Good morning. Texas was the epicenter of a data-center election rout that could delay nearly two-thirds of the 2028 pipeline.
Top Stories
ELECTION ROUT COULD DELAY TWO-THIRDS OF THE 2028 DATA-CENTER PIPELINE
Axios
About two dozen of 41 data-center measures appeared to pass as Democrats won the four states with the largest shares of planned 2028 capacity.
GINA HINOJOSA TOPPLES ABBOTT IN TEXAS
The Texas Tribune
The Democrat overcame a spending gap of more than four to one after campaigning for a data-center moratorium. Texas has not elected a Democratic governor since 1990.
DEMOCRATS FLIP GEORGIA'S UTILITY COMMISSION
The Current
The party won control of the board for the first time in decades. The commission sets Georgia Power rates and will decide how data-center costs reach customers.
FLORIDA REJECTS DUKE'S DATA-CENTER POWER PLAN 5-0
Florida Phoenix
Regulators said the utility did not prove its tariff would make large-load customers bear their full costs. The case was the first test of a 2026 ratepayer-protection law.
SPACEX AND TESLA DROP MORE THAN 4% AFTER THE DEMOCRATIC SWEEP
CNBC
SpaceX fell 4.6% and Tesla lost 4.4% after Musk-backed Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton lost in Texas. Other AI stocks traded in both directions.
Power & Grid
PSEG AND CONSTELLATION PLAN A 200-MW SALEM NUCLEAR UPRATE
Utility Dive
PSEG would own 112 MW of the increase. A degraded thermal shield is extending Salem 1's scheduled refueling outage.
MICHIGAN BANS UTILITY POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
FOX 2 Detroit
Proposal 2 restricts donations by regulated utilities, large government contractors and connected parties. It also expands donor disclosure requirements.
ANN ARBOR REJECTS A CITY-OWNED POWER UTILITY
Michigan Public
Just under 52% opposed creating a board to begin taking over DTE infrastructure. The utility spent nearly $2 million against the proposal.
DOMINION AND NEXTERA ACCEPT MOST MERGER CONDITIONS
Virginia Business
The companies accepted 101 of 117 proposed conditions and 13 more with changes. They did not accept Gov. Abigail Spanberger's six-year rate freeze.
DOE LAUNCHES A BATTERY-MANUFACTURING ACCELERATOR
Utility Dive
BattMan aims to build a mine-to-market domestic supply chain by 2030. DOE says U.S. battery demand could reach 707 GWh by 2035.
Data Centers
OHIO VOTERS ADD TO 125 LOCAL DATA-CENTER MORATORIUMS
Cleveland.com
Communities approved new restrictions despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in opposition spending. Ohio had 21 data-center measures on the ballot.
ALHAMBRA'S CITYWIDE DATA-CENTER BAN LEADS WITH 82%
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Measure DB would prohibit data centers in every city zone. The count was continuing, and the measure needs a simple majority.
DTE'S GAS PLAN LEAVES CARBON-CAPTURE COSTS UNPRICED
Canary Media
DTE's estimate for two new gas plants excludes the cost of capturing their carbon. Advocates warn data-center growth could leave ratepayers carrying the risk.
COLORADO SPRINGS GETS 14 OPTIONS FOR DATA-CENTER RULES
The Gazette
Four near-term ideas include extending large-load rules below 10 MW and publishing a list of facilities with aggregated utility use.
PJM'S DATA-CENTER BACKSTOP COULD SHRINK FROM 6.8 GW TO 630 MW
Utility Dive
Utilities cut their large-load forecasts after PJM revised the procurement. The grid operator now aims to begin the delayed process March 1, 2027.
Stat of the Day
41%
Texas share of new U.S. data-center capacity projected for 2028
The Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 12, 2027.
Axios ↗