A consortium of companies aim to build a natural gas plant in Pennsylvania to serve data centers.
Liberty Energy, Imperial Land Corporation (ILC), a real estate developer, and Range Resources, a natural gas exploration and production company, have signed a strategic agreement to support the development of a natural gas generation facility in the Fort Cherry Development District in Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
According to the companies, the power plant will be tailored to meet the data center sector and other high-energy use facilities. The companies see the project as serving as a catalyst for attracting high-energy users who are seeking long-term energy agreements from natural gas.
The capacity and project timeline have not been disclosed.
“Our approach combines low-emissions power generation and technology with industry-leading service and support, all strategically located at a site with abundant natural gas resources,” said Ron Gusek, president and CEO of Liberty Energy.
The facility will take advantage of the Marcellus Shale gas deposit, which contains approximately 410 trillion cubic feet of shale gas. The companies claim that gas generated from the deposit has “an advantaged emissions profile versus other basins in the US.”
According to Alan Engberg, Range’s VP of marketing & midstream, the project is “ideally situated adjacent to the heart of Range’s existing natural gas production, in close proximity to the Ohio River, the City of Pittsburgh and a newly renovated international airport.”
The partners hope that the generation facility will position the Fort Cherry Development District as a prime location for future industrial demand growth and provide off-takers, especially data centers, the “decades-long supply requirements” required for successful operations.
Liberty Energy is increasingly targeting the data center sector as a crucial offtaker. In January, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DC Grid to deliver off-grid gas generation to the data center sector
In November, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright was nominated to head up the incoming Trump administration's Department of Energy (DOE). Wright also sits on the board of SMR developer Oklo.
