Homer City Redevelopment LLC announced that Corey Hessen will take on the role of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.
Hessen bring more than 25 years of experience in the energy sector to the job, including time spent in the power generation industry. Officials said Hessen will lead HCR’s development of the nation’s largest natural gas-powered data center, a project that positions HCR to bring economic opportunity to the region.
“Corey brings decades of experience leading transformational energy projects from inception to power generation that will be vital to the redevelopment of the Homer City Energy Campus,” Andrew Shannahan, a partner at Knighthead Capital Management, LLC, and member of HCR’s parent company’s Board of Directors, said. “He has not only overseen the development of billions of dollars of new power generation assets but also brings crucial first-hand experience managing the assembly of the GE Vernova turbines that will power the new Homer City facility.”
Hessen will lead the transformation of the former Homer City coal plant into a natural gas-powered data center designed to meet the needs of technology companies focusing on artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The 3,200-square-foot facility will deliver up to 4.5 gigawatts of power while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 65 percent per megawatt hour compared to the coal plant.
Prior to HCR, Hessen served as CEO and Partner at Black Diamond Energy Partners. He has also served in executive roles at TC Energy, Constellation Energy Group, Exelon Corporation and Xcel Energy. He also currently serves on the board of directors of ACES Delta.
“The Homer City Energy Campus is going to be a game changer for energy generation in Pennsylvania, the entire Indiana County community and America’s digital future,” Hessen said. “I am thrilled to join the HCR team at such a pivotal moment, and I look forward to working closely with our best-in-class partners and local and state leaders to ensure Homer City’s transformation happens as quickly and seamlessly as possible.”