Largest U.S. Gas-Fired Power Plant Planned for Pennsylvania
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Plans have been submitted to build the largest gas-fired power plant in the U.S. at the site of the retired 1,884-MW Homer City coal-fired power plant. The new capacity includes interconnections to PJM and NYISO and is needed for a planned data center campus in the Pittsburgh area. If all goes well, the 4.5 GW plant could be operational in 2027.
Details of the Soon-to-be Largest Gas-Fired Power Plant in the Nation
The so-called Homer City Energy Campus project is expected to cost around $10 billion, and it is being developed by Homer City Redevelopment (HCR) and Kiewit Power Constructors. The gas-fired turbines are being supplied by GE Vernova, and the plant will be fueled via the Texas Eastern gas pipeline network. The 3,200-acre location is 50 miles outside of Pittsburgh.
There are several good reasons why this project makes sense. First, it addresses one of the largest issues in the electric utility industry today – current and future demand from data centers – and it dovetails with efforts by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to develop rules and policies for co-locating data centers and power plants within PJM.
Second, according to the developers, greenhouse gas emissions from the new gas-fired power plant will be 60% less per MWh compared to the retired coal plant. And third, in addition to the data center angle, the project will also serve power to “thousands of homes on the local grid,” according to HCR and Kiewit.
We will need to wait and see if the 2027 target can be achieved. This seems aggressive to me because it likely assumes everything will go smoothly which is rarely the case. That said, I applaud this project because it seems to solve a legitimate problem while also providing multiple benefits. And as an added bonus, Pennsylvania can now lay claim to housing the largest gas-fired power plant in the U.S.!
