Good morning. Amazon wants 280 gas generators behind one Pennsylvania data center, the Colorado River's hydropower is shrinking, and Michigan's answer to who pays is a reminder that a voluntary pledge is still just a pledge.
Top Stories
MICHIGAN TELLS DATA CENTERS TO PAY THEIR OWN WAY
MLive
Whitmer wants developers to cover new power plants, grid expansion and operating costs, but her 10-point pledge remains voluntary while lawmakers debate enforceable rules.
AMAZON PLANS 280 GAS GENERATORS FOR PENNSYLVANIA DATA CENTER
WHYY
State regulators are preparing to review backup generation at the Bucks County campus as more than 4,000 people sign a petition against the project.
COLORADO RIVER HYDROPOWER SYSTEM STARTS TO FRAY
Colorado Newsline
Colorado's Aspinall Unit is on pace to generate nearly 30% less electricity than its long-term average as shrinking reservoirs force public utilities to buy replacement power.
NORTH CAROLINA AG CHALLENGES DUKE'S 15% RATE HIKE
WRAL
Jeff Jackson says a lower return on equity could save families $960 million over two years and wants a separate rate class for data centers and other large loads.
NATION'S LARGEST SOLAR PROJECT BREAKS GROUND IN ARKANSAS
E&E News
Construction began on the Steel River Energy Center, a 2.5-GW solar and 2.9-GWh storage buildout due by 2029, with Google anchoring the first two phases behind $3.5 billion in financing.
Power & Grid
BAD SITING COULD MULTIPLY GRID SHORTFALLS FIVEFOLD
MIT News
A Nature Energy study finds climate-informed placement of renewables and transmission can sharply reduce 2050 blackout risk in Texas and New England at little added cost.
$1.5 BILLION OREGON-IDAHO POWER LINE FACES NEW LAWSUIT
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Malheur Mining wants part of the 300-mile Boardman-to-Hemingway route moved after crews poured concrete where the company says it holds mineral rights.
SUNRUN TURNS SOLAR HOMES INTO A DISTRIBUTED DATA CENTER
Utility Dive
The pilot places desktop-sized AI compute nodes behind the meter and pays participating customers while home batteries preserve backup and grid functions.
INDIANA BUILDS A PIPELINE OF NUCLEAR-READY COMMUNITIES
Indianapolis Business Journal
A new three-tier program will help cities, counties and townships prepare their workforce, infrastructure and rules for advanced-reactor projects.
SOLAR USES LESS THAN 0.1% OF AMERICA'S PRIME FARMLAND
Mountain West News Bureau
An industry analysis finds no state puts even half a percent of its prime farmland under utility-scale solar, while golf courses occupy 2.5 times more nationwide.
Data Centers
CALIFORNIANS BROADLY OPPOSE NEW AI DATA CENTERS NEAR THEM
Los Angeles Times
The PPIC poll finds 44% of adults strongly against local construction and another 29% somewhat opposed, the strongest statewide measure yet of the siting backlash.
DELAWARE LAWMAKERS TELL DATA CENTERS TO BRING THEIR OWN POWER
Spotlight Delaware
Bills awaiting the governor would require full self-supply within 10 years, create a large-load tariff and put data centers first in line for blackout curtailments.
TVA LEANS HARDER ON COAL, GAS AND NUCLEAR
Mother Jones
The nation's largest public utility could retain coal through 2039 and add as much as 26 GW of gas as data-center demand reshapes its long-range plan.
SEATTLE WEIGHS WHAT COMES AFTER ITS DATA-CENTER PAUSE
KIRO 7
Residents pressed the City Council over bills, water and land use as officials consider permanent rules during a one-year moratorium on large facilities.
DATA-CENTER BACKLASH MOVES FROM TOWNS TO STATEHOUSES
WVXU
At least 15 states are considering development bans or pauses as electricity costs, water demand and local siting fights turn AI infrastructure into a political issue.
Stat of the Day
73%
Californians who oppose a new AI data center near them
The resistance crosses party, region, race, gender and income lines in a new PPIC survey of 1,578 adults.
Los Angeles Times ↗