California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• Dec 23, 2025

  Data centers revive polluting ‘peaker’ plants across U.S.

  NRG Energy withdrew a planned retirement notice for the Fisk oil-fired peaker units as surging electricity demand from AI data centers in PJM territory made peaker plants economically viable.

  • Main action: NRG Energy withdrew the retirement notice for Fisk’s eight oil-fired peaking units (December 2025) after AI data center demand drove prices in PJM higher; PJM said the market shows electricity demand outstripping supply and that existing generation is needed while new generation comes online. Key facts: Fisk = eight peaking units on former coal station site; EPA estimated sulfur dioxide 2 to 25 tons/year from the site; PJM prices to suppliers soared by more than 800% this summer.
  • Background & other details: Reuters analysis found about 60% of oil, gas and coal plants slated for retirement in PJM postponed or cancelled retirements this year; 23 plants were scheduled to retire starting in 2025 in PJM territory, and since January 13 retirements were delayed or cancelled (of those, 11 were peakers). The U.S. Government Accountability Office notes peakers supply about 3% of the country’s power but have capacity to produce 19%, and federal actors (DOE/Administration) have signaled interest in tapping spare capacity.
• Dec 23, 2025

  NTIA Recommends $6.5M in Tribal Broadband Awards

  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recommended nearly $6.5 million for nine Tribal broadband projects under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).

  • Main announcement: NTIA recommended nearly $6.5 million in funding for nine Tribal broadband projects, including a $2.5 million award to Dena’ Nena’ Henash to complete four engineered, environmentally permitted, shovel-ready fiber-to-the-home network designs; awards also include $496,003 for a hybrid fiber/wireless network serving the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and $500,000 to the Barona Group to expand low-cost internet access.
  • Background and timeline: NTIA is overhauling the $3 billion TBCP, paused most previously recommended grants in November, will hold Tribal consultations on January 13 and January 20, 2026, and plans to issue new guidance for a funding round in spring 2026; roughly $980 million from the program’s second funding round remained undistributed as of November.
• Dec 23, 2025

  Alphabet to Buy Data Center Partner Intersect for $4.75B

  Alphabet has announced it will buy Intersect Power for $4.75 billion in cash plus existing debt.

  • Acquisition details:Alphabet will acquire Intersect’s power development platform and team, including existing in-development assets already contracted by Google; Intersect will retain its brand and continue to be led by CEO Sheldon Kimber. The purchase excludes grid assets and projects contracted to other customers in Texas and California (some operating, some in development); TPG Rise Climate will retain a stake in those excluded assets. Key project figures: 7.5 gigawatts (GW) of solar and storage in operation, 8 GW in development pipeline, and $15 billion of energy assets in operation or under construction in the US.

  • Context and rationale: The deal is intended to secure more electricity for Google’s data centers amid AI-driven demand and aging US grids; Alphabet says the move provides flexibility to build generation aligned with new data center load. Google reported its carbon emissions rose 48% over five years due to data center operations. Analysts (Ben Hertz-Shargel, Wood Mackenzie) note the acquisition reduces certain regulatory risk compared with a third-party powering Google sites.

• Dec 23, 2025

  21 Investments, 100+ Hires, 53 Podcast Episodes: MCJ’s 2025 Impact

  MCJ has recapped its 2025 impact, highlighting 21 climate-focused investments, over $15M deployed, 100+ hires across portfolio companies, and 53 episodes of its Inevitable climate and energy podcast.

  • Impact and activities: MCJ made 21 investments (13 new portfolio companies) and deployed over $15M into companies in clean energy, abundance, infrastructure resilience, and new industrialism; it organized an “Energy + AI” event in Austin, TX, recorded a live Inevitable episode with Crusoe COO Cully Cavness, and its team members engaged in activities such as teaching impact investing at UCLA Anderson and touring leading cleantech companies in China.
  • Media and content highlights: MCJ produced 53 podcast episodes including popular shows featuring Tom Steyer (Galvanize), Brandon Middaugh (Microsoft’s $1B Climate Innovation Fund), Hannan Happi (Exowatt) on thermal energy storage for AI data centers, Cully Cavness (Crusoe) on hyperscale AI data centers and the $500B Project Stargate, and Dr. Mark Jacobson (Stanford) on 100% renewables; the newsletter also promoted top 2025 climate articles on energy scarcity, Canada as a launchpad for U.S. climate and energy innovation, nature vs. climate framing, AI + quantum (AQ), and cold chain climate innovation, and invited readers to submit climate-related events/content to info@mcj.vc and content@mcj.vc or apply to join MCJ Collective.
• Dec 23, 2025

  Google Parent $3.7 Trillion Alphabet with Minority Stake to Buyout United States $15 Billion Data Center Intersect at $4.75 Billion Valuation (Cash + Assume All Debt) Excluding Operating Assets in Texas and Operating & in-Development Assets in California (Supported by Existing Investors TPG Rise Climate, Climate Adaptive Infrastructure & Greenbelt Capital Partners), Intersect Founded in 2016 by Sheldon Kimber

  Alphabet has announced a minority-stake buyout of U.S. data center owner Intersect.

