California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• Apr 14, 2026 · RMI

  Understanding Large Load Interconnection

  RMI provides an overview of the large load interconnection process and resources via its “The Path to Power: Connecting Large Loads” series (April 14, 2026) authored by Tyler Farrell, Claire Wayner, Sarah Wang, Mark Lozano, and Chaz Teplin.

  • Main announcement/action: RMI published an explanatory article describing the six-step large load interconnection process (Preliminary Inquiry and Scoping; Interconnection Request; Feasibility Study; System Impact Study; Facilities Study; Interconnection Agreement), noting large loads ≈20 MW+ (e.g., data centers) typically require transmission-level connection, and that the full process can take several months to several years. The article directs readers to RMI’s Large Load Tariffs Dashboard and references a technical report by Elevate Energy and GridLab for more detail.
  • Background and implementation details: The piece explains cost responsibility: customer interconnection facilities are typically allocated entirely to the interconnecting large load customer, while network upgrades are generally allocated across the transmission provider’s service territory using FERC-approved methodologies and then allocated to retail customers via state PUC ratemaking; it also references specific resources and regulatory actors (RTO/ISO, NERC, ESIG) and provides links to tariff and technical report sources.
• Apr 14, 2026 · RMI

  Large Loads and System-Wide Transmission

  RMI outlines that large loads (including data centers) are driving system-wide transmission planning and provides three case studies (SPP, ERCOT Delaware Basin, NV Energy) illustrating best practices and phased approaches rather than announcing new projects.

  • Main announcement/action: RMI presents analysis and three case studies demonstrating how system-wide transmission planning can better accommodate rapid load growth versus piecemeal interconnection; it highlights SPP’s $19 billion portfolio (including >2,000 miles of 765 kV backbone) and the ERCOT Delaware Basin trigger stages with specific upgrade cost estimates and triggers tied to peak demand levels.
  • Background and details: The article is an analytical report (third in a series) that references existing regional plans and studies (SPP 2025 ITP, ERCOT Delaware Basin Load Integration Study, NV Energy Western Nevada and Apex Master Plans), provides timelines (e.g., NV Energy staged capacity additions through 2032), benefit-to-cost metrics (SPP portfolio BCRs of 9.4 and 5.7 across scenarios), and recommends scenario planning and phased/triggered investments to manage uncertainty.
• Apr 14, 2026

  Opposition Toward OpenAI Brings Two Violent Attacks on CEO’s Home

  San Francisco police reported two attacks on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home within four days.

  • Main incident: At about 2:56 a.m. on Sunday, San Francisco police responded to possible shots fired in Russian Hill; a passenger fired a round from a car window, the license plate allowed SFPD to detain Amanda Tom (25) and Muhamad Tarik Hussein (23) and officers seized three firearms. Two days earlier a Molotov cocktail was thrown at Altman’s property gate by Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama (20); Moreno-Gama was arrested and charged with suspicion of attempted murder, arson, and possession/manufacture of an incendiary device.
  • Background and related details: The article references Altman’s blog post and OpenAI’s April 6 report “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age”, highlights rising anti-AI and anti-data center sentiment (including a separate shooting at Indianapolis Councilman Ron Gibson’s home), and notes a proposed $15 billion data center backed by OpenAI and Oracle and local pushback in multiple towns.
• Apr 11, 2026

  AI Data Centers Air Pollution Deaths: How Tech Boom is Killing Clean Air in US

  The Trump administration announced it rolled back federal soot standards in February 2026, citing surging electricity demand from AI data centers.

