W. Texas Gas Data Center to Topple Homer City as Nation’s Biggest
Last April, Knighthead Capital Management, Homer City Redevelopment (HCR), and Kiewit Power Constructors Co. announced a plan to convert the former Homer City Generating Station, previously the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania (Indiana County, 50 miles east of Pittsburgh) into a more than 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus, designed to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (see Largest Gas-Fired Power Plant in the U.S. Coming in Western Pa.). A new gas-fired plant attached to the project was slated to become THE LARGEST gas-fired power plant in the country, capable of producing up to 4.5 gigawatts (4,500 MW) of electricity. Scratch that. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the GW Ranch project, an 8,000-acre AI data center to be powered by a monster 7.65 GW gas-fired power plant. Read More “W. Texas Gas Data Center to Topple Homer City as Nation’s Biggest”
The Marcellus/Utica rig count gained 1 rig seven weeks ago in the Ohio Utica, bringing the regional total to 39 rigs. For the past seven reports in a row, the M-U has maintained that count—the most rigs it has operated in more than a year. Pennsylvania has held at 18 active rigs for ten consecutive weeks. Ohio has operated 14 rigs for seven straight weeks (its highest in over a year). And West Virginia maintained 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30, 2025. There were 24 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 15 targeting the Utica last week. The national count regained 1 rig last week, bringing the total back up to 544 active rigs. 
Last November, Accomack County, Virginia, secured a $6.5 million state grant to expand piped natural gas to the Eastern Shore, a move aimed at stabilizing the local economy (see 
Last Thursday, the Trump administration announced it is restructuring or terminating approximately $84 billion in clean energy projects (boondoggles) initiated during the Biden era, reflecting a sharp pivot toward “energy dominance” through fossil fuels and nuclear power. Rebranded as the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), the agency has canceled $30 billion in “green” loans, including major wind and solar transmission projects, while revising another $53 billion in loans. Under Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the office—which holds $290 billion in lending power—will prioritize coal, oil, and gas over renewables, marking a significant reversal of previous climate-focused infrastructure investments. 
Enverus
Last Friday, MDN reported that the rumor mill was in overdrive with chatter that Devon Energy and Coterra Energy are exploring a potential merger “that would be among the biggest oil and gas deals in years” (see 
As we predicted may happen in a post yesterday, the NYMEX “front month” natural gas futures price closed above $5 yesterday (see 
There’s just no other way to say this: Pennsylvania is on the cusp of flushing $92 billion down the toilet because resistance is preventing new data centers from being built. We’ve been warning about this danger for months (see 
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass (CP) LNG export facility in Louisiana began operations in March 2022 (see 
For the second day in a row, the “front month” NYMEX natural gas futures contract was firmly attached to a rocketship. Yesterday, the NYMEX contract for February delivery gained 96.80 cents per million British thermal units (MMBtus), or 24.78%, to close at $4.8750. That’s up $1.772 (or 57%) over the last two trading sessions. It is the largest two-day dollar gain since Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 (four years!). Early trading this morning was hovering between $5.35 and $5.50. It’s all to do with the current Arctic freeze in the eastern half of the country and a massive snowstorm due this weekend. But, bear this in mind: What goes up must come down. 
Gulf South Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of Boardwalk Pipelines, announced the launch of an open season for new natural gas storage capacity at its flagship Petal Gas Storage complex in Mississippi. In addition to the Petal open season, Boardwalk also highlighted significant expansion potential across two cornerstone assets: Choctaw Storage in Louisiana and the Midland Storage Complex in Kentucky. All three storage facilities are used to store Marcellus/Utica molecules. 
Last Friday, the Trump administration officials joined several governors from the 13 states that are part of the PJM Interconnect grid to outline a broad plan they say will ensure customers of the grid will not face skyrocketing electric prices due to new AI data centers getting built in the region (see 
There are two universal, unavoidable truths of life: (1) death, and (2) Democrats love to tax anything and everything. Pennsylvania Democrats are urging state lawmakers to tax data centers to shield residents from rising energy bills. During a hearing held by PA House Democrats on January 20, so-called experts argued that data centers must “pay their own way” for grid upgrades necessitated by their high demand, rather than passing those costs to households. With grid operator PJM Interconnection warning that surging demand could cause blackouts, Democrats proposed legislation to protect ratepayers from price spikes. Although some officials value the industry’s job creation, tax proponents insist that ordinary consumers should not subsidize the infrastructure needed to support the state’s expanding and energy-intensive digital industry.