  • Main announcement:Alphabet (parent of Google) will acquire a minority stake in Intersect at a $4.75 billion valuation (Cash + assume all debt); the deal excludes Intersect’s operating assets in Texas and operating & in-development assets in California.
  • Background and details:Intersect was founded in 2016 by Sheldon Kimber and states it has $15 billion of assets in operation or under construction across the U.S.; the transaction is supported by existing investors TPG Rise Climate, Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, and Greenbelt Capital Partners.
• Dec 23, 2025

  Policy storms ahead, fire safety and data centres: Energy-Storage.news 2025 Guest Blog picks, Part 1

  Energy-Storage.news is publishing a two-part retrospective of its 2025 Guest Blog contributions; this first part covers the first six months of 2025 and highlights a selected set of posts.

  • Retrospective & scale: Energy-Storage.news reports 44 Guest Blog contributions in 2025 (more than double 2024 and 2023) and is running the retrospective in two parts, with this instalment covering Jan–Jun 2025. Featured posts include: “Global BESS deployments soared 53% in 2024” (Iola Hughes, Jan 2025) noting 205 GWh record deployments in 2024; “Meeting US power demands of the hyperscale data centre boom with energy storage” (William Derasmo, Feb 2025); and “India’s energy storage story” (Debmalya Sen, Jun 2025).
  • Context & highlights: The roundup summarises guest entries from industry players and analysts — including Intertek CEA (monthly series on fire safety and market outlook), Envision Energy (LDES analysis, Mar 2025), and an insurance-focused piece on the Moss Landing January fire and its market effects (kWh Analytics, Renewable Guard, Brown & Brown, Jun 2025). Links to each full blog post are provided for direct reference.
• Dec 23, 2025

  Google agrees to acquire infrastructure builder Intersect to accelerate capacity development

  Alphabet announced it will acquire Intersect for $4.75 billion to accelerate data center and energy project capacity and development, with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2026.

  • Deal and scope: Alphabet/Google to acquire Intersect for $4.75 billion, expected close H1 2026; Google will absorb Intersect’s team and “multiple gigawatts” of energy and data projects already in development (including a co-located data center and power site under construction in Texas), while some existing Intersect Texas assets and California projects will remain independent and are not included in the transaction. The companies will jointly continue work on the included projects and build out new ones.
  • Background and related initiatives: Google is pursuing diverse energy pathways — 115MW of geothermal with NV Energy to Nevada’s grid, work with Energy Dome on CO2 battery long-duration storage, and support for carbon capture at Broadwing Energy (Broadwing to capture ~90% of its CO2 emissions and Google committed to buying most of that power). Analysts (Info-Tech Research Group, Greyhound Research) frame the move as a response to upstream constraints (interconnection queues, substation upgrades, permitting) and advise tying energy strategy to capacity planning and extending energy contracting timelines.
• Dec 22, 2025

  Tesla’s Battery Tech Powers Renewable Energy and Grid Decarbonization

  Tesla emphasizes expanded deployment of its battery systems (Powerwall for homes, Megapack for grid-scale) to stabilize electricity grids and advance decarbonization.

  • Main announcement/action: Tesla positions its Powerwall and Megapack systems as operational solutions to integrate renewables and stabilize grids, citing deployments at Hornsdale Power Reserve and Moss Landing facility, reporting 1.6 terawatts from virtual power plants and 6.5 million outages served by Powerwall systems in 2025; the company targets net-zero operations by 2040.
  • Background and details: The article references lifecycle and sustainability initiatives including closed-loop recycling (Nevada Gigafactory pilot, full-scale target by 2026), supplier audits and a move toward cobalt-free chemistries, policy drivers such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, and mentions trends (cost declines, potential market growth) and applications including support for AI data centers.
• Dec 22, 2025

  Alphabet Buying Clean Energy Developer to Support Data Centers

  Alphabet has announced it will acquire Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash, plus the assumption of debt.

  • Main announcement: Alphabet will acquire Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash, plus assumption of debt, acquiring Intersect’s team and multiple gigawatts of energy and data center projects in development or under construction (including a co-located data center and power site under construction in Haskell County, Texas). The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is anticipated to close in the first half of 2026.
  • Background and details: Intersect’s existing operating assets in Texas and its operating and in-development assets in California are excluded from the acquisition and will continue as an independent company supported by TPG Rise Climate, Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, and Greenbelt Capital Partners. Intersect will remain a separate brand led by Sheldon Kimber, partner closely with Google’s technical infrastructure team, and Alphabet plans to advance commercialization of advanced geothermal, long duration energy storage, and natural gas with carbon capture, while deploying AI to accelerate grid connection of new power plants.
• Dec 22, 2025 · RMI

  Reality Check: How to Grow the Grid, but Not Electricity Costs

  RMI’s Mark Dyson outlines three New Year’s resolutions for US utilities and policymakers to expand the power grid while keeping electricity affordable.

  • Resolution 1 urges embracing new technologies such as gas turbines, wind, solar, batteries, advanced geothermal, and potentially fusion, alongside energy efficiency as a major, low-cost resource, drawing on US leadership in geothermal and international examples from Germany, Australia, and China for further cost reductions in clean energy.
  • Resolution 2 and 3 call for faster project build-out by cutting interconnection and permitting delays (with examples from Texas and Virginia) and for better use of existing grid assets via virtual power plants, coordinated flexible demand (e.g., 100,000+ home batteries in California), and grid-enhancing technologies like sensors and controls demonstrated in New York, combined with modern regulatory incentives and policy toolkits to align utilities with affordability outcomes.