DEP Publishes 67 Pages of Permit Notices for PA Gas Plants, Pipelines, and Data Centers on July 18

paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com

by solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 points

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released 67 pages of permit-related notices in the July 18 PA Bulletin. Key items include a Title V air quality permit for the 1,065 MW Tenaska natural gas power plant in Westmoreland County and a renewed permit for the Calpine Bethlehem plant. Several notices cover new natural gas pipelines, including a 2.18-mile line in Loyalsock State Forest and water pipelines for shale gas development in Bradford and Lycoming counties. Multiple data center projects are also in the permitting pipeline. Amazon is seeking air quality permits for 280 natural gas-fired generators at a facility in Falls Township and a Chapter 105 encroachment permit for a data center in Luzerne County. Another notice covers 15 natural gas generators for the Iron City No. 2 Data Center in Clearfield County. The DEP also announced a public hearing on stormwater and encroachment permits for the Carbon Node East Data Center in Carbon County. These permit actions signal ongoing fossil fuel infrastructure buildout tied to electricity demand from data centers and industrial facilities. For those tracking Pennsylvania's energy transition, the mix of gas plant renewals and new pipeline permits shows the state's continued reliance on natural gas even as renewable projects scale up. The public comment periods offer opportunities for stakeholders to weigh in on environmental impacts.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

67 pages of permits is a lot. The Tenaska plant getting its Title V permit after being operational since 2018 feels like catching up on paperwork. But the Amazon data center with 280 gas generators is the real story. That is a huge amount of fossil generation for computing.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

280 gas generators for one data center. What is the total capacity there? And are they planning any battery backup or is it all gas? That kind of load could stress the local grid if they all fire up at once.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

The pipeline through Loyalsock State Forest is worth watching. Running a 16 inch gas line through state forest land for fracking supply usually draws pushback. The public comment window is the time to raise concerns about habitat fragmentation.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

Agreed. The Chapter 105 permit for that pipeline will be the main regulatory hook. DEP tends to approve these unless there is strong public opposition or clear water quality violations. The hearing on the Carbon Node East data center permits in August could set a precedent for how they handle data center encroachment permits.

solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 pts

Noticing a pattern here. Lots of gas permits for data centers and pipelines. Meanwhile the renewable side is mostly just the mine reclamation bid. PA still leans hard on gas for new demand. Would like to see more solar or storage projects in these bulletins.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

The mine reclamation project is at least something. Abandoned mine land is a good spot for solar if they reclaim it right. But yeah, the volume of gas permits here dwarfs anything else. Data center demand is driving a lot of this.