Good morning. PJM found a $6.3 billion data-center tab, Nebraska killed the tax breaks, and Virginia's backlash crossed the aisle.
Top Stories
DATA CENTERS DROVE $6.3 BILLION OF PJM'S AUCTION COST
Utility Dive
PJM's market monitor says large computing loads caused 38% of the latest capacity charges and nearly half of the $63.6 billion collected across four auctions.
TRUMP PROMISED HALF-PRICE POWER. RATES ROSE 18%
Reason
EIA data show residential electricity prices climbed 18% from January 2025 through April 2026 as load growth, grid investment and equipment costs kept pressure on bills.
DATA-CENTER OPPOSITION JUMPS 13 POINTS IN SIX MONTHS
POLITICO
A new national poll finds 41% would oppose a facility within three miles of home, up from 28% in January, with Democratic voters driving the sharpest shift.
NEBRASKA PULLS THE PLUG ON DATA-CENTER TAX BREAKS
Nebraska Examiner
Gov. Jim Pillen halted new ImagiNE Act incentives and created a task force, saying the state lacks the power to keep subsidizing the industry's growth.
CALIFORNIA SUES AGAIN OVER RESTARTED OIL PIPELINE
Los Angeles Times
The state wants a federal waiver for Sable Offshore thrown out as restarted platforms send roughly 43,000 barrels a day through pipelines idled after a 2015 spill.
Power & Grid
DATA CENTERS POWER A RECORD CLEAN-TECH DEAL BOOM
Forbes
First-half cleantech listings and acquisitions hit a record 153 while venture funding surged 55% to $26 billion, helped by demand for new data-center power.
THE BATTERY BOOM MOVES BEYOND LITHIUM
Guardian US
A 5.2 GW solar complex paired with 19 GWh of storage leads a wave of liquid-air, molten-salt and sand systems built to bank renewable power longer.
PNM-BLACKSTONE DEAL SLIPS TO 2027 AFTER ILLEGAL STOCK SALE
Source New Mexico
The companies extended their merger deadline to May 31, 2027 after regulators ordered them to unwind an unauthorized $400 million transaction and imposed maximum fines.
HOUSE BILL MAKES DATA CENTERS PAY THEIR GRID TAB
E&E News
Lawmakers narrowed the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act to large computing loads after manufacturers warned the broader language could sweep in other energy-intensive industries.
FLORIDA BILL WOULD PUSH DATA CENTERS OFF PUBLIC UTILITIES
The Associated Press
Rep. Byron Donalds wants AI campuses to secure all electricity and water privately as more than 20 Florida communities reject or pause major projects.
Data Centers
TWO DOZEN NEW JERSEY TOWNS BLOCK DATA CENTERS
NJ Spotlight News
Municipalities are using home-rule zoning bans to go beyond state restrictions as 56% of registered voters say they would support keeping the facilities out.
VIRGINIA'S DATA-CENTER BACKLASH CROSSES THE AISLE
Cardinal News
Opposition to tax breaks reached 69%, including 68.6% of Republicans, after statewide support for similar incentives stood near two-thirds three years ago.
UTILITY-LINKED GROUPS TARGET A DATA-CENTER CRITIC
The Detroit News
Michigan Rep. Steve Carra held hearings on data-center impacts; now groups tied to Consumers Energy are funding a wave of negative television ads against him.
DATA-CENTER WASTEWATER BECOMES THE NEXT FIGHT
E&E News
Cooling-system discharges can carry biocides, corrosion inhibitors, concentrated salts and metals into treatment systems that were not designed for the load.
185-FOOT POWER LINE HEADS TO VIRGINIA'S HIGH COURT
FOX 5 Washington DC
Loudoun residents, school leaders, county officials and Dominion all sought a pause, but regulators refused and sent the Ashburn dispute toward the state Supreme Court.
Stat of the Day
11.5%
Data-center share of Nebraska's electricity that Pillen called the tipping point
He signed an order Monday halting new tax incentives, estimating it could save ratepayers $1 billion to $2 billion.
Nebraska Examiner ↗