Good morning. PJM wants a separate energy auction for data centers, Virginia is asking who should pay for grid expansion, and tariffs are adding another constraint to the AI buildout.
Top Stories
DATA-CENTER GROWTH COULD CUT INDIANA POWER BILLS
The Journal Gazette
Indiana Michigan Power says large-customer growth can support $59 million in customer savings in 2027, about $100 a year for a typical household. The utility is asking regulators to approve the lower base rate and freeze it for three years.
PJM WANTS A SEPARATE ENERGY AUCTION FOR DATA CENTERS
WYPR
The proposal would create a distinct procurement path for large loads and still needs FERC approval. Maryland ratepayer advocates warn the design could leave residential customers helping fund the energy supply built for data centers.
VIRGINIA'S DATA-CENTER BOOM MEETS THE GRID BILL
CoStar News
Virginia is weighing how utilities should divide the cost of new generation and transmission as data-center demand multiplies. The fight is shifting from whether the grid must expand to which customers should pay for it.
TRUMP'S TARIFFS ADD ANOTHER DATA-CENTER BOTTLENECK
Politico
Tariff threats covering chips and other imported equipment are adding cost and supply-chain risk to projects already constrained by power, permitting and construction capacity. The policy puts another federal variable into already fragile development schedules.
THE ARMY MOVES NUCLEAR POWER ONTO ITS BASES
Associated Press
Project Janus would put the first reactors at Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Hood, Fort Benning and Fort Drum, replacing diesel backup that officials say becomes unreliable when fuel convoys are contested. The Army wants one running by September 2028.
Power & Grid
TRUMP RESTRICTS FOREIGN EQUIPMENT ON THE BULK POWER GRID
Reuters
A national-emergency order allows the government to prohibit or condition purchases of foreign-produced bulk-power equipment, software and digital systems that pose security risks. Local distribution facilities are excluded.
NRDC PUTS 540 GW OF RENEWABLES AT RISK
Utility Dive
The group estimates federal policy changes could erase more than half of the renewable capacity previously expected from market forces and supportive policy. The projection measures how quickly permitting, tax and regulatory changes can reshape the generation pipeline.
TRUMP LOOKS TO ROADS AND RAILS FOR NEW ENERGY CORRIDORS
Semafor
The Transportation Department is proposing to place transmission lines, water pipelines and other infrastructure alongside existing highways and railways. Using established corridors could reduce one of the hardest parts of new infrastructure: assembling a route.
A $1,373 POWER BILL LANDS IN TULSA
NPR
Sustained summer heat is driving heavy air-conditioning demand and sharply higher electricity bills. Some Tulsa households are losing service after falling behind, turning grid stress into an immediate affordability crisis.
2027 COULD BRING THE BIGGEST SITING FIGHT YET
Iowa Capital Dispatch
Researchers expect a record year for state energy-siting legislation. Most renewable-siting bills introduced in 2026 sought new restrictions, but most measures that actually became law made development easier.
Data Centers
HALF OF PLANNED DATA CENTERS COULD FACE DELAYS
Bloomberg
Kimmeridge says as many as half of planned U.S. data centers may be delayed as power and infrastructure constraints collide with development timelines. The estimate puts a number on the gap between announced capacity and projects that can actually get built.
POLITICIANS REVERSE COURSE AS DATA-CENTER SUPPORT CRATERS
Politico
Candidates in both parties, including those in battleground races, are adopting more skeptical positions as voters sour on new development. Local opposition over electricity, water and cost is becoming a national campaign issue.
TRUMP WALKS A DATA-CENTER TIGHTROPE
The Hill
Growing Republican skepticism is forcing the president to balance his support for rapid data-center development against pushback inside his own party. The split puts the White House between its AI agenda and voters focused on power costs and local impacts.
18 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES SIGN AN AI REGULATION PLEDGE
The Hill
House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates are calling for stronger AI-industry regulation as scrutiny of data centers grows. The pledge shows the infrastructure backlash merging with the broader political fight over AI governance.
NASA'S ANSWER TO DATA-CENTER CONFLICT: PUT THEM IN SPACE
The Hill
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman suggested space-based data centers as terrestrial projects draw opposition over power, water and land. The idea is distant, but the pitch shows how severe the industry's physical constraints have become.
Stat of the Day
$2.2B
Maximum value of the Army's five-year Project Janus awards
Five companies selected, with more than 20 microreactors expected across military installations, paid out against performance milestones.
Associated Press ↗