Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Jessica Shirley, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, announced Sanofi Pasteur’s Swiftwater vaccine manufacturing facility in Monroe County would receive grant funding to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Sanofi received a $10.65 million grant to replace eight natural gas fired dehydrators which will eliminate 516 metric tons of carbon emissions and create an estimated 40 new jobs. The grant is part of the RISE PA (Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania) program that provides grants to decarbonization projects at industrial facilities to reduce GHG and co-pollutant emissions. The program is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants that were created as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
“Here in Monroe County, we’re helping reduce energy costs, create jobs, and cut down on harmful air pollution by ensuring businesses like Sanofi can operate more efficiently and continue their lifesaving work producing nearly half of our nation’s flu vaccine supply,” Shapiro said. “Across the Commonwealth, I’ve heard from business owners who have told me that lowering emissions strengthens their operations, supports their workers and communities, and helps their bottom line — and my Administration is delivering hundreds of millions of dollars to support their efforts to invest in their operations.”
Sanofi will use the funding to modernize the facility’s operation with cleaner energy equipment including a new paddle dryer and regenerative thermal oxidizer. The replacements will reduce natural gas use by approximately 65 percent.
“RISE PA enables companies like Sanofi to save money and cut pollution at the same time,” DEP Secretary Shirley said. “This project not only helps to improve local air quality and create jobs for Pennsylvanians, but it also enhances Pennsylvania’s competitiveness in a global marketplace with increasingly strict controls on the climate impacts of imported goods.”