Good morning. Data-center resistance is moving from public meetings to the ballot, Texas is enforcing water-use disclosures, and Illinois has 600 MW of batteries headed for the grid. Let's dig in.
Top Stories
DATA-CENTER REBELLION MOVES TO THE BALLOT
The Guardian
More than 50 candidates have joined a Working Families Party effort to turn local data-center opposition into campaigns for office. Organizers have already won races in Arizona and Oregon, and the party expects the candidate pool to double or triple next year.
TEXAS THREATENS PENALTIES AFTER DATA CENTERS SKIP WATER SURVEYS
Reuters
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state water board to enforce annual reporting requirements, warning of criminal referrals, permit disqualification and denial of grid connections. The board must report its enforcement progress by October 14.
VIRGINIA MERGER DEAL DOUBLES BILL CREDITS
The Associated Press
NextEra and Dominion now promise residential customers a $10 monthly credit for four years, twice the original term, if their $67 billion merger wins approval. The revised offer also includes 600 new Virginia jobs and $100 million for workforce development.
PENNSYLVANIA WARNS DATA CENTERS COULD OUTRUN THE GRID
WGAL
A state-commissioned study finds electricity demand could outpace supply by 2030, with data centers accounting for nearly all projected growth across PJM. Regulators are weighing emergency curtailment and rules that keep upgrade costs off household bills.
CONSTELLATION BUYS 609 MW GAS PLANT FROM SHELL
Utility Dive
The Rhode Island acquisition expands Constellation's ISO New England fleet. In a separate transaction, Shell bought a 169 MW Pennsylvania gas portfolio to increase its position in PJM.
Power & Grid
ILLINOIS BUYS 600 MW OF BATTERIES
WNIJ / Northern Public Radio
The state's first storage auction secured five projects for 2030, more than quadrupling Illinois' current 141 MW fleet. The round hit 520 MW in MISO territory but only 80 MW in PJM, leaving the total well below the 1,038 MW target.
AI BOOM ADDS TO AMERICA'S GRID REBUILD
Wayne County Journal-Banner
Federal studies project U.S. electricity demand will rise 16% to 25% by 2034 as data centers pile onto an aging transmission system. Roughly 4,000 miles of power lines may need replacement each year for decades, raising the fight over who pays.
GEOTHERMAL DRILLERS CHASE 5,500 GW UNDERGROUND
Financial Times
Oilfield drilling methods could unlock an estimated 5,500 GW of next-generation geothermal resources in the United States. Fervo has 500 MW under construction in Utah, but current plant costs near $15,000 per kilowatt remain about three times conventional geothermal.
SOLAR STARTUP RAISES $32 MILLION TO BUILD WITH ROBOTS
Fast Company
Planted uses digital twins and automated construction to fit more generation onto constrained sites. A redesigned Missouri project reportedly used 40% less land for the same power output, while the company says its system can double production per acre.
OHIO BILL WOULD MAKE UTILITIES PAY FOR OUTAGE LOSSES
NBC4 WCMH-TV
A bipartisan proposal would compensate customers for certain costs from extended blackouts, putting electricity service closer to the credit policies used by phone and internet providers. Its sponsors are still seeking cosponsors before filing the bill.
Data Centers
5,000 GALLONS OF DIESEL SPILL AT EQUINIX DATA CENTER
CBS New York
Fuel escaped from a storage tank at the Secaucus facility and reached Anderson Creek, a Hackensack River tributary. New Jersey says the spill is contained, with no reported drinking-water or wildlife impacts; Equinix is investigating the cause.
OHIO LAWMAKER TARGETS DATA-CENTER TAX BREAKS
cleveland.com
A northeastern Ohio Democrat wants to end property-tax incentives as homeowners face higher bills. The challenge follows a broader national retreat from subsidies that once looked cheap before hyperscale campuses began consuming far more power and water.
DATA-CENTER LIGHTS DRAW DARK-SKY RULES
Arkansas Advocate
Advocates want facilities to use downward-facing fixtures, motion sensors and warmer bulbs to reduce nighttime glare. The standards target a problem that affects migratory birds and pollinators but can be fixed without limiting computing capacity.
RURAL CONCERN OVER DATA CENTERS KEEPS CLIMBING
Successful Farming
The Gardner survey finds worry about electricity costs, water use and farmland conversion rose between February and August. Rural respondents rated electric-bill concern 5.83 out of 7, ahead of water at 5.32 and agricultural land at 5.22.
UTAH DATA-CENTER FIGHT HANGS ON ONE WORD
The Salt Lake Tribune
A judge will decide whether Box Elder County voters can challenge the Kevin O'Leary-backed Stratos campus. The case turns on whether county consent under Utah's MIDA law is truly “irrevocable” and whether commissioners acted legislatively or administratively.
Stat of the Day
28%
Share of Texas data centers that have returned the state's mandated water survey in the past three years
The water board says it cannot prosecute anyone, because it is a non-regulatory agency.
Reuters ↗