Energy & Power Generation
Reliable, affordable energy is essential to economic growth.
The Allegheny Conference helps shape a vision for the region’s energy future, forging key partnerships and securing critical funding to create a thriving economy for southwestern Pennsylvania. While greater reliance on technologies like artificial intelligence has supported our innovation economy, it has also increased the demand and cost for power generation. This has created new challenges to our region’s energy reliability and security. If not addressed, this increasing demand threatens our region’s quality of life and the growth of our economy. That’s why energy is a big bet.
We can turn a projected energy shortfall into an economic development opportunity for southwestern Pennsylvania.
With increasing demand for power generation, Pennsylvania is facing potential energy shortages. In fact, we are projected to face electricity shortages by 2030 due to the expected retirement of 40 GW of existing thermal generators and the slow pace of new generation construction. More reliable baseload generation is required to maintain grid stability that is critical to regional prosperity.
Our Approach: Build Now and for the Future
By addressing energy security issues in a proactive and strategic way, we position the region as a global energy leader and keep energy as a key economic driver. We aim to leverage our region’s abundant natural resources, technology advancements, and expertise to expand clean and reliable baseload generation through advanced nuclear reactors and natural gas. This approach leverages a complex energy challenge and turns it into an economic development opportunity for southwestern Pennsylvania.
Our strategy is built on three pillars: policy, investment, and marketplace.
Policy Strategy
Advocate for effective and streamlined permitting and regulatory processes that will attract businesses, investors, and energy generation, and an energy strategy that leverages our region’s assets.
Investment Strategy
Enable new power generation capacity by unlocking the full potential of natural gas in the near term while positioning southwestern Pennsylvania for advanced nuclear deployment in the long term.
Market Strategy
Continue to strengthen the region’s energy-intensive economy with a focus on advanced manufacturing and digital infrastructure.
Additional Resources
- Read our long-term energy strategy established in 2022.