Pennsylvania governor rolls out plan to fast-track and subsidize power plants, hydrogen projects
Pennsylvania governor rolls out plan to fast-track and subsidize power plants, hydrogen projects
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Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday that he wants to fast-track big energy projects in Pennsylvania and offer hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks for projects that provide electricity to the grid and make hydrogen. Shapiro's announcement comes a few days before he delivers his third budget proposal to lawmakers amid an energy crunch that threatens to raise electricity bills across Pennsylvania, the nation's second-biggest natural gas-producing state.
Shapiro, a Democrat, said he wants to start the “next chapter in Pennsylvania’s long history of energy leadership” and keep pace with other states that are attracting big projects, such as data centers and electric vehicle factories. "Pennsylvania, it’s time for us to be more competitive, it’s time for us to act, we need to take some big and decisive steps right now, build new sources of power so Pennsylvania doesn't miss out,” Shapiro said at a news conference at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Shapiro said Pennsylvania is one of just 12 states that doesn't have an entity to fast-track siting decisions for energy projects. He wants to change that by creating the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Siting and Electric Transition Board to streamline permitting and support for new energy projects.
"We need shovels in the ground now, not in the years to come," Shapiro said. The tax credits Shapiro is proposing are aimed at large projects producing electricity, hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel. A power plant could qualify for up to $100 million per year for three years, under Shapiro's plan. The Shapiro administration did not immediately say what sort of power plants would qualify.
