INDIANA, Pa. – Jacob Vilcek used to be able to see the three smokestacks of the former Homer City Power plant reaching to the sky from his backyard off Power Plant Road.

Those stacks came down Saturday, though one partially remains. Demolition of the 50-year-old coal-fired power plant began as Homer City Redevelopment LLC, embarks on a multi-year project to build a natural gas pipeline infrastructure project connected to the Texas Eastern pipeline system.

“Hearing stories of the plant’s history was cool, and now we have new stories taking shape,” Vilcek said. “It’s exciting for the area. There’s a good plan in place.”

One of the stacks, at 1,217 feet tall, was considered the tallest in the U.S.

After half a century of providing power to Pennsylvania and New York, the Homer City Generating Station, one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the state, closed in July 2023.

As natural gas-fired plants increased over the years, coal-fired plants including Homer City struggled to compete.

The power plant had been diminishing operations and personnel over the past several years leading up to its closure.

When it ceased operations, 130 people who remained employed there were let go, Indiana County Office of Planning executive director Byron Stauffer said.

“This infrastructure was half a century old and definitely needed to be upgraded,” he said.

In November, state Sen. Joe Pittman, serving Indiana County, issued a press release announcing Homer City Redevelopment was awarded $5 million to put toward the total project costs for a natural gas pipeline infrastructure project.

Indiana County Office of Planning and Development has a role in administering those funds for the project.

“This new venture in natural gas, using more clean energy will certainly be an improvement,” Stauffer said. “Jobs will be created by building the new facility, and more jobs will be created once it gets up and running. That will be an improvement to the area as well.”

Stauffer said he’s met with Homer City Redevelopment LLC several times since November and said the group is working with consultants on the total cost of the project and a project management proposal.

“It’s pretty exciting,” he said.

“They have planned on having community meetings, but they are basically shoring up plans and strategies. We want to tell people what we are going to do, not what we think we are going to do. They want to be good corporate citizens. I think they are going to be a good case of how you redevelop a coal-fired power plant and give it it’s next life iteration.”

The new facility could take years to build.

“There’s 50 years of development there,” Stauffer said. “It will take a while to properly do what they are planning.”

Former Indiana County Commissioner Robin Gorman is a vice president of Homer City Redevelopment LLC.

“There’s good, committed ownership,” Stauffer said. “As am economic development professional, you have to be exited about the potential. This site is thousands of acres, with access to the PJM electricity grid (the grid serving a region of 13 states including Pennsylvania) as well as the New York grid.”

Although residents in the immediate area of the power plant had concerns about dust clouds from the demolition, Vilcek said the operation has gone smoothly, and he and his neighbors have had no issues.

Paul Phillips, of Beech Street, about five miles from the power plant, said he sees the demolition of the plant and plans for the natural gas-fired facility as progress.

“We need the electricity,” he said. “If it’s going to be eco-friendly and bring jobs back, then I have no problem with that.”