Good morning. Meta wants $95 billion from stock buyers to keep building.
Top Stories
META TURNS TO THE STOCK MARKET FOR $95 BILLION OF AI CASH
Reuters
Meta plans about $35 billion in common and preferred stock offerings followed by a $60 billion at-the-market program to finance data centers and other AI infrastructure. Its 2026 capital budget now stands at $135 billion to $145 billion.
TEXAS SUSPENDS 17 DATA-CENTER PERMITS
404 Media
An automated state portal kept issuing construction approvals for about a month after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a pause. Texas shut down the system and suspended 17 permits while it audits the queue.
KENTUCKY DRAWS A 6.6-GW NUCLEAR CAMPUS PROPOSAL
Cincinnati Enquirer
The Nuclear Company wants to build up to six reactors along the Ohio River in Lewis County, starting with two Westinghouse AP1000 units. Construction could begin in 2028 in a state that has never operated a commercial reactor.
NEXTERA SECURES $5.7 BILLION FOR THREE ENERGY HUBS
Utility Dive
Japan, South Korea and the Commerce Department are backing projects that could add 16.5 GW of gas generation. The Encinal, Texas, hub alone would serve a 5-GW data-center campus.
THE PENTAGON PUTS $2.2 BILLION BEHIND MICROREACTORS
Fortune
Project Janus plans to fund 20 microreactors at U.S. bases through the early 2030s. Antares separately received $161 million for a space-rated reactor and targets a 1-MW Fort Bragg installation by September 2028.
Power & Grid
RURAL OPPOSITION CROSSES THE ENERGY DIVIDE
Inside Climate News
Data centers and renewable-energy projects are drawing resistance from some of the same rural communities. The fights converge around land, local control and whether residents trust developers to deliver what they promise.
STARTUPS SHRINK SYNTHETIC-GAS PLANTS TO MINIATURE SCALE
The Wall Street Journal
Rivan Industries and other developers are betting modular plants can make green fuel from the air around them at competitive costs. The approach aims to replace large centralized projects with smaller units near customers.
A 260-MILE POWER LINE COULD CLAIM 7,000 ACRES
West Virginia Watch
The 765-kV Valley North project would cross 20 West Virginia counties on its way to Maryland. The route now faces a familiar fight over farmland, forests and who should carry the burden of new power demand.
OFFSHORE-WIND FIGHT PUTS THE PERMITTING DEAL AT RISK
Canary Media
The Senate bill could cut years from transmission approvals, but the administration's move to reopen five offshore-wind permits threatens the coalition behind it. A concession on delayed onshore projects has not repaired the split.
CLEAN ENERGY IS COUNTING ON THE AI BOOM TO HOLD
TIME
Data centers are expected to supply 20% of electricity-demand growth in advanced economies through 2030. A pullback could slow gas construction but also remove deep-pocketed buyers from geothermal, nuclear and storage projects.
Data Centers
THOUSANDS BUILD DATA CENTERS. HUNDREDS RUN THEM.
Newsweek
Meta's $10 billion El Paso campus projects more than 4,000 workers at peak construction but just over 300 operating jobs. Amazon's expanded Louisiana plan lists 2,250 construction jobs and 750 permanent positions.
ARIZONA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL: 'WE DON'T NEED 50 MORE DATA CENTERS'
POLITICO
Kris Mayes is turning water and power costs into a campaign issue, breaking with Democrats who pitch AI campuses as part of Arizona's high-tech future. The split puts data-center growth inside a statewide race.
LOCAL ELECTIONS MAY MATTER MORE TO AI THAN CONGRESS
Fortune
State and local officials control moratoriums, environmental reviews and grid connections. Analysts estimate AI investment supplied about one-fifth of recent GDP growth, making town-hall races a national economic risk.
A $3,000 BILL SPIKE TURNS POWER COSTS INTO A CAMPAIGN WEAPON
Times Union
A Lake George tackle-shop owner says his utility bill jumped nearly $3,000 in one month. New York candidates are fighting over gas policy, utility oversight and data-center demand as voters look for someone to blame.
AI IS PROPPING UP GROWTH, NOT RAISING THE SPEED LIMIT
Reuters
Data-center investment is a major support for GDP, but economists still put long-run U.S. growth near 1.8% to 2%. Rising equipment imports and uncertain productivity gains leave the promised economic step-change unproven.
Stat of the Day
57
Conditions Virginia commission staff proposed for the Dominion-NextEra merger
The list includes an independent Dominion board and 10 years of job protections. Commissioners must rule by Jan. 15, 2027.
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