News Stories
Sponsored by Earth Etch. Regulatory insight and compliance solutions for today’s energy markets.
PUC Report Released Evaluating Whether Retired Power Plant Sites Can Be Redeveloped To Support New Generation, Data Centers And Other Large Loads, Energy Storage, Or Co-Located Generation/Load Projects
On September 20, 2026 KeyLogic, in coordination with Team PA and the Pennsylvania PUC, prepared the Pennsylvania Accelerated Transmission and Energy Redevelopment (PATER) Part A report.
This report is a federally funded study examining the need for and impacts of new transmission infrastructure of 100 kV or greater in Pennsylvania.
The PUC held a meeting regarding a Preliminary Phase 1 Report of the PATER Study on October 7, 2026.
Among other things this report evaluates whether retired power plant sites can be redeveloped to support new generation, data centers and other large loads, energy storage, or co-located generation/load projects.
The study identified 21 candidate sites representing about 4.8 GW of retired generation, many of which already have valuable transmission, natural gas, water, transportation, and broadband infrastructure that could reduce redevelopment costs and timelines.
The study also finds that Pennsylvania’s transmission system has meaningful but limited capacity for growth, estimating roughly 9 GW of practical capability for additional generation or load under representative assumptions. However, generation availability and operating flexibility may become constraints before the transmission system itself, particularly as demand from data centers, manufacturing, electrification, and other large loads grows. Major risks include environmental remediation, PJM interconnection and queue uncertainty, permitting, and community opposition.
The Opportunity Ahead
Part A positions PA to make informed, strategic decisions in Part B, where the 21 sites will be narrowed to 5–7 priority redevelopment locations through refinement of the site-specific analyses supplemented by public, industrial, and state government engagements along with site visits. These sites will represent the highest-value opportunities to:
- Accelerate deployment of new generation needed for PJM reliability.
- Support large loads on compressed timelines.
- Revitalize communities with legacy industrial assets.
- Optimize transmission investments for maximum economic impact.
- Create durable, long-term economic growth across PA.
Part B will narrow the 21 sites to 5–7 priority locations for more detailed analysis.
