Good morning. The data-center story has stopped being one story. Today it is rates in Oregon, gas plants in Wisconsin, emergency backup power in PJM and a dead megaproject in Virginia. The grid is not waiting politely.
Top Stories
U.S. DATA CENTERS BURN THE WORLD'S MOST POWER
Canary Media
The U.S. accounted for nearly 40% of global data-center power demand in 2025, turning AI load into a distinctly American grid problem.
OREGON SAYS DATA CENTERS CAN'T BE A CHEAP DATE
OregonLive.com
Gov. Tina Kotek is backing higher rates and tougher safeguards as Oregon tries to stop cheap power from becoming a blank check.
INVENERGY DROPS WIND FOR DATA-CENTER GAS
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin pivot makes the tradeoff explicit: big new AI load is pulling developers from offshore wind leases toward gas plants.
MINI-REACTORS HIT TRUMP'S JULY 4 DEADLINE
Forbes
Three nuclear test reactors reportedly reached criticality, giving the administration a milestone as power demand politics sharpen.
DIGITAL GATEWAY DIES AFTER QTS DROPS APPEAL
Tom's Hardware
The Virginia campus collapsed after years of lawsuits, showing how local process fights can kill even marquee projects.
Power & Grid
NRC MOVES TO LOOSEN RADIATION RULES
Reuters
The nuclear regulator is proposing changes to radiation-protection rules as Washington tries to cut cost and schedule drag from reactor development.
IBERDROLA STARTS FIRST U.S. GRID BATTERY
Electrek
The 41 MW / 82 MWh Oregon project is small by grid-scale standards, but it marks Iberdrola and Avangrid putting storage steel in the ground.
PJM GETS DATA-CENTER BACKUP POWER ORDER
New Jersey Monitor
The Energy Department order lets PJM lean on backup generators and batteries during the heat wave, a preview of emergency rules for large load.
PJM PREPS DATA-CENTER BACKSTOP AUCTION
Utility Dive
Stakeholders advanced a plan that could force large loads to bring supply or fund backstop capacity, with a FERC filing expected this month.
CLEAN ENERGY SURVIVES TRUMP'S TAX-CREDIT SHOCK
Canary Media
One year after federal tax-credit cuts, the buildout has bent rather than broken because fast new power is still hard to replace.
Data Centers
HEAT TURNS DATA CENTERS INTO GRID FLASHPOINT
AP
Extreme temperatures raise both cooling demand and local pollution concerns, making data centers a summer reliability story.
DATA-CENTER BACKLASH TURNS TO RECALLS
The Guardian
Opponents are escalating from zoning fights to recall campaigns against local officials who approved projects under secrecy.
NEWSWEEK MAPS DATA CENTERS ON STRESSED GRIDS
Newsweek
The maps put data-center clusters next to heat and reliability stress, giving a visual frame for the load-growth fight.
MASSACHUSETTS TIES DATA-CENTER TAX BREAKS TO CLEAN POWER
Canary Media
The Senate bill would restrict state incentives unless data centers meet clean-energy procurement, efficiency and flexibility tests.
MODULAR SUBSTATIONS TARGET AI POWER DELAYS
POWER Magazine
Factory-built substations are being pitched as a faster way through the interconnection bottleneck for hyperscale campuses.
Stat of the Day
22 million sq ft
Size of the Virginia data-center campus local opposition just killed
The Prince William Digital Gateway collapsed after QTS dropped its appeal, proof that even the largest projects can lose to years of local process fights.
Tom's Hardware ↗