Arkansas Data Center News

Jul 23, 2026

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.

Jul 22, 2026

AI Is Usually Cast as a Grid Burden. The Genesis Mission Is Betting It’s a Grid Tool.

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced 278 Genesis Mission projects, including multiple AI and grid-operations awards that aim to speed up grid analysis and support flexible load management.

DOE unveiled 278 projects at the Genesis Mission Summit in Washington, D.C. on July 22 as part of a broader initiative the White House says has more than $5 billion in commitments across 15+ agencies.
The article highlights projects from Brookhaven National Laboratory, PNNL, University of Utah, EPRI, and others, plus a Siemens Energy-led topology-control project with Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Virginia, and the Orlando Utilities Commission; these are described as Phase I efforts focused on testing AI for grid planning, interconnection studies, and real-time switching recommendations.

Jul 14, 2026 · Google

Our largest solar and battery storage project ever

Google has announced that it broke ground on the Steel River Energy Center in Mississippi County, Arkansas, alongside local leaders and Cypress Creek Energy.

Google says it will act as an anchor investor and offtaker for the first two phases, which will add 1.6 GWdc of solar generation and 1.9 GWh of battery storage to the regional grid.
The full three-phase project is expected to deliver 2.5 GWdc of solar and 2.9 GWh of storage by 2029; construction will use 100% U.S.-made structural steel from U.S. Steel’s Big River facility and PACO Steel’s Arkansas plant.
Google also committed $5 million for Arkansas energy affordability initiatives, and the project is said to create about 700 local jobs and generate an estimated $300 million in tax revenue over its life.

Jul 14, 2026

Google signs vPPA with Cypress Creek for 2.45GW solar project in Arkansas - report

Google has announced a long-term virtual power purchase agreement with Cypress Creek for the full output of the Steel River Energy Center in Mississippi County, Arkansas.

The project is under development and is planned in three phases, reaching 2.45GW of solar and 2.9GWh of battery energy storage at full buildout; the first phase will deliver 1.6GW of solar and 2GWh of battery storage.
The project is expected to be completed in 2029; the vPPA is at a fixed price and supports Cypress Creek’s $3.5 billion financing secured last month, while Google receives the environmental credits tied to the facility.

Jun 11, 2026

Sen. Cotton Alleges Chinese Influence Behind U.S. Data Center Backlash, Demands DOJ Probe

Sen. Tom Cotton has asked the Department of Justice to investigate alleged foreign influence efforts targeting U.S. AI infrastructure and domestic opposition to data center construction.

Main action: Sen. Tom Cotton sent a June 10 letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting a DOJ probe into what he describes as “a network of foreign actors, led by the Chinese Communist Party,” and alleges U.S. nonprofits funded by Shanghai-based Neville Roy Singham have channeled money into domestic advocacy opposing data center development.
Background and details:Beijing is reported to be preparing a ~$295 billion, five-year plan to finance a nationwide network of data centers (state-owned telecom companies to operate many facilities); an Ipsos poll found 64% oppose rapid AI data center construction, 77% worry about higher electricity prices, and 57% would oppose a data center in their own community. The article also cites Sen. Bernie Sanders’ recent panel (including a Tsinghua University professor) and his proposed temporary federal moratorium on new data center construction until grid and environmental impacts are studied.

Jun 3, 2026

Arkansas County’s Data Center Moratorium Failed Over Vote Miscount

Pulaski County Quorum Court’s proposed yearlong moratorium on data center development will not take effect after officials determined the vote had been miscounted.

County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth said the measure received 8 votes, short of the 10 needed for passage (the original count showed 10 votes). The ordinance was originally sponsored by Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood, who plans to reintroduce it as soon as she can. The failed ordinance included an exemption for AVAIO Digital Leo.
AVAIO Digital Leo is a planned data center near Wrightsville; project manager Thomas Nesel said the center’s daily water demand would be about 200,000 gallons during warmer months and it would initially require 150 megawatts, with demand estimated to reach 1 gigawatt as the facility grows. Republican Justice of the Peace Phil Stowers supported the exemption, saying the company had “spent a heck of a lot of money to invest in this community.” The article also notes similar local actions: Denver passed a yearlong moratorium and Minneapolis passed a six-month moratorium on new data centers.

Jun 1, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Targeted Pressure: How Chinese Manufacturing Competition Impacts US States

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has published a report finding Chinese industrial policy is reshaping global manufacturing and harming industries across every U.S. state.

Main finding & method: The ITIF report (June 1, 2026) analyzes one “national power industry” per state using County Business Patterns employment data, HS/SITC export proxies, and global market-share series to conclude that state-backed Chinese subsidies, export pushes, and overcapacity are driving down prices and pressuring U.S. producers in sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, aircraft, and fabricated metals.
Key facts, numbers, and timelines:China plans ~$150 billion in semiconductor investment through 2030 vs. $52 billion under the U.S. CHIPS funding; the report cites $63.3 billion Chinese semiconductor spending in H1 2025, TSMC’s $165 billion U.S. investment announcement, GE Appliances’ $490 million Appliance Park investment (2025), and state/national export shares and HS-code trade series used throughout the analyses.

