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Alaska Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Alaska — updated daily.
Recent Alaska data center news
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The boat distress call that left questions for Zuckerberg
Mike Phillips has published an opinion-style article questioning why Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht did not respond to a stranded boat’s distress call near British Columbia, Canada.
- The article says a small boat ran low on fuel on 4 August 2026 off the north coast of British Columbia, near Juneau and the Bay of Pillars; it claims UnCruise Adventures Wilderness Legacy later escorted the boat to safety.
- It identifies Zuckerberg’s yacht Launchpad as a $300M vessel, says Wingman is a $30M support vessel, and cites UNCLOS Article 98 and SOLAS in arguing there was an obligation to assist; it also speculates about a possible connection to Meta’s AI data-centre project in Alberta.
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ESS Inc highlights sodium-ion BESS deployment, reports net losses in Q2 2026 financials
ESS Tech Inc has announced its Q2 2026 financial results and highlighted its expansion into sodium-ion energy storage, including partnerships and early-stage opportunities. - The company reported a net loss of US$15.6 million in Q2 2026, revenue of US$73,000, and unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of US$5.6 million as of 31 July 2026.
- ESS said it has developed early-stage opportunities approaching US$1 billion across data centres, critical infrastructure, and utility markets since signing its LOI with Alsym Energy; it also referenced a US$9.9 million contract with the US Air Force Research Laboratory, a 500MWh or more Na-ion BESS LOI with Juniper Energy, and a planned final agreement on a business combination by end of September.
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As Data Centers Spread, Cities Fight to Keep Up
Aurora, Illinois and Anchorage, Alaska have each adopted new local rules for data centers in response to zoning gaps and community concerns.
- Aurora imposed a moratorium on new data center approvals on September 25 of last year, then adopted permanent regulations this spring requiring 25% renewable energy sourcing, on-site battery storage for 50% of peak load for 15 minutes, plus water, energy, and sound studies before final occupancy.
- Anchorage adopted an ordinance in March creating a conditional use permit process for data centers in commercial and industrial zones, with noise, visual, and setback standards and a requirement that developers prove electrical, water, and wastewater capacity or fund upgrades.
- The article also cites wider context, including a 24% electricity rate increase in 2025 in Aurora attributed to new data center demand and a national tracker counting 219 local moratoriums as of August 4.
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Climate Change Solutions - July 28, 2026
Environmental and Energy Study Institute has published a Climate Change Solutions newsletter highlighting climate data access, data center health impacts, nuclear energy, and several congressional bills.
- The newsletter spotlights a new online platform, Climate.us, and an interview with Rebecca Lindsey, who discusses filling the gap left by the now-defunct Climate.gov.
- It also summarizes recent legislative activity, including the House passage of the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act (H.R. 8790) and Senate movement on the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (S.4949) and the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026 (S.5045).
- A separate article in the newsletter discusses data center health impacts, noting emissions from on-site diesel generators and from natural gas and coal power plants used to power data centers.
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Mobilizing for Techno-Economic War, Part 6: From Free Trade Agreements to Strategic Techno-Economic Agreements
ITIF has published a policy report proposing Strategic Techno-Economic Agreements (STEAs) as a new framework for U.S.-led trade deals aimed at strengthening allied industries and constraining China.
- The report argues that the free trade era is over and calls for binding, reciprocal agreements with allies that include zero-for-zero tariffs, digital trade rules, defense production cooperation, investment screening, export-control alignment, and counter-IP theft measures.
- It also cites several recent or existing policy precedents and announcements, including USTR’s March 2026 Section 301 investigations, the U.S.-U.K. critical minerals MOU, and the Pax Silica initiative; the report itself is an original ITIF publication, not a news report of a single transaction.
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White House Expands Data Center Ratepayer Pledge as Congress Moves to Codify Protections
The White House expanded its voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge to 187 utilities, electric cooperatives, and data-center developers, while Congress advanced the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act from committee 52-0.
- The White House said the pledge now covers 187 organizations plus 23 governors, and the coalition “protects” 263 million Americans; signatories commit to fund generation and grid upgrades for their data-center loads without shifting costs to other ratepayers.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced H.R. 9340 on July 21; the bill would require state regulators and nonregulated utilities to consider a large-load standard for sites with at least 100 MW peak demand and recover the full incremental cost of grid upgrades. New York’s Executive Order 62 separately put permits for 50 MW+ data centers on hold pending an environmental review.
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Climate Change Solutions - July 14, 2026
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) has published a climate and energy newsletter highlighting recent articles, congressional actions, and upcoming briefings.
- Main announcement/action: EESI promotes an online briefing with the Natural Resources Defense Council on Thursday, July 16 at noon about tracking and reducing nitrogen fertilizer use, associated emissions, and lowering costs for farmers.
- Background and other details: The newsletter also references a House vote on the SECURE Grid Act (H.R. 7257), a future briefing on severe drought on July 24, and archived materials on extreme heat, grid resilience, and data centers.
- The issue is presented as a newsletter / event roundup rather than a standalone policy announcement by a company, and it includes EESI contact information at the end.
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Microsoft’s data center expansion drove 25% emissions spike in 2025: report
Microsoft has announced its 2026 environmental sustainability report, saying FY2025 emissions rose as AI-driven data center expansion accelerated.
- Total emissions reached 20.29 million metric tons of CO2e in FY2025, up 25% year over year from 16.21 million metric tons in FY2024, with the increase primarily driven by data center infrastructure expansion and the end of using non-additional unbundled renewable energy certificates.
- Microsoft said it matched all annual global electricity use with renewables through on-site generation, PPAs, green power products, and long-term contracts, and expanded its renewables portfolio to agreements for up to 40 gigawatts of new renewable energy across 26 countries; it also said it contributed to more than 45 million metric tons of carbon removal across 29 projects in 10 removal pathways.
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Climate Change Solutions - June 30, 2026
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) recaps Expo2026 panels and highlights recent policy developments.
- Main announcement: EESI summarizes the 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (Expo2026), providing links to full recorded panels on topics including permitting reform, energy affordability, data centers, and building and grid resilience; the newsletter links to EESI’s YouTube recordings and lists speakers and organizations for each session.
- Policy and event updates: The newsletter reports the Senate Agriculture Committee’s draft Farm Bill (PDF link provided) and notes the House passed H.R.7567 in April; it also records recent congressional actions including passage of S.629 (Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act) through the House, passage of S.4822 (Saving the Ocean Observatories Initiative Act of 2026) in the Senate, reintroduction of S.4867 (Small Farm Conservation Act), and introduction of S.4870 to reauthorize Earth MRI; it lists upcoming EESI briefings on July 16, 2026 (Nitrogen pollution research roadmap) and July 24, 2026 (drought impacts).
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Stack Energy Proposes to Invest $500 Million to Build Massive Data Center in Alaska
Stak Energy has announced a $500 million investment to build a data center in North Slope, Alaska.
- $500 million investment by Stak Energy to build a data center in North Slope, Alaska to support large-scale AI cloud computing operations; the announcement is reported on June 30, 2026.
- The company is described as an Alaska-based private energy infrastructure company; the project is described as being proposed in rural Alaska and was published with promotional links to America250 / Telecom150 on Broadband Breakfast. The article provides no construction timeline or completion date.