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Equinor Pennsylvania Gas Production and Flexible Power

Northern Marcellus counties, mainly Bradford

Equinor pledged $1.6 billion in July 2025 to raise natural gas output from its Pennsylvania wells and explore gas-fired power for data centers, and in August 2026 it agreed to buy most of the Class A shares in the 1,483 megawatt Lackawanna Energy Center.

ContestedN/ANEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusProposed
Capex$ 1.6 B
First announced2025-07-15

Equinor's $1.6 billion Pennsylvania gas push adds a power plant stake

The number that mattersThe Lackawanna Energy Center, which Equinor agreed to buy into for $940 million, generates about 9 terawatt-hours of electricity a year, according to Equinor.
Developer
Equinor ASA, the Norwegian energy company, which holds non-operated interests in Northern Marcellus gas units mostly operated by Expand Energy. Sen. McCormick's office lists the investment under Bradford County. The power plant shares are being bought from funds managed by Global Infrastructure Partners, part of BlackRock, and Invenergy will keep running the plant.
Tenant
No data center customer has been named. Equinor's August 2026 announcement points to data center growth in the PJM market but doesn't describe any Equinor supply deal with a data center.
Current stage
Equinor's Pennsylvania gas production continues, and the power side took shape on August 17, 2026, when Equinor agreed to pay $940 million for 87.71 percent of the Class A shares in the Lackawanna Energy Center, subject to regulatory approvals. Equinor's US news page showed no closing announcement as of October 22, 2026.
Decision body
No single public body approves the overall pledge. Equinor's purchase of the power plant stake is subject to customary regulatory approvals, which Equinor didn't list, and the plant sells power into the PJM market.
Top issues
The issues are more gas drilling and production in the Northern Marcellus to feed power plants and data centers, and what Equinor's move into Pennsylvania power generation means for the region. Equinor says its Appalachian gas position delivers more than 1.7 billion cubic feet of gas a day into the northeastern US.
Key opponents
No organized opposition group has been reported.
Key supporters
Sen. Dave McCormick's office, which lists the pledge among the summit's commitments with 1,000 direct and indirect jobs a year. Equinor executive vice president Helge Haugane said electricity demand in PJM "is growing rapidly, driven by electrification, data centres and industrial activity."

How we got here

April 15, 2024: Equinor agrees to swap its Ohio assets and pay EQT $500 million for 40 percent of EQT's non-operated Northern Marcellus interest in Pennsylvania; the deal closes May 31, 2024. October 29, 2024: Equinor agrees to buy EQT's remaining Northern Marcellus interest for $1.25 billion, raising its average working interest to 40.7 percent; it closes December 31, 2024. July 15, 2025: Equinor pledges $1.6 billion at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit to boost gas production and explore gas-to-power for data centers. July 11, 2026: Sen. McCormick's update lists Equinor's Northern Marcellus stake. August 17, 2026: Equinor agrees to buy 87.71 percent of the Class A shares in the Lackawanna Energy Center.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Air quality

Medium

Equinor says its non-operated Appalachian gas position delivers more than 1.7 billion cubic feet of gas a day into the northeastern US., and the Lackawanna Energy Center it agreed to buy into is a 1,483 megawatt gas plant that generates about 9 terawatt-hours a year.

Equinor ASA

Jobs and tax claims

Low

Sen. McCormick's office says the investment is expected to generate 1,000 direct and indirect jobs per year. Equinor hasn't published its own Pennsylvania job figures in the releases we reviewed.

Office of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick
Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2024-04-15Equinor agrees to trade its Ohio assets and pay EQT $500 million for 40 percent of EQT's non-operated Northern Marcellus interest in Pennsylvania. Equinor ASA
  • 2024-10-29Equinor agrees to buy EQT's remaining Northern Marcellus working interest for $1.25 billion, closing December 31, 2024. Equinor ASA
  • 2025-07-15Equinor pledges $1.6 billion to boost Pennsylvania gas production and explore gas-to-power for data centers, with 1,000 jobs a year expected. Office of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick
  • 2026-07-11Sen. McCormick's one-year update lists Equinor's Northern Marcellus stake under Bradford County. Office of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick
  • 2026-08-17Equinor agrees to pay $940 million for 87.71 percent of the Class A shares in the 1,483 megawatt Lackawanna Energy Center, subject to regulatory approvals. Equinor ASA
News

Coverage of this project

Sources

Know your rights

In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.

Know your rights →

Take action

Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.

How communities push back →