May 21, 2026

Google Pledges Power, Ratepayer Protections in $15B Missouri Data Center Expansion

Google announced it will invest $15 billion in Missouri infrastructure and build a new New Florence data center while contracting to bring more than 1 GW of new generation capacity to the state.

Main announcement: Google will invest $15 billion in Missouri infrastructure for a New Florence data center, pay for all power used by the new facility, cover infrastructure costs directly driven by its operations, and has committed to bring more than 1 GW of new generation capacity to Missouri; Google also entered a Capacity Commitment Framework (CCF) with Ameren that moved to support development of more than 500 MW of additional capacity (it is unclear whether the 500 MW is included within the 1 GW total). The CCF has been embedded in a PSC-approved tariff (Nov. 24, 2025) signed by Google, Ameren Missouri, Evergy Metro, Evergy Missouri West, the Sierra Club, Renew Missouri, and Missouri Industrial Energy Consumers, imposing 12-to-17-year minimum service contracts, collateral equal to two years of minimum bills, and an 80% minimum monthly demand charge.
Background and related commitments: Google announced a $20 million Energy Impact Fund for home weatherization in counties around Kansas City and New Florence and is funding a Laborers and Contractors Training Center to train more than 2,300 construction laborers (including 1,500 apprentices) over the next two years; Google has executed 1.17 GW of 20-year PPAs with Clearway (Jan 2026), signed a hydropower framework with Brookfield (contemplating up to 3 GW nationally), and has contracted for more than 22 GW of clean energy since 2010. Ameren reported 2.2 GW of signed energy services agreements (ESAs) as of February and 3.4 GW of construction agreements in Missouri, with more than 5 GW of new generation resources planned through 2030 (including two 800-MW simple-cycle gas plants and a 2,100-MW combined-cycle plant planned for 2031).

May 14, 2026

Record Power Burn Expected This Summer as Coal Retirements and Data Centers Drive Gas Demand

The Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) released its Summer Outlook on May 13, forecasting record U.S. natural gas supply of 117 Bcf/d while warning that rising LNG exports, data center load, industrial activity, and power generation will tighten storage and push power burn to record levels.

Main announcement: NGSA/EVA projects total U.S. supply of 117 Bcf/d (including 111.7 Bcf/d dry gas) and total demand of 108.7 Bcf/d this summer; power burn is forecast at 40.3 Bcf/d (up 2.0 Bcf/d), and end-of-summer storage is projected near 3,662 Bcf (about 106 Bcf below the five-year average). The report was issued as the Summer 2026 Natural Gas Market Outlook (May 13) prepared by EVA for NGSA.
Background and details: The outlook identifies LNG exports rising 4.3 Bcf/d to 19.9 Bcf/d (new capacity including Plaquemines LNG, Corpus Christi Stage 3, Golden Pass Train 1), notes data center capacity growing from 44 GW (2025) to 55 GW (2026) and to 74 GW (2027) (Oracle 1.2-GW Stargate, Meta 1-GW Prometheus, Google $40B Texas commitment), and documents industrial project additions (63 completed projects ~1.99 Bcf/d and $104.3 billion investment; 20 planned projects adding ~1.98 Bcf/d and $44.3 billion investment through 2030). The note highlights permitting and infrastructure policy actions (Trump July 2025 executive order, DOE site openings, SPEED Act House passage Dec 18, 2025, FERC rule changes Oct 2025) and recent pipeline developments (Williams NESE FERC reauthorization Aug 2025; ground-breaking April 2026).

May 8, 2026

EDP Renewables and Meta ink PPA for 250-MW solar project

Meta has reached a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDP Renewables North America to offtake energy from the Cypress Knee Solar project in southeast Arkansas.

Main announcement: Meta signed a long-term PPA with EDP Renewables North America for the 250-MW Cypress Knee Solar project in southeast Arkansas; EDP anticipates project completion in 2028, while an EDP fact sheet estimates the project will begin commercial operations next year. This is the third EDP–Meta deal, bringing the total procured energy between the two companies to 545 MW.
Background and details: Cypress Knee Solar is “expected to contribute more than $25 million in additional funding to Chicot County over the project’s 30-year life through an Industrial Revenue Bond agreement with the County”; Meta says the agreement “supports Meta’s efforts to add new generation to the grid as it continues to match 100% of its annual electricity use with new clean and renewable energy.” Related context: Meta has other deals including NextEra’s 11 PPAs to offtake 2.1 GW, and Entergy Louisiana reached an agreement to deliver 5.2 GW of natural-gas capacity to support Meta’s $27-billion Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana.

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