Delaware Data Center News

Mar 26, 2026

Why a Pa. environmental group wants to press pause on data center development

PennFuture has called for a statewide moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania until lawmakers adopt stricter policies and statutory requirements.

Main action & details: PennFuture is urging a pause on data-center approvals pending enactment of stronger state law; the group references pending bills including HB2246 (developer reports on expected water use) and HB2151 (model local ordinances). An amended House Bill 1834 (amended March 23) is noted as including renewable energy requirements and restrictions on backup generators. Senators Katie Muth and Rosemary Brown have proposed a three-year moratorium on hyperscale data center development. The article cites an example project that could use 20 million gallons of water a year. Full audio of the interview will be available March 27.
Background & context: This content is an interview/transcript with Patrick McDonnell (PennFuture CEO) and reporter Kara Holsopple (The Allegheny Front). PennFuture cites concerns about water withdrawals, electricity prices, and pollution, notes regulators such as the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and stresses the need for state-level requirements and updated municipal ordinances rather than voluntary commitments. The piece is a public advocacy/interview (not an enacted policy announcement).

Mar 26, 2026

PA electric utility agrees to limit data center costs

The proposed settlement between PPL Electric and intervenors would require large-load data centers to pay for their own interconnection and infrastructure costs, create a new large-load rate class, and provide $11 million to support residential low-income assistance; the settlement remains subject to approval by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC).

Main announcement/action: The settlement would create a new large-load rate class for data centers using >50 megawatts peak (or combined ≥75 megawatts within a 10-mile radius) at voltages ≥69 kilovolts, require those customers to pay their own interconnection/infrastructure costs, require a 10-year operating commitment (or face penalties), protect residential customers from stranded costs, and, if approved, have PPL contribute $11 million to low-income assistance programs (Customer Assistance Program and Low-Income Usage Reduction Program). The agreement is subject to PUC approval.
Background and details: The settlement is between PPL Electric and more than a dozen intervenors including the Energy Justice Advocates, consumer and community groups, and large users like Walmart; advocates (EarthJustice, POWER Interfaith) supported the protections. The article documents rising system costs driven by data centers and PJM capacity auction prices: $28.92 per megawatt-day (2023 auction for 2025 delivery), $269.92 per megawatt-day the following year (860% increase), and the December 2025 auction hitting the $333 per megawatt-day cap, which contributed to higher bills.

Mar 12, 2026

Fossil generation could rise with faster-than-expected growth in data center power demand

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published an analysis showing that faster-than-expected electricity demand growth driven by data centers could increase natural gas and coal generation and raise wholesale electricity prices.

Main analysis and assumptions: The EIA produced a high demand growth scenario in which 2026 and 2027 growth rates are 50% higher than the February STEO in data-center-heavy regions, while other regions are +1 percentage point above STEO; the scenario assumes no additional generating capacity beyond the February STEO and applies an assumed +$0.50/MMBtu increase in natural gas delivered prices across regions.
Key modeled outcomes and metrics: Under the scenario, natural gas generation rises to +7.3% (123 BkWh) between 2025–2027 (vs 1.7% baseline), coal generation declines by 5.0% (37 BkWh) nationwide in the high case, and ERCOT 2027 wholesale prices model +$37/MWh above the February STEO (excluding ERCOT the average 2027 wholesale price is +$2.10/MWh above the STEO forecast of $48/MWh).

Mar 2, 2026

Broadcom Announces VMware Telco Cloud Platform 9 to Drive Greater Hardware Efficiency for Sovereign-Ready Telco Infrastructure

Broadcom Inc. announced VMware Telco Cloud Platform 9 at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona on March 02, 2026.

Main announcement:Broadcom (VMware Cloud Foundation Division) unveiled VMware Telco Cloud Platform 9, a unified, AI-native private cloud for telco data centers built on VMware Cloud Foundation 9; claimed benefits include five-year cumulative TCO savings of 40%, 25–30% lower power consumption, 38% lower memory and server TCO, and 38% storage TCO reduction. Planned platform capabilities include Private AI-as-a-Service (Model Store, Model Runtime, Vector Databases), GPU Virtualization, GPU-as-a-Service, Enhanced GPU Monitoring, Automated LCM, and an Agent Builder Service.
Background & details: The product emphasizes AI-assisted operations and energy-efficient infrastructure through features such as Advanced NVMe Memory Tiering, vSAN ESA Global Deduplication, support for high-core-count CPUs and Intelligent Resource Scheduling, ESX Live Patching, Unified GitOps automation (ArgoCD), and sovereign/cloud compliance tooling (cryptographic authority, audit-grade evidence, OPA-based policy manager). Customer/partner endorsements included BT, Nokia, and Canonical. Estimates cited are from Broadcom internal engineering tests and an ACG Research report; engineering estimates note March 2025 as the basis for some figures.

Feb 20, 2026

Episode for February 20, 2026

The Allegheny Front released a podcast episode on Feb 20, 2026 covering an avian flu surge and regional environmental and industrial issues.

Episode details & main stories: The Feb 20, 2026 episode (runtime 29:30, downloadable mp3) focuses on an avian flu surge in Pennsylvania with state agricultural officials and USDA increasing testing and surveillance; it also reviews the aftermath of the Clairton Coke Works explosion (now six months after two deaths) and the transfer of the plant to Nippon (Nippon’s plans have not yet been released).
Additional reporting & concrete details: The episode summarizes a new study on deaths attributable to air pollution in the Pittsburgh region; it highlights growing opposition to dozens of proposed data centers in the region and cites a specific proposal in Delaware City that would use 20 million gallons of water a year. All facts are drawn from linked reporting and the episode content.

