NANTICOKE, Pa. — Nacero, a Texas-based gas company, is making a multi-billion dollar investment to build a plant in Luzerne County, the largest private investment the county has ever seen. The company converts natural gas into gasoline, claiming it's a more environmentally friendly way to make fuel.
State Senator John Yudichak and local officials met in Nanticoke, announcing a $6 billion dollar investment from Nacero.
Pennsylvania became a front runner for the new energy-efficient facility when Governor Wolf signed manufacturing tax credits last year.
"They will use natural gas, our abundant, clean-burning natural gas, as a feedstock to produce a gasoline that is zero sulfur emissions and 50% less CO2 emissions," Yudichak said.
A 3,000-acre plot of land in Nanticoke and Newport Township is expected to be the site of the new Nacero facility. Local officials hope to break ground within the next two years and construction will take four years. The senator said it will be one of the largest construction sites in the country.
The company expects to hire at least 3,500 workers during construction. The plant will employ 450 people full-time when it opens, skilled manufacturing jobs paying around $85,000.
Community leaders see it as an opportunity for economic growth.
"We have a struggling community. We have nothing to offer except our great restaurant, Marty's Blue Room, in Newport Township," said Jack Zyla, Newport Township Commissioner. "We have no industry, no business. For us, this is what we were hoping for."
"People that will have these jobs, they're going to need places to stay, they're going to need places to eat. It's just going to be such a boom," added Kevin Coughlin, Mayor of Nanticoke.
There are still some challenges ahead for the project.
Yudichak hopes the alternative fuels tax credit is signed into law.
The company still needs approval for planning, zoning, and air quality permits before any work begins.