Leading Companies Launch Initiative to Support Low-Carbon and Hydrogen Industrial Hub in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia

PITTSBURGH, PA.(February 3, 2022) – 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.

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. 

COMPANY INFORMATION AND REMARKS:

EQT Corporation: EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT) is a leading independent natural gas production company with operations focused in the cores of the Marcellus and Utica Shales in the Appalachian Basin. We are dedicated to responsibly developing our world-class asset base and being the operator of choice for our stakeholders. By leveraging a culture that prioritizes operational efficiency, technology and sustainability, we seek to continuously improve the way we produce environmentally responsible, reliable and low-cost energy. We have a longstanding commitment to the safety of our employees, contractors, and communities, and to the reduction of our overall environmental footprint. Our values are evident in the way we operate and in how we interact each day – trust, teamwork, heart, and evolution are at the center of all we do. 

“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.”

Equinor: Equinor (NYSE: EQNR) is a global energy company committed to providing affordable energy for societies and taking a leading role in the energy transition. Headquartered in Norway, we’re on a journey to net zero emissions through optimizing our oil and gas portfolio, accelerating growth in renewables and pioneering developments in carbon capture and hydrogen. With 35 years’ history in the US, our world-class portfolio stretches across oil and gas, offshore wind, and low-carbon value chains. 

“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,” says Chris Golden, Equinor US 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.”

GE Gas Power: GE Gas Power (NYSE: GE) is a world leader in natural gas power technology, services, and solutions. Through relentless innovation and continuous partnership with our customers, we are providing more advanced, cleaner and efficient power that people depend on today and building the energy technologies of the future. With the world’s largest installed base of gas turbines and more than 670 million operating hours across GE’s installed fleet, we offer advanced technology and a level of experience that’s unmatched in the industry to build, operate, and maintain leading gas power plants. 

“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."

Marathon Petroleum and MPLX: Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation's largest refining system. MPC's marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets. MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interest in MPLX LP (NYSE: MPLX), a midstream energy company that owns and operates natural gas gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure.

“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.”

Shell Polymers: Shell is building a world-scale petrochemical plant, located thirty miles northwest of Pittsburgh in Monaca, Pennsylvania. Our plant will be the first Shell-operated polyethylene facility in the Americas, and Shell Polymers is a new line of business within Shell Chemicals. The plant will take ethane from the Marcellus and Utica fields and convert it into polyethylene, which is the building block for many of the plastics that we see around us today. Our facility is within a 700-mile radius of nearly 70% of the North American polyethylene market. Close to both supply and markets, the new facility will decrease economic and environmental transportation costs and provide regional plastic manufacturers with more flexibility, shorter supply chains and enhanced supply dependability. Once complete, the facility anticipates production with an annual average capacity of 3.3 billion pounds of ethylene and three polyethylene units with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 3.5 billion pounds. At Shell, Goal Zero, meaning no harm to people or the environment, is a deeply held core value. Shell believes operations and environmental protections can and do exist together, and throughout the construction process and through operations Shell is committed to protecting the environment.

“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.”

U. S. Steel: (NYSE: X) Founded in 1901, United States Steel Corporation is a leading steel producer. With an unwavering focus on safety, the company’s customer-centric Best for All℠ strategy is advancing a more secure, sustainable future for U. S. Steel and its stakeholders. With a renewed emphasis on innovation, U. S. Steel serves the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, containers, and packaging industries with high value-added steel products such as U. S. Steel’s proprietary XG3™ advanced high-strength steel. The company also maintains competitively advantaged iron ore production and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 22.4 million net tons. U. S. Steel is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with world-class operations across the United States and in Central Europe. 

“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 work force, but also world-class universities, national laboratories and deep-rooted industrial capabilities.”

IN-2-Market IN-2-Market accelerates the research and commercialization of transformative innovation solutions in modern manufacturing, advanced materials and energy. We do this through an innovation network and collaborative programs with leading corporations, world-class research institutions and startup ecosystems that leverage the unique strengths of the Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia Tri-State Region.

IN-2-Market, Inc. is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation serving the Tri-State Region.

About Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.

Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power) headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, employs more than 2,300 power generation, energy storage, and digital solutions experts and professionals. Our employees are focused on empowering customers to affordably and reliably combat climate change while also advancing human prosperity throughout North, Central, and South America. Mitsubishi Power’s power generation solutions include gas, steam, and aero-derivative turbines; power trains and power islands; geothermal systems; PV solar project development; environmental controls; and services. Energy storage solutions include green hydrogen, battery energy storage systems, and services. Mitsubishi Power also offers intelligent solutions that use artificial intelligence to enable autonomous operation of power plants. Mitsubishi Power is a power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI). Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, MHI is one of the world’s leading heavy machinery manufacturers with engineering and manufacturing businesses spanning energy, infrastructure, transport, aerospace, and defense. For more information, visit the Mitsubishi Power Americas website and follow us on LinkedIn.