Colorado Data Center News

May 5, 2026 · RMI

Unpacking the PJM CIFP Decision: What PJM States Can Do to Ensure Affordable, Reliable Electricity During the Data Center Boom

The PJM Board announced a plan on January 16, 2026 to address challenges from surging large electricity customers and called for state engagement on implementation of the CIFP-LLA framework.

Main action: PJM released a CIFP-LLA plan proposing revised regional load forecasting, voluntary Bring-Your-Own-New-Generation (BYONG) options, a “connect and manage” curtailment approach, and a new “reliability backstop” capacity auction; the plan targets management of rapid data center-driven load growth (PJM region: 13 states + DC, projected ~30 GW new demand by 2030) and establishes an Expedited Interconnection Track (EIT) for 10 qualifying BYONG projects annually with a 250 MW UCAP threshold noted.
Context and next steps: This RMI analysis provides state-focused guidance (regulatory and legislative) for large load tariffs, non-firm service and BYO tariffs, permitting reforms, VPPs and ATTs, and participation in PJM’s upcoming Reliability Backstop Procurement (RBP) workshops tied to the 2027/2028 auction; it is an advisory/analysis piece rather than a primary regulatory order and references federal bodies such as FERC and the White House Energy Dominance Council for related jurisdictional developments.

May 1, 2026

Data centres’ speed-to-power need driving US LDES commercialisation

Energy Dome has said it is tying LDES commercialisation to data centres and earlier signed an MOU with New Era Energy & Digital (NUAI) to evaluate deploying its Battery Plus at NUAI’s 1GW data centre in Odessa, Texas.

Main announcement/action: At Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables’ summit, Energy Dome (co-founded by Francesco Oppici) tied the commercialisation path of its CO2-based Battery Plus LDES to data centres, and has signed an MOU with New Era Energy & Digital (NUAI) to evaluate support for a 1GW data centre in Odessa, Texas; the Battery Plus combines CO2 adiabatic compression with waste heat recovery, which the company says eliminates prior heat storage and improves efficiency, and Energy Dome claims it uses no Chinese-sourced materials and qualifies for the Investment Tax Credit (ITC).
Background and details:Sightline Climate ranked Energy Dome top among non-lithium LDES suppliers; the company began with smaller European projects before scaling up to larger deployments. Implementation details and timelines for the Odessa/NUAI evaluation were not provided.
- Event/sub-session details:
  - Date: 30 April
  - Location: Colorado, United States
  - Session: “Keynote fireside chat: The challenges of scaling emerging LDES technologies”
  - Speakers: Francesco Oppici (Energy Dome), Lucy Metzroth (Xcel Energy), Kasim Khan (Wood Mackenzie)

May 1, 2026

AI Data Center Growth Is Now a Power Infrastructure Problem

Michelle Buckner argues that power infrastructure is now central to the AI buildout.

Main point: The article asserts that AI-driven data center expansion has shifted the primary gating question to power availability — developers are now designing sites around firm megawatts, transmission headroom, substation capacity, and interconnection timelines rather than solely processors or networking. It cites a concrete market milestone: Southwest Power Pool (SPP) expanded into the Western Interconnection on April 1, 2026, creating a 732,000-square-mile footprint across 17 states and serving 20 million people, and bringing in utilities including Basin Electric, Colorado Springs Utilities, Platte River Power Authority, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, and multiple Western Area Power Administration regions.
Details and background: The piece describes how developers favor regions with firm generation (natural gas, nuclear, hydropower), behind-the-meter generation, on-site storage, and microgrids; notes that generation timelines, permitting, transmission upgrades, and fuel logistics now shape deployment schedules; and highlights the need for power-aware design, converter ICs, thermal design, and workload orchestration to reduce megawatt demand. No new commercial contract values or funding amounts are announced.

Apr 30, 2026

US administration ‘must make it easier to get things built,’ DOE chief of staff says

The US Department of Energy (DOE), represented by chief of staff Carl Coe, called for easing permitting and policy barriers to accelerate construction of energy projects—particularly battery energy storage systems (BESS)—in remarks at Wood Mackenzie’s Solar & Energy Storage Summit on 29 April in Colorado.

Main announcement: Carl Coe urged the DOE and other authorities to make it “easier to get things built,” prioritising faster permitting and policy changes to unblock projects such as BESS.
- Event: Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables’ Solar & Energy Storage Summit
- Date: 29 April
- Location: Colorado, US
- Subject/agenda: US BESS deployment, permitting and market rules, grid procurement
Background and concrete details: The DOE has closed a US$26.5 billion loan package with subsidiaries of Southern Company (to develop/enhance >16 GW capacity, including ~6 GW nuclear uprates), announced plans for multi‑billion dollar loans for long‑lead nuclear items, previously cancelled over US$7 billion of wind/solar funding, and disbursed more than US$100 million of a US$1.52 billion loan guarantee for Palisades; meanwhile Wood Mackenzie forecasts ~500 GWh of new energy storage installs over the next five years and recorded 18.9 GW / 51 GWh in recent full‑year/Q1 totals.

Apr 28, 2026

The Truth About Data Centers: Why This Conversation is Happening Now

DataBank has published a multi-part series and eBook, “The Truth About Data Centers,” to address misinformation and explain the real impacts of data centers on communities and infrastructure.

