Publisher, Marcellus Drilling News (MDN)

[Editor’s Note: This is one very big deal! Nacero is a company invested in manufacturing cleaner gasoline from natural gas and it is coming to Luzerne County to use our NatGas!]

Some super-exciting news to share about a massive, $6 billion petrochemical plant coming to northeastern Pennsylvania. On Friday, PA State Sen. John Yudichak, who wisely left the Democrat Party and became an Independent, announced Nacero Inc. will build a $6 billion manufacturing facility on the site of a former coal mine in Newport Township and Nanticoke in Luzerne County, PA. The plant will convert Marcellus natural gas into zero-sulfur gasoline for use in their existing cars and trucks without modification.

Construction of the plant will create 3,500 jobs to build the massive facility (located on 3,000 acres), with all the building trades involved. Once completed, the Nacero facility will employ 450 high-tech jobs that will pay $85,000 per year!

The Nacero process

Yudichak said this is THE single largest economic development investment in the history of Luzerne County. In scope and impact, it will be similar to the project to build the Shell cracker plant in western PA. It’s that big and that important. And it’s all thanks to the abundance of cheap, locally-extracted Marcellus Shale gas.

It was this type of project in view when lawmakers passed PA’s Act 66, signed into law in the summer of 2020 by Gov. Tom Wolf, under extreme pressure from the legislature and the public (see Victory Lap! Gov. Wolf Signs Tax Break Bill for New Petchem Plants). Yudichak was a key player in getting the law passed, so hats off to him and his team.

The Act 66 law means the Nacero project will receive up to a $6.7 million per year break on state taxes over a 25 year period.

We have three articles to share, each with different bits of information about the project. First up is from the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader from last Friday:

Sen. John Yudichak Friday said Nacero’s decision to invest $6 billion and create nearly 4,000 new jobs represents the single largest economic development investment in the history of Luzerne County.
“And, it further represents an environmental transformation of Newport Township and Nanticoke City through the reclamation of mine scarred lands to pave the way for a revolutionary manufacturing facility that will change the global market for gasoline by reducing the carbon footprint in the transportation sector by 50%,” said Yudichak, I-Swoyersville.
As Yudichak succinctly put it at the news conference at his Nanticoke Office:
“This is big news.”
Nacero Inc. Friday announced plans to build a $6 billion manufacturing facility on the site of a former coal mine in Newport Township and Nanticoke, that the company said will bring thousands of jobs and produce tens of thousands of barrels per day of low and zero life-cycle carbon footprint gasoline made from natural gas and renewable natural gas.
The facility’s competitively priced, zero sulfur gasoline will be usable in contemporary cars and trucks without modification, officials said. The project is expected to begin within the next two years and will take four more years to complete.
“We will give everyday drivers zero sulfur, 100% domestic, low- and net zero-carbon gasoline for use in their existing vehicles without modification,” said said Jay McKenna, Nacero’s CEO. “Our affordable and accessible products will clear the air and reduce global warming.”
Yudichak said there will be 3,500 construction jobs available to build the masive facility, with all building trades involved. Once completed, Yurdichak said the Nacero facility will employ 450 high tech jobs that will pay $85,000 per year.
Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, said more than a generation ago, energy in the form of anthracite coal helped Northeastern Pennsylvania lead the Industrial Revolution
“Today, I’m pleased to announce that Northeast Pennsylvania, right here in Luzerne County, will once again lead the next energy revolution, the Clean Energy Revolution,” Kaufer said. “This is the missing piece of the puzzle our country has been so desperately longing for — an environmentally superior product that can be implemented in the near-term for the cars of today.”
Kaufer added that even though it may seem nearly impossible in today’s political climate, these products accomplish the goals of both sides of the political aisle — an environmentally responsible product, while still being consumer friendly on the pocketbooks.
“Oh yeah, and did I mention, it will be one of the largest construction sites in North America, putting thousands of men and women from the Northeast Pennsylvania building trades to work,” Kaufer said. “Sounds too good to be true, right?”
Kaufer said when Act 66 was signed into law, this economic policy laid the groundwork for Friday’s announcement in attracting world-class companies like Nacero to invest over $6 billion in Luzerne County.
Yudichak thanked Gov. Tom Wolf for signing Act 66 into law.
“This is truly the monumental, transformative, game-changing generational opportunity for Luzerne County that we have all been hoping for since the decline of coal,” Kaufer said. “While there are still many steps in the process, when this facility is fully up and running, 30 million tons of carbon dioxide will be avoided annually, which is roughly the equivalent of removing 6.5 million cars from the road.”
Nacero’s products include Nacero Blue gasoline, which reduces life-cycle carbon emissions by 50% while Nacero Green gasoline, which incorporates renewable natural gas and carbon capture will have zero life-cycle carbon footprint.
Kaufer said this technology will pull the country forward in meeting its carbon reduction goals.
“It almost doesn’t seem real, but consumers all along the Eastern seaboard will have the opportunity to purchase zero life-cycle carbon gasoline,” Kaufer said. “What this means is that consumers buying this gasoline will have zero carbon footprint. And we are going to make that zero-life cycle carbon gasoline right here in Luzerne County.”
Kaufer said while there remains a long way to go until Nacero breaks ground and eventually get the facility up and running, being selected as the future site for Nacero’s next development is a dream come true.
Acting Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo said, “This is a very special day for Luzerne County. This project brings jobs, jobs being hope and hope strengthens our community.”
Jack Zyla, Newport Township Commissioner, said he felt like the township had just won the lottery.
“This is great news,” he said. “Newport Township has no big business or industry. This is a big day for Newport Township.”
Nanticoke Mayor Kevin Coughlin said the project will have many positive effects on the city and region.
“When this project begins, these workers will need a place to live and they will eat in our restaurants and patronize our businesses. This is an unbelievable day for us.”
“Nacero’s $6 billion investment in Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County will create 4,000 jobs, reclaim hundreds of acres of mine scared land, and advance Pennsylvania’s reputation as a leader in energy innovation,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas. “The plant’s affordable low and zero carbon footprint gasolines will reduce carbon emissions nationally, improve local air quality and reduce our reliance on foreign oil by producing a fuel that Americans can use in the cars they drive today with half the carbon footprint of existing fuels using Pennsylvania natural gas. It will make our region a leading example of what American ingenuity and hardworking Pennsylvanians can achieve.”
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, said, “I am always looking for ways to bring high-skill, high-paying jobs to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Long-range, Nacero plans to replace a substantial percentage of petroleum-based gasoline in the U.S. market. Doing so with natural gas- and renewable natural gas-based regular gasoline offers an intriguing possibility. Northeastern Pennsylvania workers are second to none, and it’s no wonder our area attracts the attention of new companies.”
Dennis Davin, Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development:
“The company’s commitment to locate their newest, innovative multi-billion-dollar plant in the commonwealth will bring thousands of new jobs to Luzerne County. Nacero could have located anywhere, but chose Pennsylvania as a result of its ingenuity, talented workforce and strong economy.”
Warren Faust, President NEPA Building & Construction Trades Council said, The men and women of the NEPA Building & Construction Trades are ready, willing, and eager to deploy our skilled trade workers to build the Nacero Luzerne County plant that will produce good-paying jobs and change the game on natural gas projects in Pennsylvania.”

A second article from the Times Leader, from Sunday, saying the project was over two years in the making:

