SWIFTWATER, PA — Sanofi Pasteur will receive a $10.6 million state grant to modernize operations at its Monroe County vaccine manufacturing facility, a project expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower natural gas consumption, and create approximately 40 jobs.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley visited the company’s Swiftwater campus Friday to highlight the award, which was made through Pennsylvania’s Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania, or RISE PA, program.
The $10,646,316 grant will help fund the replacement of eight natural gas-fired dehydrators used to process egg waste generated during vaccine production. The equipment will be replaced with a new paddle dryer and regenerative thermal oxidizer that is expected to reduce the facility’s natural gas use by about 65%.
State officials said the project will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 516 metric tons annually, the equivalent of removing about 120 vehicles from the road for a year.
The project also carries economic significance for Pennsylvania’s life sciences sector. Sanofi’s Swiftwater facility manufactures approximately 42% of the influenza vaccine doses used in the United States and serves as one of the company’s primary global vaccine production sites.
“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.
The grant is part of the state’s $396 million RISE PA program, which is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants initiative and is designed to support industrial decarbonization projects across Pennsylvania.
DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said the program is intended to reduce emissions while improving the competitiveness of Pennsylvania manufacturers.
“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,” Shirley said.
Sanofi has invested more than $1.3 billion in its Swiftwater campus over the past 15 years, according to company officials.
“For over 129 years this campus has been an economic cornerstone for this region,” said Rakesh Kakkar, vice president and head of manufacturing and supply at Sanofi. He said the project supports the company’s goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
The state said the project is expected to create approximately 40 jobs, including union construction positions, while helping reduce industrial emissions and energy consumption at one of Pennsylvania’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing sites.
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