SC PSC Approves Revised Gas-Fired Plant Proposed for Edisto River
In February 2024, members of the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a proposed project to build a 1,020-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant in the state’s Lowcountry, in Colleton County (see SC PSC Approves Gas-Fired Power Plant Proposed for Edisto River). The project, estimated to cost $2.5 billion, is a 50/50 partnership between Dominion Energy (formerly South Carolina Electric & Gas) and Santee Cooper (South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility). The plant location is at the retired coal-fired plant, Canadys Station. However, both the scope and the cost doubled last fall (see Dominion’s SC Canadys Gas-Fired Power Plant Doubles in Price). The PSC approved the doubled size/cost of the project last Friday. Read More “SC PSC Approves Revised Gas-Fired Plant Proposed for Edisto River”
Owensboro (KY) Municipal Utilities (OMU) is studying a proposed 545-megawatt natural gas power plant on roughly 30 acres at the former Elmer Smith Station site along the Ohio River, where coal generation ended in 2020. The developer, Green River East GenCo, holds an option to lease and has filed a grid interconnection application. OMU hired GDS Associates for a six-month study funded by the developer. OMU General Manager Tim Lyons stressed that the early-stage project isn’t guaranteed and that OMU won’t own the roughly $1 billion plant, citing customer risk. Instead, the plant may pursue power purchase agreements ahead of joining the MISO market in 2027. The plant will employ 15–20 workers. 
Pennsylvania has become a hotspot for data center proposals, prompting community backlash, writes Penn State law professor Michael Helbing, whose hometown is Archbald, PA, a suburb of Scranton. You may recall that last week we wrote about another Scranton suburb (virtually next door to Archbald, see the map) by the name of Olyphant, and how the leaders of that borough had developed zoning regulations to protect residents yet allow data center projects to proceed (see 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Natgas prices at Waha turn positive for first time since February; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures gain as LNG feedgas picks up; Sec. Wright says we will never come remotely close to running out of hydrocarbons; U.S. LNG feedgas bounces back; Enemies of energy – fracking and natural gas; INTERNATIONAL: Oil extends losses as Hormuz reopens; Iran to get major economic relief under US deal; Europe wary of sending Hormuz help as questions linger; 3 Japanese shipbuilders to revive domestic production of LNG carriers; The Hormuz shock didn’t break Europe’s gas market, but time might; Maintaining grid stability in a wind and solar world. 
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced the distribution of $243,877,400 in natural gas impact fees collected from producers for the 2025 reporting year, a whopping 48% increase over 2024. The reason for the big increase was the higher price that natural gas fetched last year and a significant uptick in the number of new wells drilled. This year’s distribution brings the cumulative total of impact fees collected and distributed since 2012 to more than $3.12 billion! 
Three months ago (March 2026), MDN reported on a northeastern Pennsylvania landowner from Luzerne County who sold his farm to an AI data center project and overnight became a multimillionaire (see 
In early May, MDN brought you details about a proposed NSCALE data center project in Mason County, WV (see 
Greylock Energy hosted an open house on June 3 at its new Potter County field office in Ulysses, Pennsylvania, giving residents a chance to tour the facility, meet employees, and learn about local operations. President and CEO Kyle Mork said the office signals Greylock’s long-term commitment to Potter County and responsible community partnership. The company highlighted local support efforts, including educational partnerships, scholarships, charitable giving, sponsorships, flood recovery assistance, equipment replacement for Galeton’s water system, and sponsorships of Independence Day events. Greylock also invested nearly $1.5 million with PennDOT to repave and upgrade 3.5 miles of Loucks Mills Road. 
Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the fifth week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count lost 1 rig last week, bringing the total down to 562 rigs. Baker Hughes said the number of oil rigs rose by 2 to 433 last week, the highest total since June 2025, while gas rigs fell by 3 to 121, the lowest since October 2025. 
New York State, with its bizarre energy policies, has officially bankrupted yet another company. Danskammer Energy, which operates a gas-fired peaker power plant along the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY, had tried for years to upgrade the plant (since 2018), but finally threw in the towel in June 2024 (see 
The name Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) pretty much says it all. PGW is a natural gas utility serving the Philly region. PGW is the country’s oldest and largest municipal-owned gas company, serving 500,000 customers. It’s NOT an electric company; it’s a natural gas company. Yet PGW is now seriously considering two strategies to reduce “carbon emissions” as part of its Low Carbon Pathways project. The first option involves full electrification, shifting from natural gas to electric systems for heating, cooking, and appliances. Again, PGW has ZERO electric infrastructure in place. In Philadelphia, PECO (formerly the Philadelphia Electric Company) is the sole local utility company responsible for delivering electricity. In other words, PGW is considering committing suicide (going out of business) by giving all of its business to PECO. Bring out Old Sparky. 
In early April, the EPA revised certain Biden-era oil and natural gas regulations, specifically aspects of the 2024 Clean Air Act rules (OOOOb/c, known as “Quad O”), to reduce compliance burdens and lower energy costs (see