  • Main action: The administration reversed Biden-era soot protections and the President invoked emergency wartime powers to compel utilities to keep aging coal-fired power plants operating; the rollback was explicitly justified by surging electricity demand from AI data centers. Key figures: 4,000 data centers operational, 3,000 planned or under construction, and AI data center electricity share rising from 2% (2018) to 4.4% (2023) with projections of 6.7%–12% by 2028 and potential 11x increase by 2030 if unchecked.
  • Background and details:University of California, Riverside researchers project up to 1,300 premature deaths annually by 2030 tied to particulate pollution from extended fossil-fuel plant operation; Harvard University provided data-center counts; regional specifics include AI centers using 26% of Virginia’s electricity, proposed Nevada data centers requiring three times current Las Vegas electricity, and 70+ data centers in Los Angeles County where supervisors are considering a moratorium and a health impact assessment. Also noted: Clean Wisconsin projections and more than 60 Virginia state bills addressing data center growth and grid impact.
• Apr 11, 2026

  Proposed California Legislation Aims to Reshape Land Use Approvals for Data Centers and Renewable Energy and Storage Projects

  The California Legislature has introduced multiple bills to tighten land-use approvals for data centers and renewable energy and storage projects.

  • Main action: The Legislature filed bills including SB 887, AB 2170, AB 1577, AB 2619, and SB 886 to eliminate certain CEQA exemptions for data centers, impose heightened CEQA and public-noticing requirements for industrial projects near overburdened communities, mandate monthly operational reporting to the CEC, require pre-license and annual water-use reporting (including “indirect water use”), and create a dedicated tariff for data centers taking transmission-level service with peak demand ≥ 25 megawatts (SB 886) with an assessed early termination fee if a participating customer leaves the system within 15 years.
  • Background and details: AB 2170 bars statutory CEQA exemptions/ministerial review for industrial projects within 1/2 mile of an overburdened community, adds a 60-day public notice for nearby properties and schools and requires CEQA documents be translated into all “threshold languages” (languages spoken by ≥5% of the jurisdiction). AB 1577 requires the CEC to collect monthly metrics (location, floor area, electrical capacity, water and energy consumption, PUE/WUE, onsite generation and fuels, noise). AB 2619 requires estimates of expected water use and sources before business license application and annual reporting on total, direct, and indirect water use; DWR and the CEC must issue guidance on water-efficient practices. The Los Angeles County REO Update Technical Study and a potential county-wide moratorium on data centers are also noted.
• Apr 11, 2026

  LA County supervisors to consider examining health and environmental impacts of data centers

  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (motion authored by Supervisor Hilda Solis) has proposed assessing the health, environmental and resource impacts of data centers in the county and is expected to consider the motion at its regular meeting.

  • Main action: The motion asks county departments including public health, public works and fire to provide findings on health, environmental and safety impacts, the impact on electrical and water resources, and a review of how other jurisdictions regulate data centers; it also requests a community education and outreach campaign and calls for support of state legislation directing the Public Utilities Commission to create a special rate structure for large-scale energy users and require them to pay for upfront transmission or distribution upgrades.
  • Background and details: The motion notes there are more than 70 established data centers in L.A. County and cites AI-driven growth of facilities; it references the NRDC saying the industry is under-regulated, and a 2026 Community & Environmental Defense Services report finding pollutants from data centers may affect residents up to 0.6 miles from a site. The motion also raises the possibility of initiating a moratorium on data center development in unincorporated county areas “as applicable.”
• Apr 10, 2026

  The Rise of Data Centers Brings Environmental Permitting Challenges and Litigation Risk

  The Trump Administration issued Executive Order No. 14318 in July 2025 to accelerate federal permitting of data center infrastructure.

  • Federal acceleration: The executive order (Executive Order No. 14318) and America’s AI Action Plan direct accelerated permitting for projects including natural gas turbines, coal, nuclear, geothermal, and other dispatchable baseload energy resources, and the US Army Corps of Engineers has implemented guidance (Nationwide Permit 39) clarifying that “data centers, artificial intelligence and machine learning facilities” can qualify for general permitting under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. These are existing, prior announcements (July 2025 EO; subsequent agency actions) rather than new announcements in this article.
  • Local litigation and project details: The article reports on active legal disputes (December 2025 writ petition; February 2026 court ruling granting leave to amend) over a proposed $10 billion, nearly one-million-square-foot data center complex in Imperial, California. Developer Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing filed a separate civil rights suit in January 2026 alleging a loss of over 1,600 construction jobs, 100 permanent positions, $72.5 million in blocked one-time sales tax revenue, and $28.75 million in recurring annual property tax revenue; the developer has proposed a court-approved “global settlement” that would “run with the land.”
• Apr 9, 2026

  Goodman and DataBank partner on Vernon data center 

  DataBank Holdings and Goodman Group have formed a joint venture to market LAX2, a new 140,000‑square‑foot data center in Vernon, Los Angeles, scheduled to open in December and expand to 32MW by September 2027.

