When the hiring process starts, we’ll be ready to go. We want to give them qualified men and women.
natural-gas-powered data center campus render
On April 2, Homer City Redevelopment and Kiewit Power Constructors Co. announced plans to redevelop the former Homer City Generating Station site. Once the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania, the 3,200-acre property will be transformed into a natural-gas-powered data center campus.
The new facility will meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Top technology companies are hungry for more computing power and this project aims to deliver.
Construction will generate hundreds of new jobs for the Boilermakers, according to L-154 (Pittsburgh) Business Agent and Homer City native Shawn Steffee. In addition to Boilermakers, the project will employ thousands of unionized skilled trade workers during the build.
The closure of the coal plant in 2022 was a major blow to Homer City and the local workforce.
“The shutting of coal-fired plants and refineries caused a noticeable drop in our membership and the loss of many skilled Boilermakers to other trades,” said L-154 Business Manager Michael Stanton. “However, we are encouraged by the natural gas industry and excited about signs of a coal resurgence in America.”
Steffee remembers how damaging it was for friends when Homer City closed the coal plant.
“I knew the people who worked here, and the closure was devastating,” said Steffee, who’s thrilled at the prospect of work for Boilermakers in his local. “The Homer City Energy Campus will be a series of natural-gas plants that will power a massive data center campus. What’s really interesting is that this is going to be 4.5 gigawatt, the largest in North America, when it’s done.”
The power block build itself is a $10 billion investment. Another $10 to $15 billion is planned for investment in data centers.
The build can’t be done with renewables. According to Steffee, it would take 75 million solar panels across 230 sq. miles to generate the kind of output the new power block will provide. For wind, the numbers are 5,000 wind turbines across 1,875 sq. miles of land. He said the American people need to understand where reliable power comes from when they switch on a light. And renewables aren’t reliable.
The Homer City project brings security to the grid and eliminates reliability issues.
“Natural gas, coal and nuclear, these are reliable power,” he said. “What’s really great for the state of Pennsylvania is using the Marcellus and Utica formation. The plant will take 530 million cubic feet of gas per day.”
The local is up for the task of recruiting and training the needed number of Boilermakers for this job. Stanton said they indentured a new apprentice class in May and are actively recruiting through job fairs, school visits and community outreach.
“To strengthen our recruitment efforts, we utilized the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund to partner with a media team to enhance our social media presence and outreach, showcasing the benefits of a Boilermaker career.”
The local will need more Boilermakers because Steffee sees even more work coming. So, he’s keen on being the best craft on the project and fully manning it.
“When the hiring process starts, we’ll be ready to go. We want to give them qualified men and women. We want to build more. We want to build our numbers back up. This project is just the beginning,” he said. “This is just the beginning for us. I couldn’t be happier for our local. We needed the good news.”
To strengthen our recruitment efforts, we utilized the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund to partner with a media team to enhance our social media presence and outreach, showcasing the benefits of a Boilermaker career.