Marc Heissan, director of strategic development for Nacero Inc., said the company has been working on building a strong understanding on what it will take to develop the chosen location in Luzerne County for the past two years.
“There is still a lot of work to be done, but we will know more once we start construction on our Texas facility next year,” Heissan said.
The Texas-based company on Friday announced plans to build a $6 billion manufacturing facility on the site of a former coal mine that will produce clean gasoline made from natural gas and renewable natural gas and generate thousands of jobs.
The company said the project will bring thousands of jobs and produce tens of thousands of barrels per day of low and zero life-cycle carbon footprint gasoline made from natural gas and renewable natural gas.
Sen. John Yudichak Friday said Nacero’s decision to invest $6 billion and create nearly 4,000 new jobs represents the single largest economic development investment in the history of Luzerne County.
“And, it further represents an environmental transformation of Newport Township and Nanticoke City through the reclamation of mine scarred lands to pave the way for a revolutionary manufacturing facility that will change the global market for gasoline by reducing the carbon footprint in the transportation sector by 50%,” said Yudichak, I-Swoyersville.
But the process is just in the early stages, Yudichak said, noting that much work remains to be done to get the project up and running.
Heissan said the financial markets are looking for large scale projects like Nacero’s that involve a proven technology, have a ready market and meet an important need.
“Our affordable gasoline will be usable in today’s cars and trucks without modification, and we are addressing one of, if not the most, pressing problems in the world today,” Heissan said. “We will have a better idea as to the timing of construction in Pennsylvania after we begin work on our first project in Texas next year.”
Heissan went on to explain how Nacero chose Luzerne County as its second project site.
“NEPA has so much to offer, and the community has been very welcoming over the last two years given our ability to clean up mine scarred land and create an environmentally and economically robust solution,” Heissan said. “A highly skilled work force and cooperative landowners like Earth Conservancy have made Luzerne County one of the most attractive locations in the east.”
…Tony Seiwell, business manager of the Laborers’ District Council of Eastern Pennsylvania, issued a statement on Nacero’s announcement, the first facility associated with the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit:
“This announcement is the culmination of historic, bipartisan efforts to attract new economic investment and good jobs to Pennsylvania through the Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit with support from labor, legislators, and business,” Seiwell said. “With a realistic energy approach like the one of Nacero’s Luzerne County plant, we do not have to choose between good jobs and the environment. One of the most historic parts of the legislation was its inclusion of prevailing wage. This project will create over 3,500 prevailing wage construction jobs during the four years of construction and hundreds of permanent jobs.”
Seiwell said Nacero is an environmentally conscious company that is not only embracing Pennsylvania’s natural gas resources, but leading the way for natural gas to lower carbon emissions even more than it already has.
“It is development like this that is going to move our local economy and local workers forward in Luzerne County and across the Commonwealth,” Seiwell said.

Finally, David Hess from the PA Environment Digest Blog provides some added details about the company and its technology:

On October 29, Nacero Inc. announced plans to build a $6 billion manufacturing facility on the site of a former coal mine in Newport Township and Nanticoke, Luzerne County that will bring thousands of jobs and produce tens of thousands of barrels per day of low and zero lifecycle carbon footprint gasoline made from natural gas and renewable natural gas.
The facility’s competitively priced, zero sulfur gasoline will be useable in today’s cars and trucks without modification.
“We will give everyday drivers zero sulfur, 100 percent domestic, low- and net zero carbon gasoline for use in their existing vehicles without modification. Our affordable and accessible products will clear the air and reduce global warming,” said Jay McKenna, Nacero’s CEO…
In April, Nacero, Inc. announced plans to construct a similar plant in Pennwell, Texas. Read more here.
According to Nacero, Nacero Blue Gasoline™ is made from natural gas using renewable power and carbon capture. Nacero Green Gasoline™ is made from renewable natural gas and captured flare gas.
Nacero’s state-of-the-art facilities integrate carbon capture, produce hydrogen production and make 80 percent of their own process water.
Click Here for a comparison of the Nacero process and traditional crude oil refining.
For more information, visit the Nacero website.
The state Local Resource Manufacturing Tax Credit adopted in 2020 is credited with helping to bring the $6 billion Nacero gasoline plant to Luzerne County, according to Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre). Read more here.
“For many years, Pennsylvania suffered from bad policy decisions that chased away new jobs and investments and hurt small communities throughout the state,” Sen. Corman said. “Today’s announcement shows how we can bring these jobs back and breathe new life into our communities with responsible policies targeted toward creating family-sustaining jobs in Pennsylvania.”
The program provides up to $6.7 million in tax credits a year for qualifying projects [Read more here] up to $26.6 million a year for the entire tax credit program which will be available from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2049– over $670 million. Read more here.
The tax credit pays qualified companies a tax credit equal to $0.47 per unit of dry natural gas that is purchased and used by a qualified taxpayer in the manufacturing of petrochemicals or fertilizers. Read more here.