  • Joint venture & project details: The companies announced a JV to market LAX2 at 3094 East Vernon Avenue; the facility is 140,000 square feet, scheduled to open in December with an initial 6MW at launch, and will scale in phases to 32MW by September 2027. Goodman developed the project and acquired the site in 2023; DataBank will operate and market it and will complement its nearby LAX1 (18,000 sq ft, 2MW) site.
  • Background & financing: Goodman currently manages $12.4 billion of work in progress globally; DataBank recently received a $250 million equity infusion from New York‑based TJC LP and previously completed a $2 billion equity raise in 2024 (including $1.5 billion from AustralianSuper). The JV states both parties intend to expand the relationship into additional capacity‑constrained U.S. markets and LAX2 is part of DataBank’s national pipeline exceeding 850MW across multiple U.S. cities.
• Apr 9, 2026

  Inside AMPERA’s Bet on Subcritical Thorium Microreactors

  AMPERA announced plans to manufacture sealed, factory-produced subcritical thorium microreactors in 40-foot shipping-container form factors and to pursue prototypes, NRC engagement, lab partnerships, and a leasing/PPA business model.

  • Main announcement: AMPERA intends to produce containerized, factory-sealed subcritical thorium reactors that run for 30 years without refueling, with a non-fueled prototype by end-2026, a fueled prototype by end-2027, and first commercial deliveries in 2028–2029; the design targets ~15 MWe per reactor core (30 MWth → ~15 MWe) and a 30-MWe commercial option using two cores, and the company plans an eventual manufacturing rate of ~300 units per year from a contemplated 300,000-square-foot production facility near Palm Beach Gardens.
  • Background and implementation details: AMPERA submitted a pre-application letter to the NRC on Feb. 23, 2026, requesting an initial meeting by the end of May under 10 CFR Part 53; it is finalizing an agreement with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for TRISO fuel work and exploring testing with Idaho National Laboratory; the company will retain ownership and operate units under leases / power purchase agreements, use TRISO fuel made from natural thorium (no enrichment), proprietary liquid-metal jetting fuel fabrication protected by 66 global patents, and plans a London regional headquarters for UK/Europe expansion.
• Apr 9, 2026

  Turning Buildings into Energy Assets

  DaisyChain Energy, led by Co-founder and CEO Alex Blumberg, is deploying submetering and smart rate arbitrage to help commercial buildings reduce peak loads and act as grid-stabilizing assets.

  • Main announcement/action: DaisyChain combines submetering and smart rate arbitrage to track energy use at the circuit level and shift consumption to off-peak rates, producing immediate savings for commercial buildings while preparing sites for batteries, heat pumps, and other distributed energy resources. MCJ is an investor in DaisyChain; the company’s approach targets grid congestion and the problem of the grid being built for rare peak events.
  • Background and additional details: The article cites NERC warnings about growing power shortage risks and references global spending on grid upgrades (source: BCC Research). It notes rising demand from electrification and AI data centers and promotes related content: the DaisyChain conversation on the Inevitable podcast (linked to Spotify) and a related episode about Paces accelerating data center and renewable siting. Event details (as provided):
    • San Francisco Climate Week event: Date: not specified in article; Time: not specified; Location: San Francisco; Agenda/subject: New Mexico’s transformation as a hub for entrepreneurs and investments, featuring Rob Black (New Mexico Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development), Bruce Brown (Head of Strategic Climate Initiatives, New Mexico State Investment Council), Carrie Von Muench (Founding COO, Pacific Fusion), and Carl Hoiland (Co-Founder, Zanskar Geothermal).