Lightning Round Summary
Last month, Governor Shapiro convened leaders from business, NGOs, labor, non-profits and state government for the “Bolting Into Action” summit, which featured, in addition to various keynotes from government leaders and break-out panels from innovators in key energy sectors, a moderated, interactive session lead by Team PA’s Abby Smith and Kevin Sunday. Linked below is a read-out of key takeaways as major issues identified by participants.
Approximately 225 energy stakeholders from across Pennsylvania gathered for a daylong event in Harrisburg, culminating in a tabletop exercise. Participants worked together to identify and address hypothetical planning and permitting challenges for a cutting-edge data center and power generation campus in southwestern Pennsylvania. The campus was envisioned to integrate multiple energy sources—solar, natural gas, hydrogen, and battery storage—to deliver a reliable, sustainable power supply to meet high data center demands.
Recognizing the unique zoning, environmental, and regulatory challenges of the region, participants were divided into six table groups. Each group, facilitated by a moderator and with the support of a notetaker, was assigned a specific aspect of the overall project to analyze and propose actionable solutions. Participants were tasked with addressing key permitting and zoning issues while considering local, state, and federal regulations alongside community concerns. The objective was to collaboratively outline challenges, propose solutions, and anticipate potential conflicts or trade-offs for this innovative energy and technology project.
The working session provided a forum for detailed discussion and the exchange of perspectives on a variety of issues associated with the development of the hypothetical data center and power generation campus. Participants across the six tables examined regulatory, environmental, and community considerations, generating a range of ideas and potential strategies. The insights shared by attendees are documented in the summary below to serve as a resource for further review and analysis as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s planning efforts continue.