Air quality
HighCoal-to-gas conversion: gas turbines + diesel backups; ~$10B Energy Campus emissions footprint.
Center Township, Indiana County
A 4,500 megawatt project operating or being built at Center Township, Indiana County.
7× GE Vernova 7HA.02 H2-enabled gas turbines (50% H2 blend); financed by Knighthead Capital (>$1B already funded); Kiewit EPC. Air Permit 32-00457A; +10 Mitsubishi FT8 Mobilepac aero-derivatives. Demolition completed March 22 2025. First steel set April 2026. Multiple unnamed hyperscalers. $5M PA grant for gas-line extension. CEO Corey Hessen. PJM and NYISO connections. 60-65% CO2/MWh reduction vs. legacy coal. August 6 2026: AWS confirmed interest in a Homer City data center, telling the Indiana Gazette it is evaluating multiple sites as part of a stated $20 billion Pennsylvania commitment.
Coal-to-gas conversion: gas turbines + diesel backups; ~$10B Energy Campus emissions footprint.
Construction jobs significant; permanent jobs <175 estimated post-conversion.
In Pennsylvania, a data center on industrial land usually needs a special exception or conditional use, decided by a local Zoning Hearing Board after a public, quasi-judicial hearing. Neighbors can request party status, cross-examine witnesses, and build an evidentiary record. Municipalities can also write data-center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →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 ask your municipality for a moratorium and a real ordinance.
How communities push back →