More than $90 billion in private-sector investments announced Tuesday during the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh are expected to drive a new era of industrial growth in the commonwealth and position the state as a major hub for energy and artificial intelligence (AI).
President Donald Trump, who headlined the event at Carnegie Mellon University, called it the largest package of investments in the history of the commonwealth.
“This afternoon 20 leading technology and energy companies are announcing more than $92 billion of investments in Pennsylvania,” he said. “The investments being announced this afternoon include more than $56 billion in new energy infrastructure and more than $36 billion in new data center projects and a lot more than that are going to be announced in the coming weeks.”
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), a Republican first-term senator who organized the inaugural event, said the summit brought together top energy companies and AI leaders, global investors, government officials, and labor leaders behind Trump’s energy policies and priorities.
“As the nation’s second-largest energy producer and a global nuclear power leader, Pennsylvania is uniquely positioned to deliver the abundant, affordable energy that growing AI and advanced manufacturing sectors demand,” said McCormick. “We have the skilled workforce to build and operate this critical infrastructure, world-class universities driving innovation, and strategic proximity to over half the country’s population.”
Being at the forefront of the AI revolution, added the senator, would create “enormous opportunity” for skilled labor, the trades, apprenticeship programs, and community colleges.
“That path for working families to live the American Dream runs right through Pennsylvania,” he said during his opening address at the summit.
New projects announced
During today’s summit, companies stepped up to announce their plans in the state.
Reps for billionaire alternative asset manager Blackstone, for example, announced that funds managed by its Blackstone Infrastructure and Blackstone Real Estate will invest over $25 billion to support the build out of Pennsylvania’s digital and energy infrastructure.
The firm, a leading global investor in data centers, also said it plans to help catalyze an additional $60-billion investment into the commonwealth. Blackstone has a track record as being the leading investor in data centers and power infrastructure.
“We’re thrilled to be investing behind two of our highest conviction themes — digital infrastructure and energy — in a part of the country that is ideally situated to support and expand America’s leading position in the AI revolution,” said Jon Gray, Blackstone’s president and COO.
Among Blackstone’s investment plans are to develop and operate several Pennsylvania data center sites.
For example, Blackstone-backed QTS, a global independent data center operator, already has secured multiple land sites throughout northeastern Pennsylvania and intends to issue a Request for Information to invite other communities to participate in the build out of additional data centers.
“Pennsylvania is well positioned for data center growth and has become a market where we’re seeing substantial demand from hyperscalers and other customers for high-quality digital infrastructure,” said Tag Greason, co-CEO of QTS.
More than 6,000 jobs will be created or supported annually over an estimated 10-year construction timeline and some 3,000 permanent jobs will be created or supported during operations by QTS and its customers, according to company reps.
Blackstone also has formed a joint venture with Allentown, Pa.-based utility PPL Corp. to invest in new natural gas power generation facilities in Pennsylvania to provide electricity for AI. Construction is expected to commence by year-end 2028 subject to permitting and utility approvals.
“Pennsylvania is transforming into a strategic hub for AI innovation, and we’re excited to work with our partners at PPL to invest in the generation needed to support this critical digital infrastructure,” Sean Klimczak, Blackstone’s Global Head of Infrastructure, said.
Google announced a new 20-year, $3-billion deal with Brookfield Asset Management and Brookfield Renewable in a first-of-its-kind Hydro Framework Agreement (HFA). The partners plan to repower two hydropower facilities, Safe Harbor Hydro Facility and Holtwood Hydro Facility, resulting in 670 megawatts (MW) of power generation to support the state.
Google also launched a new AI Works for PA initiative offering free training for one million Pennsylvania small businesses and Pittsburgh residents, and awarded a grant to the electrical training ALLIANCE to train electrical workers and new apprentices using AI through an AI-integrated curriculum.
Another company, the Frontier Group of Companies (FGC), owner and developer of the 660-acre Shippingport Industrial Park in Pennsylvania, today said it is spearheading a redevelopment project that’s expected to benefit Pennsylvania with more than $6 billion of new economic activity.
FGC plans to convert the former 2.7 gigawatt (GW) Bruce Mansfield Power Plant into Shippingport Power Station, a larger state-of-the art natural gas generation plant with new incremental onsite generation.
Additionally, FGC has secured a partner to build a collocated data center facility to support AI infrastructure.
Following its completion, Shippingport Power Station is expected to supply direct power to the prospective data center or other potential on-site uses and contribute over 1 GW of excess capacity back to PJM Interconnection.
The project also will create more than 15,000 construction jobs and 340 new full-time jobs in the region, and is expected to deliver about $139 million in annual recurring revenue for the state, including more than $13 million in tax revenue, $36 million in labor income, and $6 million in local county tax revenue, said FGC CEO and Founder David Franjoine.
