Trump Admin Announces $17 Billion Gas-Fired Power Plant for SWPA
Yesterday, the Trump administration announced “South Mon,” a $17 billion natural gas-fueled facility in southwestern Pennsylvania intended to expand domestic energy production. Part of a $550 billion trade deal with Japan, the hub will be operated by NextEra Energy Resources and generate 4.3 gigawatts (GW) of power. By tapping into the Marcellus and Utica shale regions and connecting to the PJM regional transmission network, the project aims to meet rising demand, lower energy costs, and create local jobs. South Mon is one of three major energy hubs planned nationwide to enhance power affordability and infrastructure across the Mid-Atlantic market. Read More “Trump Admin Announces $17 Billion Gas-Fired Power Plant for SWPA”
Eastern Shore developer TeraWulf has reached a deal to acquire the retired Morgantown Generating Station in Charles County (on the Potomac River), proposing to transform the site into a massive natural gas-powered data center campus. The plan aims to generate one gigawatt (GW) of power and 500 megawatts of battery storage, bypassing the aging regional grid. While TeraWulf claims support from Governor Wes Moore’s administration, the project faces intense scrutiny from environmental groups and local residents concerned about fossil fuel emissions and transparency. Critics also question the financial stability of the cryptocurrency-focused firm, though company leadership maintains they have the expertise to remediate the site. 
In January, Constellation Energy Corporation finalized its acquisition of Calpine Corporation, becoming the largest private-sector electricity producer in the United States (see 
Here’s a question: Do you want the government to be able to control your thermostat (turning it down in the winter, or up in the summer), controlling your water heater (making it cooler), or controlling your “smart” refrigerator (raising the ambient temp inside), or controlling other so-called smart appliances, bypassing *your* preferred settings? Would you like the government to be able to grab stored electricity from solar panels on your roof or from the battery in your charged-up EV during times of electric grid “stress”? That’s what Democrat members of the Pennsylvania state legislature want to do. It’s called a “virtual power plant,” and it’s being sold as a quick solution to power shortages without having to build new gas-fired power plants (or new windmills, solar farms, etc.). Creating a virtual power plant just takes a little software and a lot of apathy from citizens to make it work. 
The Energy Cooperative (TEC) has proposed a 24-mile-long, 24-inch natural gas pipeline across Licking County, Ohio, stretching from Bennington Township to the New Albany International Business Park. Estimated at $150 million, the project is designed to supply energy to a specific, unnamed data center, which will fully fund the construction. (We think we’ve identified the “unnamed” data center, which we’ll do below.) While TEC maintains the pipeline will enhance system reliability and stabilize pressure for its 58,000 members, the project faces scrutiny from local landowners. Concerns involve the potential use of eminent domain and the environmental impact on agricultural land. 
The West Virginia Senate approved House Bill (HB) 4983 on Wednesday, establishing the certification process for new data centers and the gas-fired microgrids intended to power them. This is a key piece of the “gas-to-data-center” story we’ve been following. The final version includes new language requiring developers to study water usage, addressing local concerns while still providing a regulatory pathway for the “behind-the-meter” generation projects that are currently the primary bridge solution for the AI industry. 
Even a leftist liberal putz like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro can have a good idea every now and again. (Credit where credit is due.) Shapiro is introducing what he calls GRID (Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development) standards to incentivize Pennsylvania data center developers to voluntarily adopt higher environmental and transparency benchmarks. In exchange for committing to water conservation, local hiring, and independent power generation, projects can access “Fast Track” permitting to accelerate construction. 
A study by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development indicates that a proposed 500 to 700-megawatt hyperscale data center at the Zediker site in Washington County, PA, could generate $407 million for the local economy and create 2,364 jobs. Owned by CNX Resources Corp., the former coal mine is being marketed for generative AI facilities, leveraging nearby natural gas supplies and remediated mine gas to power the operation. While no official deal has been struck, the project is expected to yield $67.5 million in tax revenue, positioning the site as a transformative hub for high-tech investment and regional prosperity. 
Two radical environmental groups, the Southern Environmental Law Center and Sierra Club, have sued Georgia regulators over the approval of four clean-burning natural gas turbines at Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen. The radicals claim that the expansion at Bowen (in Taylorsville, Bartow County, Georgia) will release hundreds of tons of smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) annually, thereby worsening air quality in the Atlanta region (Taylorsville is about 40 miles from Atlanta as the crow flies). The lawsuit claims the Georgia Environmental Protection Division bypassed stricter permitting requirements intended for areas with high ozone levels. Typical lawfare tactic.