Natural Gas Synthesis Plant Principals Revealed
BELLEFONTE – Two Centre County companies are behind the natural gas synthesis plant proposed for West Keating Township in northwestern Clinton County.
The Record revealed on Wednesday preliminary word of the now 16-month-old effort to explore the development of a natural gas synthesis plant near the Clinton/Clearfield/Cameron County line. Thursday brought word of the identities of two companies involved in pursuing the massive project. They are Frontier Natural Resources of Bellefonte, a six-year-old company in the natural gas business, and a new firm, KeyState Opportunity, operating from the Bellefonte/State College area.
Additional details on the project follow a meeting earlier this week between developers and West Keating Township officials. Those same developers had met in Snow Shoe late last year to share preliminary details with officials from Clinton, Cameron, Clearfield and Centre counties.
Company representatives this week provided therecord-online with these details:
A natural gas synthesis plant uses the methane in natural gas as a feedstock to produce a range of products used in agriculture, industry, medicines and transportation. A synthesis plant is not a ‘cracker plant’. The majority of CO2 generated in gas synthesis processes is captured and used in the making of other products. More than a dozen similar plants have been built across the US in the last 15 years.
The project cost would be in the range of $500,000,000, could generate 600 to 800 jobs during construction and 150 to 200 permanent jobs.
The economic development impact would be profound and generational. Commercial and other activity generated will go beyond Clinton County, impacting areas of Cameron, Centre and Clearfield; local rail siding and road upgrades, housing for the construction workforce proposed to be converted to permanent affordable housing, coordination of workforce development programs with the surrounding county high schools, vo-tech schools as well as Lock Haven University, Penn College and Penn State University, substantial research activities with the surrounding universities and major wildlife habitat enhancement in reclaimed mining and other areas funded.
Dozens of local, county, state and federal elected and public officials have been engaged and have given critical guidance and support to the project concept.
An undertaking of this type and scope is immensely complex and time consuming.
The first of a series public announcements and information sessions will likely be made beginning the summer and fall of 2020.