“With the support of Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Dave McCormick, we will transform this decommissioned coal facility into a modernized power facility that supports America’s goal of energy dominance and reinvigorates local communities with high-quality employment opportunities,” said Franjoine.
Shippingport Power Station is expected to utilize approximately 800 million cubic feet per day of natural gas produced by the Marcellus and Utica shales, located in western Pennsylvania.
As part of the redevelopment project, EQT Corp., the largest integrated natural gas producer in the United States, intends to serve as the new plant’s natural gas supplier.
“As a Pennsylvania company, we are especially proud to be a part of this important project, which highlights the critical role of domestic energy in powering economic growth,” said Toby Rice, EQT president and CEO.
EQT also made another announcement today, saying it has an agreement in principle to supply $15 billion in Pennsylvania natural gas to Homer City Redevelopment (HCR), which calls the transaction one of the largest single-site natural gas purchases in North American history.
“EQT is synonymous with Pennsylvania energy and American innovation, and we are thrilled to have them as a partner for this project,” HCR Chief Executive Corey Hessen said. “This agreement ensures long-term energy security for the data center campus, while demonstrating our commitment to powering the future with Pennsylvania gas, Pennsylvania power, and ultimately, Pennsylvania data centers.”
Currently, HCR is constructing the Homer City Energy Campus — a 3,200 acre AI data center campus slated to begin producing power in 2027. EQT will supply the natural gas needed to power the 4.4-GW natural gas facility.
HCR said the project will transform a site that was previously home to Pennsylvania’s largest coal-burning power plant into a next-generation power and data infrastructure hub, combining high-performance AI computing with a fully integrated, on-site natural gas generating station.
Under the agreement, HCR will have the ability to source gas from both the Texas Eastern Transmission and Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage pipeline systems.
“This project is a win for Pennsylvania and for America,” said EQT’s Rice. “We are proud to be named the exclusive partner to provide the energy needed to power the Homer City Energy Campus and the future of AI.”
CoreWeave, the AI Hyperscaler, which delivers a cloud platform to power AI, today also announced its intent to commit more than $6 billion to equip a new, state-of-the-art data center in Lancaster, Pa.
The initial 100-MW data center, with potential to expand to 300 MW, represents one of the first large-scale data centers of its kind in the region, according to Michael Intrator, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of CoreWeave, who made the announcement during the CEO roundtable with Trump.
“This data center will accelerate innovation and drive economic growth across the region,” said Intrator. “We look forward to working with leaders like Sen. McCormick and Gov. Shapiro to ensure this investment delivers a meaningful, lasting impact.”
The project is expected to create approximately 600 skilled, competitively waged jobs during the build phase, with some 70 full-time technical and operational roles at launch, scaling to about 175 over time. CoreWeave will be the tenant of the site.
McCormick provided a fact sheet listing all of the newly announced projects, which also include PA Data Center Partners and Powerhouse Data Centers, which plans to develop a $15-billion, 1.3 GW, three-campus data center hub near Carlisle, Pa., and First Energy, which will invest $15 billion to expand power distribution, strengthen grid infrastructure, and operate an enhanced grid, supporting 56 of the 67 Pennsylvania counties.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also spoke during the summit, noting that his administration is leading the way on safe, responsible, and effective use of AI.
“We are ensuring our commonwealth is open to these major investments,” he said, noting that projects are benefitting from faster and more efficient permitting, licensing, and certification processes developed under his administration.
On June 9, Shapiro announced that Amazon plans to invest at least $20 billion to establish multiple high-tech cloud computing and AI innovation campuses across the commonwealth, creating at least 1,250 high-paying, high-tech jobs.
Newly introduced legislation
Pennsylvania Sens. Greg Rothman (R-34) and Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) today proposed legislation that would establish Pennsylvania as the premier destination for data center and AI development.
Senate Bill (SB) 939 would establish the Commonwealth Opportunity Zone (COZ), a statewide regulatory relief designation, according to the lawmakers.
“AI is fundamentally transforming our society and its rapid growth is generating unprecedented demand for data centers and along with them, good-paying jobs,” said Rothman. “This legislation was crafted to get government out of the way of progress and make Pennsylvania the top choice for every AI company looking to invest resources and create jobs.”
The legislation would place data center development under a fast track permitting process, guaranteeing timely and predictable approval of essential permits, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
The bill also would establish reasonable ordinance parameters, allowing data centers to operate under the same clear rules as similar industrial facilities, while preserving local control.
Another key component of the bill is the proposed establishment of a statewide AI, Data Center, and Emerging Technologies regulatory sandbox, a collaborative framework to enable industry leaders to work directly with state agencies to identify and remove unnecessary and outdated regulations in efforts to streamline the development process.
SB 939 has been referred to the state Senate Communications and Technology Committee for consideration.