Arkansas Data Center News

Mar 3, 2026

New Data Center Developments: March 2026

DataCenterKnowledge published a monthly roundup of global data center developments covering design, construction, power, and investment across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.

Overview and key highlights: The roundup summarizes region-by-region developments including major deals and investment figures: S&P reported $69 billion+ in total deal value in 2025 with a $40 billion Aligned Data Centers acquisition; Google’s $15 billion America-India Connect initiative; Adani’s $100 billion AI infrastructure pledge targeting 5 GW by 2035; and a €176 billion (≈$208 billion) European investment forecast for 2026–2031. It also details project specifics such as Meta’s $10 billion, 1 GW Indiana campus and Microsoft’s 15 data centers proposal at the former Foxconn site with a taxable construction value over $13 billion.
Additional context and deal/implementation notes: The article lists announced partnerships, approvals, and timelines: Equinix & CPP bought atNorth for $4 billion (with a $4.2 billion financing package); Mistral AI & EcoDataCenter plan a $1.4 billion Sweden AI-focused facility launching in 2027; CyrusOne‘s FRA7 first facility topping out (~$1.2 billion regional investment); G42’s Framework Cooperation Agreement in Southeast Asia backed by consumption commitments up to $1 billion. It also reports regulatory actions (NRC/Atomic Safety and Licensing Board intervention on an SMR proposal) and lists concrete project locations and capacity targets (MW/GW) where given.

Mar 2, 2026

Land and Expand: Early 2026 Megaprojects Reflect a Power-First Ethos

Data Center Frontier reports multiple developers advancing power-first, land-and-expand AI-ready data center campuses in early 2026.

Main announcement/action: Developers including Applied Digital (Delta Forge 1), Vantage (Lighthouse), AVAIO Digital (Little Rock), Rowan (Project Temple), Crow Holdings (Dallas) and Amazon (northwest Louisiana) are advancing large-scale projects that pair land banking with secured power and infrastructure commitments; examples include Applied Digital’s 430 MW Delta Forge 1 (two 150 MW facilities on 500+ acres, first operations targeted 2027) and Vantage’s $15B+ Lighthouse (four hyperscale data centers delivering nearly 902 MW IT load on ~672 acres, construction through 2028).
Background and details: Projects feature explicit infrastructure co-investments and timelines: Amazon’s $12 billion Louisiana buildout includes up to $400 million for regional water improvements and 100% developer-funded electric infrastructure; AVAIO’s $6 billion Little Rock hub has a 150 MW Entergy Arkansas commitment with potential to scale toward 1 GW, and Rowan’s Project Temple (300 MW, ~700 acres) targets initial operations in 2027 with ~$700 million local investment and unanimous local approvals.

Mar 2, 2026

THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): Blackouts in 2025

POWER and the International Energy Agency (IEA) report that 2025 major blackout events underscored operational vulnerabilities beyond weather and generation adequacy.

Main announcement: The IEA’s Electricity 2026 (released February 2026) and POWER’s coverage identify a shift toward interconnected-system operational risks—notably voltage instability, reactive power balance, and protection coordination—driven by high renewable penetration, record connection queues, and surging data center demand (e.g., Northern Virginia event: ~1,800 MW of data-center load transferred to backup). The IEA series (Electricity 2024–2026) traces the evolution from weather-driven outages to these operational failure modes.
Background and key facts: The article catalogs 15 major 2025 events with concrete impacts and dates, including Chile (Feb 25, 2025): grid separation with ~1,800 MW on the 500-kV corridor and 98% of population (~19 million) affected; Ireland Storm Éowyn (Jan 24, 2025): ~768,000 premises affected and €300 million in estimated insurance claims; Brazil (Oct 14, 2025): substation fire triggered ~10,000 MW load-shedding and accelerated planned transmission auctions (March 2026 auction: 888 km; later auction projected to mobilize R$20 billion).

Jan 30, 2026

The Benefits of Amazon Investments

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a major data center investment and related developments in Mississippi.

Main announcement: AWS announced a $10 billion Madison County project (Jan 2025) covering 1,700 acres across two sites, with 1,000 direct high-tech jobs averaging $80,000 annually, and 6,000–7,000 construction workers needed through 2027; AWS also announced a $3 billion investment in Warren County. The first building is coming online soon, with full construction completion targeted for 2027.
Background and additional details: Local firms have scaled rapidly (e.g., Mighty Fresh expanding from one truck to 14 trucks and adding two more within 90 days at $150,000–$200,000 per vehicle); ABB is investing $40 million to double its Senatobia facility and add 122 jobs; direct AWS suppliers must meet $5 million–$10 million insurance minimums and other requirements; primes listed include Yates Construction, Gray Construction, Haskell, Cupertino Electric, MMR Group, Faith Technologies Inc., and Edwards Electrics.

Jan 25, 2026

US’ carbon pollution up 2.4% in 2025, reversing past years’ reduction

Rhodium Group released a study finding U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.4% in 2025 compared to 2024.

