Pennsylvania Powers Up: A $90 Billion Boost for Energy and AI Innovation
Pittsburgh, PA – Today marked a pivotal moment for Pennsylvania’s future as the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University concluded with over $90 billion in private investments announced for the state’s energy and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors.1 This landmark summit, drawing leaders from government, finance, and technology, firmly positions Pennsylvania as a burgeoning hub for the AI revolution, fueled by its abundant energy resources.2
The headline announcement came from a coalition of over 20 leading technology and energy companies, committing to a staggering $90 billion in new investments.3 These funds are earmarked for critical infrastructure, including the construction of numerous data centers—essential for powering the immense computational demands of AI—and the development of new energy facilities to support this burgeoning demand.4
Key commitments unveiled today include:
- Blackstone’s $25 Billion Investment: This massive commitment will focus on developing data centers and natural gas power plants in Northeast Pennsylvania, creating thousands of construction and permanent jobs.5 The strategy emphasizes co-locating data centers with power sources for maximum efficiency.
- Google and Brookfield’s Hydro Power Deal: Google announced a $3 billion, 20-year agreement with Brookfield Asset Management to modernize two hydropower facilities in Pennsylvania, the Safe Harbor and Holtwood Hydro Facilities.6 This deal will generate 670 megawatts of clean energy to support Google’s data centers and AI infrastructure, part of a broader $25 billion investment by Google in data center and AI infrastructure across the PJM power grid region.
- CoreWeave’s $6 Billion Data Center: A new 100-megawatt data center, expandable to 300 megawatts, will be developed in Lancaster, with an investment of up to $6 billion, creating hundreds of construction and operational jobs.7
- Homer City Redevelopment: The former Homer City coal-fired power plant site is set to undergo a $15 billion transformation into a natural gas-fired power plant to support a new AI and high-performance computing center, with an agreement in principle to purchase $15 billion of Pennsylvania natural gas.8This project alone is expected to create over 11,000 jobs.
- First Energy’s Grid Expansion: First Energy will invest $15 billion to expand power distribution and strengthen grid infrastructure across 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, bolstering the state’s energy resilience.9
- Westinghouse’s Nuclear Ambitions: Headquartered near Pittsburgh, Westinghouse Electric Company announced plans to have 10 new, large nuclear power reactors under construction across the country by 2030, with an estimated economic impact of $6 billion and 15,000 jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania.10
- Constellation Energy’s Limerick Upgrade: A $2.4 billion investment will go towards improving the Limerick nuclear power plant, adding 340 megawatts of power capacity.11
Beyond these significant financial commitments, the summit also emphasized workforce development.12Initiatives like Google’s “AI Works for PA” aim to provide free AI training for small businesses and Pittsburgh residents, while the Energy Innovation Center Infrastructure Academy plans to build a regional training facility for energy and AI infrastructure workers, impacting thousands of jobs.13
The consensus from leaders across the political and corporate spectrum was clear: Pennsylvania, with its rich energy resources, strong university system, and skilled workforce, is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in the “AI race.”14 While some protests occurred outside the summit, highlighting concerns about fossil fuel reliance and corporate interests, the overwhelming sentiment within the event was one of bipartisan collaboration and an optimistic vision for Pennsylvania’s role in shaping the future of energy and artificial intelligence.15 This summit marks a powerful declaration of intent, promising a future where innovation and economic growth are deeply intertwined within the Commonwealth.