Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the boilers at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex (MHIC) in Marcus Hook, Pa., declined from 1.6 million metric tons in 2010 to 206,000 in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s electronic Greenhouse Gas Reporting Tool, Energy Transfer noted in a blog post last week.
The former oil refinery at Marcus Hook was idled in 2011, and Sunoco Logistics acquired it in 2012. After Sunoco Logistics merged with Energy Transfer in April 2017, the company began transforming the former refinery into a world-class natural gas liquids (NGLs) hub.
According to Energy Transfer, more than 5,000 individual workers across approximately 9 million man hours have supported improvements at the facility, including the construction of an ethane/propane splitter, chilling and storage units for ethane and propane, and a fractionator that will process NGLs for transportation from western Pennsylvania.
The company also noted that the expansion of the Mariner East pipeline system has helped to make additional propane available for delivery to customers.
“The work continuing to be done at the MHIC is not only employing more Pennsylvania tradespeople, but it is also helping to improve Pennsylvania’s air quality,” Energy Transfer wrote in the blog post. “It wouldn’t be possible without the Mariner East pipeline system, safely delivering NGLs from western Pennsylvania to the banks of the Delaware River — ultimately to fuel our everyday lives and drive our nation’s economy and security.”
Energy Transfer noted that, according to new data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased by approximately 19 percent from 2005 to 2016. The transportation, industrial, and electric power sectors contributed 84 percent of GHG reductions in Pennsylvania.
According to data from the Global Carbon Project, CO2 emissions in the United States and European Union declined by 1.7 percent from 2018 to 2019.