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- Former President Trump announced over $90 billion in energy and innovation projects for Pennsylvania.
- Major investments include $25 billion each from Google and Blackstone for data centers and related infrastructure.
- Other companies like FirstEnergy, PPL, and Westinghouse also announced significant investments in energy infrastructure.
President Donald Trump joined Sen. Dave McCormick’s inaugural Energy and Innovation Summit on July 15 in Pittsburgh to unveil 20 projects across the state that are valued at more than $90 billion of private investment.
The investments include projects from Google and Blackstone, which will each spend $25 billion on data centers and related infrastructure.
In northeastern Pennsylvania, Blackstone will develop energy and data center infrastructure and partner with PPL Corp. on power generation. Its investment will create an estimated 6,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs.
Google committed its $25 billion to artificial intelligence and data center infrastructure development in the mid-Atlantic electricity grid operated by PJM Interconnection. It has agreed to a 20-year pact with Brookfield to bring back two hydroelectric power stations, the Safe Harbor Hydro Facility and Holtwood Hydro Facility, both of which are located on the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County. The facilities will generate 670 megawatts of power. Brookfield is investing $3 billion into the hydroelectric stations.
“We’re building a future where American workers will forge the steel, produce the energy, build the factories and really run a country like I believe this country has never been run before,” Trump said at Carnegie Mellon University, the host of the summit. “I think we have a true golden age for America, and we’ve been showing it, and it truly is the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Saying he was honored to return to the Keystone State, which he won in 2016 and again in 2024, Trump, continued, “You’re going to see some real action here. So get ready. Lots of jobs, lots of success. Really a beautiful thing. It’s going to be beautiful to behold.”
In Homer City, Homer City Redevelopment will buy $15 billion of natural gas to supply 4 gigawatts of power for the Homer City Redevelopment site, creating an estimated 10,000 constructions jobs and another 1,000 permanent jobs.
In Carlisle, another $15 billion will be invested in a 1.3 gigawatt, three-campus data center hub by PA Data Center Partners and Powerhouse Data Centers.
Google also unveiled “AI Works for PA,” an initiative that will provide free AI training for a million Pennsylvania small businesses and Pittsburgh residents. It also awarded a grant that will fund the training of electric workers and apprentices in AI.
“These investments are a testament to Pennsylvania’s unique resources, unbelievable natural gas reserves, abundant fresh water, a massive installed base of nuclear power, incredible tech universities like CMU, our host today,” McCormick said.
The projects unveiled July 15 come on the heels of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s announcement in June that Amazon plans to spend $20 billion to build campuses across the state for high-tech cloud computing and artificial intelligence innovation. The Amazon project at the time was touted as the largest private investment in state history. The projects announced by Google and Blackstone each exceed Amazon’s investment by $5 billion.
It also follows Japan-based Nippon Steel’s nearly $15 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, including its Clairton Coke Works, Edgar Thomson Steel Works and Irvin Plant in the Pittsburgh region.
Another major announcement came from Westinghouse, which plans to build 10 nuclear reactors across the U.S. starting in 2030. The project is expected to have an economic impact of $6 billion and create 15,000 new jobs.
Interim CEO Dan Sumner credited one of Trump’s executive orders.
“We’ve taken the call to action under your executive order to partner with companies across our industry to mobilize a plan to deliver 10 AP 1000 reactors in the U.S. with construction to begin by 2030,” Sumner said during a roundtable with Trump and other industry leaders. “This is not only critical to achieve your goals with respect to energy dominance and winning the AI race, but it’s a driver of massive economic benefit across our country.”
First Energy, Meta, Anthropic among other investors
Other projects announced at the Energy and Innovation Summit:
- $15 billion, First Energy. The utility will expand power distribution, strengthen grid infrastructure, and operate the enhanced grid, supporting 56 of the 67 Pennsylvania counties. It’s also working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to expand an apprenticeship program to support 40 new jobs the state.
- $6.8 billion, PPL Corp. It will invest $6.8 billion through 2028 to expand grid capacity and modernize transmission across several counties to meet data center demand. The projects are expected to create 3,400 new jobs. PPL also announced a joint venture with Blackstone to develop, own and operate combined-cycle gas generation capacity.
- $6 billion, CoreWeave. It will develop a data center, up to 300 megawatts, in Lancaster, a project that could create 600 new construction jobs and 175 full-time operational jobs.
- $5 billion, Energy Capital Partners. The money will be used to build a data center at the York 2 Energy Center. It will require 2,500 new construction jobs. It also has plans for 51 solar projects capable of powering 24,000 homes.
- $3.2 billion, Frontier Group.The company will turn the former Bruce Mansfield coal power plant in Shippingport, into a natural gas power station. It will create 15,000 construction jobs and over 300 permanent jobs.
- $3 billion, Capital Power. It will upgrade and expand a gas facility in Shamokin Dam. The project includes $2 billion of natural gas purchases. It will create more than 30 fulltime jobs.
- $2.4 billion, Constellation Energy.It will uprate the Limerick nuclear power plant to generate an additional 340 megawatts of power capacity, contingent upon customer demand. The project will create 3,000 jobs.
- $1.6 billion, Equinor. It will boost natural gas production at its Pennsylvania facilities, which will create 1,000 direct and indirect jobs per year.
- $1 billion, Enbridge. It will expand their gas pipelines into Pennsylvania with projects to be announced over the next six to 18 months.
- $400 million, TC Energy. Announced plans to invest $400 million to modernize its gas pipeline network in Pennsylvania.
- $100 million, GE Vernova. Announced up to $100 million of investment in Pennsylvania facilities, including creating 250 new jobs by expanding a power grid equipment manufacturing plant in Charleroi.
- $2.5 million, Meta. The Facebook parent company is partnering with the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University to support startups in rural Pennsylvania communities. It will also have a community accelerator training program for small businesses.
- $1 million, Anthropic.The company committed $1 million over three years to support PicoCTF, a cybersecurity education program for middle and high school students. Anthropic will also invest $1 million over three years for energy research at Carnegie Mellon.
- Energy Innovation Center Infrastructure Academy will build a regional training facility for energy and AI infrastructure workers. The project will impact more than 7,000 workers in southwestern Pennsylvania.
