Good morning. Texas has paused a data-center queue five times larger than its record peak load, anti-data-center candidates are winning primaries, and a federal judge is poised to restart stalled wind reviews. Grid limits have become campaign issues, court fights and hard development stops.
Top Stories
ERCOT DELAYS ITS FIRST DATA-CENTER REVIEW BATCH
Utility Dive
The grid operator postponed Batch Zero after Abbott ordered an audit of every queued data center and will ask regulators for a timeline exemption at the PUCT's Aug. 20 meeting.
DATA-CENTER FOES WIN BIG IN MICHIGAN AND KANSAS PRIMARIES
E&E News
Candidates backing moratoriums or tougher limits advanced in major races, including Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Kansas gubernatorial nominee Cindy Holscher.
KHANNA PROPOSES A DATA CENTER BILL OF RIGHTS
CNBC
The nonbinding resolution calls for preserving local rejection authority, 2,500-foot buffers around sensitive sites and protection for state moratoriums aimed at utility bills and water supplies.
JUDGE SIGNALS PENTAGON WIND-REVIEW FREEZE VIOLATED THE LAW
Courthouse News Service
Judge Karin Immergut said strong evidence shows statutory deadlines were missed and indicated she may order Defense officials to resume reviews needed before FAA approvals.
WHITE HOUSE PLANS 15% POLYSILICON TARIFF AND PRICE FLOOR
Reuters
The proposed trade barriers follow a Commerce national-security investigation and aim to support U.S. factories while countering China's dominance of the solar and semiconductor input.
Power & Grid
BILLIONS IN GRID GRANTS REMAIN FROZEN OR CANCELED
Canary Media
Projects caught in DOE's review include a major MISO-SPP transmission award and a $50 million rural Wisconsin grid-modernization project.
PSEG PITCHES POWER DEALS THROUGH PJM'S LARGE-LOAD PROCESS
Utility Dive
The generator has offered several supply proposals as PJM matches planned data centers with power, with initial bilateral contracts possible this month and a one-time capacity auction set for Sept. 30.
IOWA SETS NEW RULES FOR HIGH-VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION
Iowa Capital Dispatch
Lines of at least 170 kV face a 55-decibel noise standard, a 6,000-volts-per-meter field limit and restrictions on guy wires across crop and pasture land.
SEDGWICK COUNTY REJECTS TWO SOLAR FARMS AFTER 12-HOUR MEETING
KSN-TV
Commissioners denied both projects proposed near Clearwater after a marathon public hearing, extending the local backlash confronting large generation developments.
REPUBLICAN STATES RECAST NUCLEAR WASTE AS AN ECONOMIC PRIZE
E&E News
A week after DOE named five campus finalists, Republican leaders are pairing potential spent-fuel storage with promises of private investment, tax revenue and new reactors.
Data Centers
THE FEDERAL PUSH TO SPEED DATA CENTERS IS BACKFIRING LOCALLY
NOTUS
Boulder City residents grew louder after Washington approved a project without local input, and industry lobbyists say faster permitting does not address the real bottleneck, which is community consent.
TEXAS COMMUNITY STOPS A DATA CENTER IN 11 WEEKS
The Dallas Morning News
Cedar Creek Lake residents defeated a 1,200-acre proposal by organizing around permits, public records and legal standing, then published a 10-step playbook for other communities.
OHIO GOVERNOR CANDIDATES AGREE DATA CENTERS MUST PAY THEIR COSTS
Cleveland.com
Amy Acton, Vivek Ramaswamy and Don Kissick split over moratoriums, union labor and incentives, but each says the industry should not shift utility costs to ratepayers.
OKLAHOMA DATA CENTERS MOSTLY WANT THE GRID TO SUPPLY THEIR POWER
StateImpact Oklahoma
Despite a state law allowing on-site generation, most projects plan to connect to utilities, including individual campuses seeking hundreds or even more than 1,000 MW.
IOWA COMMUNITIES WRITE DATA-CENTER RULES BEFORE PROJECTS ARRIVE
KCCI
More than a dozen cities and counties have adopted ordinances or temporary moratoriums addressing water, noise, traffic and emergency response before developers file proposals.
Stat of the Day
30 GW
Capacity a single frozen transmission grant would have unlocked
DOE's review has held up a $464 million MISO-SPP award at the same moment both grids are scrambling for capacity.
Canary Media ↗