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Credit: Homer City

The former Homer City generating station in the US state of Pennsylvania, once the state’s largest coal-burning power plant, is to be redeveloped into a 4.5GW natural gas-powered power plant named Homer City Energy Campus. 

Developed by Homer City Redevelopment, the project will support the rising power demand from AI and high-performance computing sectors.  

With an initial capital investment exceeding $10bn, the project represents Pennsylvania’s most significant investment in power infrastructure and site readiness.

The plant will produce energy using natural gas sourced from the Marcellus shale region.  Construction is expected to begin in 2025 with power production by 2027. 

Knighthead Capital Management will head project financing, Kiewit Power Constructors will build the campus and GE Vernova will supply seven 7HA.02 hydrogen-enabled gas turbines.

The redevelopment aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% to 65% per MW hour compared to the coal plant. It will also create 10,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions in various sectors. 

US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, ranging from 10% to 49% on electrical components, batteries and other equipment from China, Southeast Asia and Europe, are expected to disrupt supply chains and increase costs for the US renewable energy sector. 

Battery storage is particularly vulnerable, with Chinese storage cell imports predicted to be subject to a total 82.4% tariff by 2026, including existing tariffs on battery storage, the new Trump tariffs and planned increases announced by the Biden administration. In 2024, more than 90% of lithium-ion energy storage cells used in the US came from China, as per Rho Motion. Despite attempts to boost domestic production, there is insufficient capacity to satisfy demand.  

Trump, who had pledged to dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act, recently suspended permits and loans for certain renewable projects, further dampening investment in the US green energy sector which has already been burdened by the additional costs of sourcing equipment from countries that are subject to Trump’s tariffs. 

Empire Offshore Wind will safely suspend offshore construction activities for the Empire Wind project, following a halt work order from the US government. 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the notice on 16 April, requiring all activities on the Outer Continental Shelf to cease until a thorough review is completed. Interior secretary Doug Burgum, in consultation with commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, initiated the pause on Equinor’s project. 

Equinor, which holds a 100% interest in Empire Offshore Wind, has refrained from speculating on potential consequences until more information is available. Meanwhile, Empire Offshore Wind is in discussions with authorities to resolve the issue and is exploring legal options, including appealing the order. 

The federal lease for Empire Wind was secured in 2017. Empire Wind comprises two projects, Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2. Empire Wind 1 obtained all necessary permits and is currently under construction. It has the capacity to power half a million homes in New York. 

Constellation Energy has defended its proposed acquisition of Calpine before regulators following protests. 

The $16.4bn deal, announced in January 2025 and expected to close by January 2026, would position Constellation as the largest independent power company in the US.  

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was asked by the companies involved to approve the transaction, which has faced opposition from consumer advocate groups. 

The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, in its protest to FERC, expressed concerns that the merger could lead to higher power bills and anticompetitive conduct, such as withholding supply. This sentiment was mirrored by the consumer advocate for Pennsylvania, highlighting that Constellation’s market share in competitive retail supplies would increase from 32% to almost 40% post-merger. 

In response, Constellation has stated in its regulatory filing that the acquisition is not anticompetitive and meets FERC’s criteria for approval. Constellation has requested that FERC dismiss the protests and given assurances that there are adequate safeguards to prevent supply withholding. 

Dow and X-energy have submitted a construction permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a proposed advanced nuclear project in Seadrift in Texas. 

The initiative, headed by Dow’s subsidiary Long Mott Energy, aims to deploy an advanced small modular reactor (SMR) to power Dow’s UCC Seadrift operations site, replacing its existing energy and steam assets nearing the end of their lifecycle.

Supported by the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, the project aims to accelerate the deployment of advanced reactors through cost-shared partnerships with US industry. 

Since 2018, X-energy and Dow have engaged with the NRC to highlight the safety profile of the Xe-100 advanced SMR, focusing on its advanced fuel design, passive safety features and analysis techniques. 

The comprehensive application submitted exceeds NRC regulations for public health, safety and environmental protection. Approval of the construction permit could take up to 30 months.