Feb 4, 2026

Cipher Mining Inc. Announces Pricing of $2.0 Billion of Senior Secured Notes

Cipher Mining Inc. has announced the pricing of a $2.0 billion secured notes offering by its wholly-owned subsidiary Black Pearl Compute LLC.

$2.0 billion offering priced at 6.125% senior secured notes due 2031, sold in a private offering (Rule 144A and Regulation S), expected to close on February 11, 2026; net proceeds intended primarily to finance the remaining cost of the Black Pearl Facility (a high-performance computing data center in Wink, Texas).
The Issuer will reimburse Cipher approximately $232.5 million for prior equity contributions to fund Black Pearl capital expenditures, fund debt service reserves, and pay fees/expenses; the Notes are guaranteed by Cipher Black Pearl LLC and 11786 Wink LLC, and secured by first-priority liens on substantially all assets of the Issuer and the Guarantors and on all equity interests of the Issuer held by Black Pearl Holdings LLC; Cipher will provide a completion guarantee for timely facility completion.

Feb 3, 2026

Cipher Mining Inc. Announces Proposed Offering of $2.00 Billion of Senior Secured Notes

Cipher Mining Inc. has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Black Pearl Compute LLC intends to offer $2.00 billion of senior secured notes due 2031.

Issuer and offering: Black Pearl Compute LLC intends to offer, subject to market conditions, $2.00 billion aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2031 to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A and to non-U.S. persons under Regulation S; net proceeds are intended to finance the remaining cost of the Black Pearl Facility (a high-performance computing data center in Wink, Texas) and to reimburse Cipher approximately $232.5 million for prior equity contributions.
Security, guarantees, and use of proceeds: The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Cipher Black Pearl and 11786 Wink LLC, secured by first-priority liens on substantially all assets of the Issuer and Guarantors and on the Issuer’s equity held by Black Pearl Holdings LLC; Cipher will provide a customary completion guarantee to fund the Issuer if Note proceeds are insufficient to complete the Black Pearl Facility. The offering is subject to market conditions and may not be completed.

Jan 26, 2026

Laying the Foundation for Low-Emission Cement and Concrete

Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act (S.1067) in March 2025; the House reintroduced the IMPACT Act (H.R.1534) to establish a temporary low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt program at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Main announcement/action: The Senate introduced S.1067 (Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act) in March 2025 to accelerate the use of low-emission concrete and asphalt; the House reintroduced H.R.1534 (IMPACT Act) to create a temporary low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt program at the U.S. Department of Energy (legislative actions introduced/reintroduced in 2025).
Background & other details:Market valuation: global green concrete market $39 billion (2024) projected to reach $102 billion (2032); targets to reduce clinker-to-cement ratio include the American Cement Association moving from 0.88 to 0.75 by 2050 and the GCCA projecting a global drop from 0.76 to 0.52 by 2050. Research and industry actions cited: Northwestern University developed a carbon-negative cement from seawater, Qatar University found a concrete mix with treated wastewater + recycled aggregates + 20% fly ash reduced maintenance costs by 60% and life-cycle costs by 19%; tech company partnerships include AWS using low-carbon concrete from American Rock Products for U.S. data centers and Meta partnering with CarbonBuilt.

Jan 22, 2026

South Korea Switchgear Market Outlook 2026–2036: Grid Modernization and Renewables Drive 4.8% CAGR

Future Market Insights has published a market outlook forecasting South Korea’s switchgear market size and drivers through 2036.

Main announcement: FMI projects market expenditure of USD 148.5 million in 2026 growing to USD 238.3 million by 2036 at a 4.8% CAGR (2026–2036); the report highlights grid modernization, renewable integration, industrial electrification, and utility-led T&D investment (KEPCO) as primary demand drivers.
Background and details: The release outlines segment-level drivers such as low-voltage dominance (urbanization, EV charging, rooftop solar), medium/DC switchgear for renewables and storage, regional hotspots (Jeju, South Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, North Jeolla), technology trends (SF6-free alternatives, IoT sensors), and competitive landscape featuring ABB, Siemens, Schneider Electric, GE, Eaton and domestic suppliers.

Jan 21, 2026

Virginia proposes 20.78GW storage mandate as Trump, governors call for emergency PJM grid measures

Virginia state delegate Richard C. ‘Rip’ Sullivan, Jr has introduced HB895 to raise mandatory energy storage procurement targets for Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia.

Main announcement: HB895 would require Appalachian Power to add 780MW short-duration by 2040 and 520MW long-duration by 2045, and Dominion Energy to add 16,000MW short-duration and 3,480MW long-duration by 2045; the bill is nearly identical to HB2537 (vetoed May 2025) but raises Dominion’s short-duration target from 5,220MW to 16,000MW within the same timeframe.
Background and related actions: The Trump administration and a bipartisan group of governors urged PJM (16 January) to hold an emergency procurement auction and to build more than US$15 billion of baseload generation; PJM responded by initiating a “Reliability Backstop Procurement” and directed immediate process discussions and deadlines to be considered at the 22 January Members Committee meeting. The bill and procurement push are motivated by rapidly rising demand in Virginia—driven largely by data centres—and recommendations from groups such as MAREC Action, NRDC, and Environment America.

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