Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) Steven Winberg and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., spoke at the 2019 Northeast Petrochemical Exhibition and Conference June 20, 2019, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Winberg and Anderson joined more than 1,000 world-class experts, industry-leading CEOs and innovation service providers to discuss challenges and developments in the northeast region.

FE and NETL have a long history of advancing and maturing technologies beneficial to the petrochemical industry, such as the development of a new catalyst that can selectively convert syngas into light hydrocarbon compounds.

NETL has also worked to advance carbon capture technologies, which can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere as a result of industrial processes like petrochemical production. In his remarks, Anderson focused on carbon capture research, specifically technology readiness in advanced manufacturing.

Winberg highlighted the future of the petrochemical industry in the Appalachian region during his discussion. Because many petrochemicals are derived from natural gas, the region is becoming increasingly important considering that the U.S. Energy Information Administration recently reported that the combined share of total U.S. natural gas production from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia increased from only 2% in 2008 to 27% in 2017.

Talks like those given by Winberg and Anderson help spread the word about the positive impacts NETL and FE are having on regional industries and economies as they provide breakthroughs and discoveries that support home-grown energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans.