State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) on July 17 circulated a memo regarding his plans to introduce legislation that would restructure the EDGE Tax Credit, allowing for more baseload generation capacity to be added to the regional transmission system.
“Pennsylvania stands at a critical crossroads,” said Yaw, chairman of the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. “Our electric grid is experiencing the most rapid demand in decades, yet we continue to retire reliable power sources faster than we can replace them.
“By modernizing the EDGE program, we can encourage the development of dispatchable, always-on power sources that are essential for grid stability,” he added
Specifically, Yaw seeks cosponsors for a bill he said would restructure the Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) Tax Credit to prioritize and incentivize investment in baseload power generation.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently estimated that blackouts could increase nearly 100 times by 2030 if additional reliable power sources are not brought online, according to Yaw, who said his proposal will respond directly to this risk by bringing Pennsylvania in line with regional transmission organization (RTO) requirements and restoring balance to a grid strained by accelerating demand and lagging infrastructure.
Additionally, Yaw noted recent announcements underscoring Pennsylvania’s ambitions to become a national leader in artificial intelligence (AI), a vision that he said holds tremendous economic potential, but also brings with it a dramatic surge in electricity demand, as data centers and computing facilities require continuous, uninterrupted energy supply.
By restructuring the EDGE program, he said the planned bill would give developers the long-term certainty and financial tools needed to invest in energy projects that strengthen grid reliability and help power Pennsylvania’s future.
“This legislation would address some of the challenges with the lack of development in Pennsylvania, and PJM,” according to Yaw’s memo. “The time for discussion has passed — it’s time to act.”