Main announcement:DataBank released an eBook and multi-part series to separate fact from misinformation, citing recent policy actions including Maine’s statewide moratorium, Denver’s ban, at least 12 other states with bills under consideration, and more than 100 cities and counties that have taken similar action. The series is framed as part of DataBank’s engagement with communities where it operates and links to the eBook and DataBank Digest.
Background and supporting details: The article ties demand to AI growth (e.g., Generative AI 53% population adoption within three years; firm-level AI adoption rose from 8.7% in 2023 to >20% in 2025; work-related generative AI adoption grew 31% in a single year; worker access to AI rose 50% in 2025) and notes infrastructure concerns (impacts on power grids and water supplies), asserts modern closed-loop cooling greatly reduces water use, and states generator testing typically amounts to about 30 minutes per month.

Apr 23, 2026

Rethinking Load Growth: New Partnerships Between Power Developers and Midstream Natural Gas Companies

Freddie Sarhan, CEO of Sapphire Technologies, argues that recovered energy from natural gas infrastructure (pressure drop and waste-heat recovery) is a commercially viable, fast-deploying source of clean, baseload-like power that can help meet accelerated load growth.

Main announcement/action: The commentary urges developers and utilities to pursue turboexpander and waste-heat-to-power projects at existing pipeline regulating facilities and compressor stations, noting an analysis identifying more than 3,500 regulating facilities with suitable flow regimes for power recovery, eligibility for the Section 48E clean electricity investment tax credit (via the One Big Beautiful Bill, 2025), and deployment timelines measured in months rather than years.
Background and supporting details: The piece cites sharply rising demand forecasts — five-year utility peak load growth increased from 24 GW to 166 GW through 2030 and data center demand could reach 176 GW by 2035 — plus system constraints (average 10-year transmission project timelines; an ~2,600 GW interconnection queue). It also references ATTs increasing transmission capacity by 10%–30% and that advanced conductors could save $85 billion in system costs by 2035, while states including Virginia, Minnesota, Colorado, and Maine are requiring ATT evaluations in IRPs.

Apr 22, 2026

Render Networks Announces $14.3 Million Funding Raise From Black Kite Partners

Render Networks announced $14.3 million in private equity growth funding and the acquisition of mPower Innovations.

Acquisition and funding: Render Networks will acquire mPower Innovations and announced $14.3 million in private equity growth funding from BlackKite Partners; as part of the acquisition Render will transition mPower’s digital modeling platform to Esri’s ArcGIS. Greg Calcari (mPower founder) and Jason Brown (mPower CEO) will remain in senior leadership roles at Render. The company is based in Australia with U.S. headquarters in Denver. No specific implementation timeline for the transition or integration was provided in the announcement.
Context and background: Render provides an AI-driven SaaS platform for construction data and cites use in BEAD deployment and major infrastructure projects; past customers named include Lumen, Connect2First, and Craighead Electric Cooperative Corporation. BlackKite Partners is an Australian private equity firm that launched in March 2026. The announcement includes executive statements from Stephen Rose (Render CEO) and Adrian Kerley (BlackKite Partners).

Apr 20, 2026

States Reconsider Data Center Tax Incentives

The National Conference of State Legislatures released a report highlighting states reconsidering data center tax incentives.

Key findings:38 states offer data center tax incentives; at least 9 states have considered repealing incentives this year; lawmakers in 28 states have introduced bills to scale back or modify programs. The report also notes more than 4,000 data centers operating nationwide with a heavy concentration in Virginia.
Policy responses and fiscal details: States such as Connecticut, Georgia, and Washington have proposed “off-ramps” to phase out incentives for future projects; Colorado and New Hampshire explored stricter energy and labor requirements (none advanced this year). At least 10 states forgo > $100 million annually in incentives; Texas and Virginia each lose up to $1 billion per year. Lawmakers are generally tightening programs by adding requirements tied to energy use, wages, or investment levels.

Apr 19, 2026

AI data center deals must be carefully crafted, EPA chief says in Las Vegas

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin hosted a roundtable with Las Vegas business leaders and urged carefully structured AI data center deals while highlighting water-reuse priorities.

Main action: Zeldin hosted a roundtable at the Vegas Chamber and visited a Switch AI data center and Symphony Park; he emphasized the EPA’s updated Water Reuse Action Plan and urged that data center agreements be structured to provide net benefits to communities. He noted that Las Vegas has banned evaporative cooling for commercial properties (the final commercial permit was issued in 2024) and promoted closed-loop or air-cooling alternatives for new data centers.
Background and details: The article cites a Western Resource Advocates analysis saying NV Energy may need to quadruple peak energy capacity to serve pending data-center requests; Zeldin referenced examples such as Google powering a West Memphis data center with a solar farm and battery storage (linked reporting references a $4 billion Google investment). Zeldin also said EPA officials are taking local input “back to Washington, D.C.” to standardize enforcement practices.

Apr 10, 2026

As Trump throws lifeline to coal plants, critics warn of higher costs and health risks

The Trump administration has used emergency powers to prevent scheduled coal plant retirements and to fund upgrades that keep plants operating.

Main action: The administration issued emergency orders to keep at least five coal plants from closing, spent $175 million on upgrades for seven plants, is considering $350 million more in applications, and officials (e.g., Interior Secretary Doug Burgum) have articulated a goal of “100 per cent stay open, no more retirements”, citing grid reliability concerns. The administration also used measures that delayed the planned retirement of the Schahfer Generating Station in Indiana and justified keeping it online for extreme weather power needs.
Background and details: The piece references analysis by Enverus that suggested no additional coal retirements may occur during the administration; it notes 34 GW of coal capacity was set to retire before 2029, coal plants slated to retire emitted >130 million tons CO2 last year, and that keeping the fleet afloat could cost about $1 billion annually. Legal challenges have been filed by multiple states (Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado).

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