Good morning. Google found more than a gigawatt hiding in plain sight.
Top Stories
GOOGLE EXPANDS ITS PJM VIRTUAL POWER PLANT PAST 1 GW
Utility Dive
Google added 1,070 MW to its initial 100 MW deal with Voltus. Batteries, thermostats, generators and flexible industrial loads will reduce demand when PJM is strained, with the full portfolio expected online within four years.
A $4.2 BILLION GAS PIPELINE WILL FEED A TEXAS DATA CENTER
Bloomberg
Kinder Morgan's 434-mile Permian Link will carry 2.8 billion cubic feet of gas a day to power suppliers serving an unnamed hyperscale operator. A 20-year take-or-pay contract supports the project, which is due online in 2030.
REGULATORS FIND A $308 MILLION GAP IN GOOGLE'S ARKANSAS POWER DEAL
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Public Service Commission staff says different accounting for Google's payments toward the Cypress Solar plant could save other customers $308 million in present-value terms. Entergy says its contract already makes Google cover the plant's full cost.
PUBLIC PENSIONS HAVE MADE $138 BILLION ON THE AI TRADE
The Wall Street Journal
AI-linked stocks produced $138 billion in gains across 13 public pension funds since 2022, helping repair losses left by the financial crisis. The same retirement systems now depend on an investment boom facing growing political resistance.
WHITE HOUSE INVOKES DEFENSE LAW TO BOOST OIL AND REFINING
TIME
A new determination lets the government finance petroleum production, refining and logistics projects while waiving ordinary congressional notice. Diesel averages $6.32 a gallon, but new infrastructure cannot deliver quick price relief.
Power & Grid
PALISADES INCIDENTS TEST THE NUCLEAR RESTART PUSH
Financial Times
A fuel bundle tilted during fuel loading, nine of 15 reactor operators failed their first licensing exam and regulators warned of a workplace where employees feared raising safety concerns. The plant has received about $2.2 billion in government support.
SOUTH DAKOTA'S FIRST 765-KV LINE MEETS FARM OPPOSITION
Brookings Register
Xcel and Otter Tail propose a 90-mile line from Big Stone South into Minnesota as part of MISO's $21.8 billion grid plan. Farmers questioned why they should bear the land burden for demand they blame largely on data centers.
UTILITIES USE AI WITHOUT A PAPER TRAIL FOR ITS RISKS
Utility Dive
About 70% of energy and utility companies identify AI as a cybersecurity risk, but only 23% of utilities document how they manage it. Portland General Electric says an AI planning tool found more than 80 MW for earlier data-center connections.
OUTSIDE GROUPS POUR $3.1 MILLION INTO GEORGIA POWER RACES
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican-aligned groups are outspending clean-energy and consumer groups four to one in races that could flip control of the Public Service Commission. Data-center contracts, power bills and new generation are central campaign issues.
PERMITTING DEAL FACES A 60-VOTE TEST NOVEMBER 9
Roll Call
Senate aides are asking energy groups to help secure cloture when lawmakers return. The bill would require state standards making hyperscalers cover grid costs and limit future administrations' power to revoke issued permits.
Data Centers
MISSOURI DRAWS MORE THAN $40 BILLION IN DATA-CENTER PLANS
St. Louis Public Radio
State officials count more than $40 billion in announced Amazon, Google and Nebius projects. The announcements span several months, not 45 days. Ameren says generation must be built quickly after 15 years of flat demand planning.
JUDGE KEEPS XAI TURBINE-POLLUTION LAWSUIT ALIVE
Barron's
A federal judge rejected the administration's attempt to dismiss the NAACP's Clean Air Act case over turbines powering xAI's Southaven buildout. The government argued the Grok infrastructure serves national security.
THE AI BUILDOUT NOW CARRIES MORE THAN $500 BILLION OF DEBT
Forbes
Bonds, bank project finance and private credit have funded a half-trillion-dollar infrastructure bet. Higher interest rates hit debt-heavy operators such as CoreWeave harder than cash-rich Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
TEXAS DATA CENTERS COULD ERASE TWO DECADES OF AIR GAINS
CBS19
Houston Advanced Research Center projects nitrogen oxide emissions could rise more than 135% by 2031 under one grid-supply scenario. On-site combustion produces two to 10 times more NOx than grid power paired with wind and solar.
A $10,000 OFFER STILL HASN'T SOLD PROJECT HAZELNUT
PennLive
NorthPoint used an open house and a new grant program to press its case in Hazle Township, where it has offered $10,000 to each eligible household once the first building opens. Opponents remain focused on power lines, noise and property values.
Stat of the Day
240%
Increase in PJM demand-response revenue from 2024 to 2025
Revenue reached $523.5 million as capacity prices rose and large power users were paid to cut demand.
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