Main announcement: The Rhodium Group study (released Jan. 13) reports a 2.4% increase in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, estimating 5.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — 139 million tons more than 2024; cited drivers include a cool winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, higher natural gas prices, and a 13% increase in coal power.
Background and other details: The study notes solar generation jumped 34%, pushing zero-carbon sources to 42% of U.S. power; researchers say Trump administration policy rollbacks were not in place long enough to affect 2025 but may affect future years, and prior projections for a 2035 emissions decline of 38%–56% vs 2005 are now expected to be about one-third smaller.

Jan 21, 2026

ERMCO Expands Transformer Manufacturing West with New Arizona Facility

ERMCO announced it will open a new 566,121-square-foot three-phase transformer manufacturing facility in Waddell, Maricopa County, Arizona.

Facility details: The plant is 566,121 square feet, located in Waddell (≈30 miles west of Phoenix), will focus on three-phase transformer production, is expected to be operational in 2027, and foundational work will begin this year; the project is expected to create more than 500 jobs in engineering, skilled trades, and operations.
Context and justification: The announcement cites ongoing transformer supply shortages, drivers such as aging grid infrastructure, rapid load growth from data centers and electrification, and states site selection was influenced by proximity to Western U.S. customers, Arizona’s business climate, and a skilled labor market. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. and currently employs nearly 3,500 workers across facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Texas, Quebec, and Mexico.

Jan 14, 2026

EPA tries to narrow water law powers

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to narrow states’ and authorized tribes’ authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act to review and condition federally regulated projects.

Main action: The EPA’s proposal would limit the scope of Section 401 reviews to focus on direct discharges to federally regulated waters, set clear applicant submission requirements, impose strict review deadlines, and require states/tribes to fully explain any conditions or permit denials. A final rule is expected in the spring after a public comment period.
Background and specifics: The proposal largely reinstates Trump-era constraints, follows the Biden administration’s 2023 rule that allowed states to “holistically evaluate” project impacts, and comes after the 2023 Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision that narrowed federal jurisdiction over some waters. The rule explicitly targets reviews of projects including natural gas pipelines, dams and data centers, and drew criticism from Earthjustice saying EPA’s concerns are “baseless.”

Jan 13, 2026

US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

Rhodium Group calculated that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2025 compared with 2024.

Main finding: The Rhodium Group estimated the U.S. emitted 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report cites a cool winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices as primary drivers, with coal generation up 13% contributing substantially to the power-sector increase.
Additional details and context:Solar generation jumped 34%, pushing solar past hydro and bringing zero-carbon sources to 42% of U.S. power; the Rhodium authors say Trump administration policy rollbacks had not been in place long enough to affect 2025 data, and the report’s earlier 2035 projections have been revised down (projected pollution drop now about one-third less than prior estimates).

Dec 25, 2025

Arkansas’s best environment stories of 2025

Arkansas Times published a roundup of the state’s most notable farm and environment stories from 2025.

Main roundup and key actions: The piece summarizes reporting on Entergy proposals including the 745 MW Jefferson Power Station gas plant, the proposed Cypress Solar array (600 MW) plus 350 MW battery storage tied partially to Google’s West Memphis data center (regulators approved a special rate contract with Google); Entergy customers were estimated to face up to $20 average monthly bill increases within five years. It also documents state action preserving the Buffalo River moratorium on hog CAFO permits and a West Memphis data center groundbreaking attended by Gov. Sarah Sanders (Oct. 2, 2025).
Background and other details:Standard Lithium and majors (Equinor, ExxonMobil, Albemarle, Chevron) are advancing south Arkansas lithium projects with construction likely in 2026 and Standard Lithium targeting production in 2028; the article reports on tornado damage (a homeowner cited $60,000 in damages) and FEMA funding decisions (individual assistance approved but local government funding initially denied), and highlights local disputes over wind projects (Nimbus wind farm in Carroll County) and the farm economic crisis driving Hallie Shoffner’s U.S. Senate campaign.

Dec 19, 2025

House passes bill that could fast-track AI infrastructure projects

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan permitting reform bill (the SPEED Act) to modernize NEPA and accelerate federal approvals for infrastructure projects.

Key action: The House passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act in a 221-196 vote to limit federal actions that trigger NEPA reviews and speed permitting for infrastructure. The bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and promoted in statements by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), and it now heads to the Senate.
Context & related developments: The advancement coincides with a federal push to expand AI infrastructure: President Donald Trump launched the Genesis Mission/American Science and Security Platform; the U.S. Department of Energy announced collaboration with 24 tech companies (including Google, AWS, Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia). Notable figures and amounts: AWS announced up to $50 billion for AI infrastructure; OpenAI–AWS partnership cited at $38 billion; Microsoft reported $11.1 billion in long-term asset spending in one quarter; McKinsey estimates $6.7 trillion needed for data centers by 2030 (with $5.2 trillion for AI-ready capex). The Genesis Mission cites an aggressive 270-day timeline for demonstrating capabilities.

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