В Пенсильвании построят завод по производству удобрений, который к 2031 году заменит 60% импорта из России

ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. — Pennsylvania will have a new fertilizer production plant, but it will take time. “This is happening. It’s coming,” said Perry Babb, the CEO of KeyState Energy. His company will build a facility in Karthaus Township, Clearfield County, that will transform natural gas from nearby Clinton County into nitrogen fertilizer. Babb provided an update Tuesday at Ag Progress Days. He was joined by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau county presidents Cory Chelko (Clinton), Steve Blackburn (Clearfield) and Dan Kniffen (Centre). Babb told the audience construction will take two and a half years and the work should be done by 2031. Once operational, it will produce 1 million tons of fertilizer (granular urea and UAN) annually, along with 8 million gallons of diesel exhaust fluid, known as DEF. Production will offset a significant amount of the fertilizer imports for 15 states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Babb estimates about 60% of the fertilizer imports to the Northeast will be displaced by the plant’s production. Most fertilizer imported into this region of the U.S. is from Russia, Babb said, which makes domestic production even more imperative. “How crazy of a story can you write? We have all this natural gas, yet we’re importing fertilizer from Russia,” he said. The idea for the domestic plant took form 7 years ago. Four of those years were spent navigating emissions policies during the Biden administration. Babb said some of the things that were addressed will remain in the current plan, but when the Trump administration took office and focused on displacing imports, it created the perfect scenario. The location is a 170-acre site previously prepared for construction of a waste coal facility. Considering the infrastructure — roads, building pads, etc. — is in place, Babb said it shaved approximately a year from the planning process. A railroad and Interstate 80 are nearby, which add to the site advantage. Also, the plant will produce its own power with natural gas. Babb said there is a 10-year agreement in place with a distributor to get the fertilizer to market. He declined to name the business, saying it’s too early in the process. “It’s a name that’s very well known and they wholesale and retail along the Mid-Atlantic,” Babb said. He’s still looking for a company to distribute the DEF, which will account for 20% of the plant’s production. That will be enough to fulfill all demand in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland, Babb said. A study by the Pennsylvania Manufacturer’s Association, which Babb cited, estimated the plant will create 1,200 permanent jobs and generate a $700 million economic output annually. Chelko praised the economic benefit for the three counties. “Knowing what’s it’s going to do to these areas still struggling since coal moved out, the fact that we could have a domestic production hub for one of our most important imports is huge,” he said. Kniffen called domestic production of fertilizer “security for agriculture and crop production” since it will reduce reliance on Russian imports. Babb agreed, and stressed the importance of raising awareness of the benefits, especially among legislators. “A lot of the time is spent navigating government policy. It takes a long time,” Babb said. “If I didn’t think this was going to happen, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Streaming Content From Ag Progress Days Interested in seeing more from Ag Progress Days? Click over to PCN for coverage of this year's event, including informational sessions, town halls and interviews. Click here for more.