Good morning. Big Tech is at FERC fighting to keep transmission bidding competitive. Microsoft filed to cover its own grid costs in Nevada. And in Wyoming, neighbors are pushing back on a proposed camp for thousands of data-center construction workers. Let's dig in.
Top Stories
BIG TECH FIGHTS UTILITY BID TO LIMIT TRANSMISSION COMPETITION
E&E News
Google, Microsoft, Meta and other tech companies are opposing a Midwestern utility push to suspend competitive bidding for transmission projects tied to data-center growth.
MICROSOFT SEEKS NEVADA DATA-CENTER COST SHIELD
Utility Dive
The proposal would make large-load customers pay for infrastructure built specifically for their projects while preserving standard utility charges for broader grid services.
WYOMING DATA-CENTER BOOM HITS MAN-CAMP BACKLASH
The Wall Street Journal
Neighbors are pushing back against plans for a small city of out-of-state workers tied to data-center construction, adding a workforce and housing flashpoint to the siting fight.
WALL STREET FUNDS THE AI BONANZA EVERY WAY IT CAN
The Wall Street Journal
Investor appetite is financing AI infrastructure through debt deals, IPOs and other capital-market channels, showing how much money is chasing the buildout.
COURT RESTORES WIND AND SOLAR TAX-CREDIT SAFE HARBOR
Crux Climate
The ruling reopens the 5% beginning-of-construction safe harbor for wind and large-scale solar, which could matter immediately for project finance and tax-credit planning.
Power & Grid
FERC CLEARS INTERRUPTIBLE GRID SERVICE FOR BIG LOADS
Utility Dive
SPP's new service could help data centers and other large loads connect faster, but the tradeoff is that service can be curtailed when grid conditions tighten.
PRESERVATION LAW SNAGS PERMITTING TALKS
E&E News
Senate permitting talks are running into a fight over changes to historic-preservation law, another reminder that energy-project reform remains politically fragile.
PITTSBURGH LANDS NUCLEAR ENERGY HEADQUARTERS
Axios Pittsburgh
An Italian nuclear company has established its headquarters in Pittsburgh, arguing the region is well positioned for expanded nuclear development.
CLEAN ENERGY LOST A GENERATION OF MOMENTUM
Forbes
Post-1970s policy reversals cost the U.S. clean-energy expertise and momentum it is now trying to rebuild amid record demand.
POLITICO FOLDS E&E INTO BIGGER ENERGY PUSH
Semafor
Politico is retiring the standalone E&E News brand while expanding energy coverage, a media-industry signal that AI, demand growth and power politics have moved to the center of the business beat.
Data Centers
LOUDOUN FIGHTS DOMINION TRANSMISSION LINE NEAR SCHOOLS
FOX 5 Washington DC
Local officials and residents are pushing back on Dominion's proposed Golden-to-Mars transmission line, citing schools and neighborhoods in one of the country's key data-center corridors.
PERMIAN BECOMES AN AI POWER HUB
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Energy developers are pitching the Permian Basin as an AI power hub, arguing the region's generation potential offers a speed-to-power advantage.
PA GRID STANDARDS DRAW MARKET-PLANNING ATTACK
The National Law Review
Critics say Pennsylvania's data-center GRID standards overreach by layering energy, labor and community-benefit mandates onto AI infrastructure development.
GOP LAWMAKERS PUSH FBI PROBE OF DATA-CENTER BACKLASH
TechRadar
Republican lawmakers are framing anti-data-center sentiment as possible Chinese influence, even as a large share of recorded opposition is led by Republicans.
SPACEX SHOWS OFF ORBITAL AI DATA-CENTER PLAN
Business Insider
Elon Musk shared new details on SpaceX's proposed AI data-center satellites, pushing the compute buildout story from land, power and water constraints into orbit.
Stat of the Day
5,600
Workers a proposed Cheyenne man camp would house for data-center construction
At that size, the camp would be larger than 84 Wyoming towns — a new face of the buildout backlash.
WSJ report ↗