Land developers came to Marilee and David Kiliti's farm in Salem Township about two years ago and told them the property might fetch more than $20 million, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The couple thought it was a joke. They raised and butchered hogs on ground David Kiliti's father established about 80 years ago, and there was no oil or natural gas underneath.
The buyers wanted the power, not the dirt. Transmission lines and substation infrastructure in the area already feed a natural gas plant and a nuclear plant, the Journal reported.
Talen Energy's 2,475 MW Susquehanna Steam Electric Station sits in the same township.
Amazon Web Services bought the adjacent 1,200-acre Cumulus data center campus from Talen for $650 million in March 2024. It signed a supply deal in June 2025 that runs to 2042 and ramps toward 1,920 MW, according to Talen's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and reporting by Utility Dive.
