AWS is building a massive 36-building, 1,100-acre data center campus in Pennsylvania — Homer City Energy Campus will create around 1,500-2,000 jobs and be powered by natural gas

AWS is building a large computing campus called the Homer City Energy Campus in Pennsylvania. It will contain 36 data center buildings spread across six areas in Center and Blacklick townships. The project matters because it combines extensive digital infrastructure with a new power plant built specifically to support it.

Each data center building will have two floors, stand 70 feet tall, and cover about 225,000 square feet. The campus will also include offices, storage facilities, electrical substations, security infrastructure, and other generation equipment. A new 4.5-gigawatt natural gas plant will provide most of the electricity.

Construction is planned in four stages. Work is scheduled to begin in December 2026, while the final stage is due to start in January 2032. The full campus is currently scheduled for completion by June 2036, making it a nearly decade-long development.

The Homer City Energy Campus will stretch across 1,100 acres in Indiana County, roughly 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. Its size reflects a regional infrastructure project rather than a single building. AWS plans to distribute the development across six sites in Center and Blacklick townships.

The centerpiece is 36 data center buildings. Each will have two floors, reach 70 feet, and provide about 225,000 square feet. Together with offices, storage, substations, security systems, and generation equipment, these buildings will support a large computing operation. The project will be built in four stages.

AWS estimates the development will create between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs. Average annual salaries are expected to range from $80,000 to $100,000. Construction is scheduled to start in December 2026, with completion currently planned for June 2036.

AWS is Amazon Web Services, the part of Amazon that provides cloud computing services and related digital infrastructure. Data centers are the physical facilities that support those services. The article presents Homer City as part of AWS’s wider effort to add data center capacity across Pennsylvania.

The company is not relying on one location. In Salem Township, AWS acquired an existing data center and about 1,200 acres beside Talen Energy’s nuclear facility. It had considered as many as 15 buildings there, while other proposals emerged in Falls and Kline townships. Homer City adds 36 more planned buildings.

The article does not identify one specific service or demand driving the expansion. It does show AWS pursuing multiple Pennsylvania locations and developing dedicated electricity infrastructure. That broader network would give AWS additional capacity as these projects move through different stages, although their schedules and final forms may change.

The Homer City site previously hosted a 2-gigawatt coal-fired power station. It operated from 1969 until closing in 2023, and the article identifies it as Pennsylvania’s largest coal-fired power station. The new project therefore changes both the site’s technology and its main use.

Instead of a coal station, the property is planned to host AWS data centers and related infrastructure. Homer City Redevelopment is developing a 4.5-gigawatt natural gas generation facility alongside the campus. Most of that plant’s electricity is intended for AWS, while more than 1 gigawatt should enter Pennsylvania’s electricity network.

The article does not give a detailed reason for choosing natural gas or explain the closure beyond its 2023 date. It does describe the project as a major change in the site’s energy use. Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2026, with completion planned for June 2036.

The Homer City Energy Campus is being developed alongside a dedicated 4.5-gigawatt natural gas generation facility. Homer City Redevelopment is developing the plant specifically alongside the wider AWS project. This arrangement is intended to provide the campus with a large, nearby supply of electricity.

Most of the plant’s generation will serve AWS’s data center operation. The campus will also contain electrical substations and additional generation equipment, which will support the movement and management of power across the development. These facilities connect the power source with the computing buildings.

The plant is not planned to serve AWS alone. More than 1 gigawatt is expected to flow into Pennsylvania’s electricity network. That would leave part of the new generation available beyond the campus, although the article does not explain exactly how that electricity will be dispatched or which customers will receive it.

The campus could affect Indiana County through employment, construction, land use, and energy infrastructure. AWS expects 1,500 to 2,000 jobs, with average annual salaries between $80,000 and $100,000. Construction will occur across six areas in Center and Blacklick townships, roughly 50 miles east of Pittsburgh.

The development will add 36 data centers, offices, storage, substations, security systems, and generation equipment. Its associated 4.5-gigawatt gas plant will supply most electricity to AWS, while more than 1 gigawatt is expected to enter Pennsylvania’s power network. This makes the project important for both local infrastructure and wider electricity supply.

AWS has committed to a community benefits agreement addressing local effects and providing measurable benefits for residents. Knighthead Capital Management is supporting financing. The article does not specify the agreement’s individual programs or describe final environmental effects, so those outcomes remain to be defined as construction approaches.

A data center is a specialized facility that houses computer servers, storage systems, networking equipment, and supporting infrastructure. It processes and stores data for digital services. AWS operates cloud computing services, so its data centers provide the physical foundation for those services.

Modern computing facilities need reliable electricity to run servers continuously and support networking, storage, security, and other systems. Power interruptions can interrupt operations and make services unavailable. Data centers also commonly need power for cooling and facility controls, although the article does not describe the Homer City campus’s cooling systems.

Homer City shows how large that requirement can become. AWS plans 36 buildings, each about 225,000 square feet, alongside electrical substations and additional generation equipment. A dedicated 4.5-gigawatt gas plant will supply most of the electricity, with more than 1 gigawatt also expected to reach Pennsylvania’s network.