How 1,800 Local Tradespeople Are Powering Pennsylvania's Ultimate Energy and Data Innovation Campus
Homer City, Pennsylvania is seeing a revitalization with over 1,800 local tradespeople working on a new natural gas-powered energy and data innovation campus, replacing a former coal plant. Concurrently, Governor Josh Shapiro has signed an executive order imposing stricter regulations on data centers statewide, requiring local approval and removing AI data centers from the permit fast track. The Homer City project, which secured its air permit last November, is not impacted by the new statewide restrictions.
Homer City, Pennsylvania, is experiencing an economic revitalization as over 1,800 local tradespeople are actively constructing a new natural gas-powered energy and data innovation campus on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Indiana County. Homer City Generation announced the project, which is set to become the largest natural gas plant under construction in the U.S., will create over 10,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions.
Simultaneously, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has signed an executive order establishing what he calls the "strictest guardrails in the nation" for data centers. This order removes artificial intelligence data centers from the state's permit fast track and mandates local approval before the Department of Environmental Protection reviews applications. Governor Shapiro emphasized the need for developers to engage with local communities, citing a "Gold Rush atmosphere" and developers "bullying our neighbors."
The Homer City project, which obtained its air permit in November, is exempt from these new statewide data center regulations. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman and State Rep. Jim Struzzi praised the Homer City development as a model for economic growth and a successful partnership between business and labor unions.