Good morning. Virginia wants more time on a $67 billion utility deal, data centers may become regulated grid entities, and BloombergNEF now says they will consume a fifth of America's electricity by 2035.
Top Stories
VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS MOVE TO SLOW THE $67 BILLION DOMINION DEAL
Virginia Mercury
A bipartisan pair wants a special session to extend regulators' review before the NextEra takeover can win automatic approval under the state's short merger clock.
DATA CENTERS COULD BECOME DIRECTLY REGULATED GRID ENTITIES
Nelson Mullins
FERC ordered NERC to develop reliability rules and registration criteria that could expose large computing loads to mandatory standards, audits and enforcement.
TRUMP'S AI POWER PLEDGE SIGNS UP 80% OF THE GRID
The Verge
Nearly 200 utilities and data-center companies joined the voluntary ratepayer pledge, but it carries no penalty and Washington does not set most retail power prices.
DATA CENTERS HEADED FOR A FIFTH OF U.S. ELECTRICITY
TechCrunch
BloombergNEF projects nearly 200 GW of data-center capacity within a decade, quadrupling today's load, with its 2035 demand estimate now 83% above what it forecast in December.
ZELDIN PROMISES MORE OF COAL'S WISH LIST
E&E News
The administration has rolled back coal ash, wastewater, mercury and carbon rules while the industry presses for easier permitting, new plants and expanded exports.
Power & Grid
OHIO'S $100 MILLION ENERGY FUND SHUTS OUT WIND AND SOLAR
Canary Media
The privately run JobsOhio program will finance gas infrastructure and small reactors while critics question its public-records exemption and a board chair's utility ties.
UTILITIES ASK FERC TO SKIP BIDDING ON NEW POWER LINES
Missouri Independent
Ameren, Evergy and seven other utilities want a five-year path around competition, while lawmakers warn monopoly construction could erase savings of 20% to 30%.
PRITZKER PAUSES DATA-CENTER BENEFITS AS ILLINOIS POWER TIGHTENS
The Center Square
The governor wants lawmakers to revive the POWER Act with new permits, energy reporting, water plans and requirements for developers to bring new capacity.
EVERGY SAYS DATA CENTERS CAN LOWER KANSAS POWER BILLS
Topeka Capital-Journal
Its 75-MW tariff uses 12- to 17-year contracts, early-exit penalties and minimum bills set at 80% of promised demand to keep costs off existing customers.
DATA-CENTER POWER USE IS HEADED FOR A 133% JUMP
Utility Dive
A Kansas Health Institute report projects U.S. consumption will reach 426 TWh by 2030 while the generation pipeline leaves a supply gap above 100 GW.
Data Centers
HOUSE PANEL ADVANCES A DATA-CENTER RATEPAYER BILL
E&E News
The bipartisan measure would push large computing loads to pay for grid upgrades, fixed infrastructure and financial guarantees if projects shrink or disappear.
FIVE STATE ADVOCATES SAY FERC LEFT PJM CUSTOMERS EXPOSED
Utility Dive
Consumer offices want large loads to cover every network upgrade they trigger, arguing the federal order still leaves existing customers at risk.
DATA-CENTER MORATORIUMS MOVE INTO 12 GOVERNOR RACES
Newsweek
Candidates across both parties are campaigning on construction pauses as electricity, water and land use turn AI infrastructure into a midterm issue.
AI'S PEAK WATER BILL COULD REACH $58 BILLION
Forbes
Researchers say utilities may need $10 billion to $58 billion of pipes, pumps and treatment capacity by 2030 because hot-day cooling demand dwarfs annual averages.
DATA CENTERS OPEN A CRACK IN TRUMP'S COALITION
The Hill
Pro-AI leaders are colliding with populists and local-control conservatives as organizers turn 142 protests across 42 states into a national pressure campaign.
Stat of the Day
8M gallons
Peak daily water allocated to some data centers now under construction
Hot-weather cooling demand can run six to 10 times the annual daily average and sometimes more than 30 times.
Forbes ↗