From Yahoo Finance: 2025-04-02 10:39:00

A former coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania will be transformed into a $10 billion natural gas-powered data center campus to meet the energy demands of Big Tech companies. The site will house seven gas-fired turbines capable of powering data centers with up to 4.5 gigawatts of electricity, enough for 3 million homes.

This project would be the nation’s largest gas-fired power plant and the third-largest power generation facility in the US. Construction is set to begin this year, with power expected to flow by 2027. The site’s infrastructure is already in place, including connections to the power grids and water access.

The developers were awarded a $5 million state grant to extend a gas line to the property, which is located near major gas pipelines. The turbines ordered for the plant can run on a hydrogen blend. The former coal plant was demolished last month, ending its 54-year operation due to competition with cheaper natural gas and environmental regulations.

The debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, built with help from Microsoft’s data centers, spurred demand for AI products requiring substantial computing power. This trend has led to the need for energy-efficient data centers to support the growing demand for artificial intelligence applications.

Read more: Coal-fired power plant, now retired, to become massive gas-powered campus for AI, data centers