Florida Data Center News

Mar 11, 2026

Climate Change Solutions - March 10, 2026

EESI will host a briefing on energy efficiency with the Alliance to Save Energy on March 12 to highlight cost-effective measures for households and small businesses.

Main announcement: EESI and the Alliance to Save Energy will hold a briefing Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses on Thursday, March 12, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., in the Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online (RSVP link available). The event focuses on energy efficiency solutions for households and small businesses and invites expert panelists to discuss readily-available measures.
Background and other details: EESI published a Climate Jobs fact sheet citing >4 million climate jobs in 2024 and a 2.8% growth rate in clean energy jobs; it also promoted the 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO on June 24 (Rayburn Foyer and Gold Room, 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., online option). The newsletter summarizes recent congressional activity on bills including S.2245 (Digital Coast Act extension), H.R.755 (Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025), H.R.390 (ACERO Act), and H.R.2600 (ASCEND Act), and notes hearings that focused on the electric grid and data centers.

Mar 10, 2026

Environmental groups seek more details of plan to sell Chantilly land for data center

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has set a March 17 public hearing to consider selling the southern one-third (about 41.7 acres) of the 128-acre Stonecroft property at 3721 Stonecroft Blvd to Starwood Capital Group, which made an unsolicited $166.8 million offer.

Main announcement/details: The Board will consider a sale of 41.7 acres (the southernmost one-third of the 128-acre campus) to Starwood Capital Group (SGC Global Holdings LLC) for an unsolicited $166.8 million offer; county officials say proceeds will defray costs for a modern police training facility and that the sale would add the 41.7 acres to the county tax base with anticipated tax revenue in excess of $20 million in the first year after completion. The public hearing is scheduled for March 17.
Background and related facts: A coalition of environmental groups (Sierra Club Great Falls Group, Nature Forward, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Friends of Holmes Run) sent a March 4 letter requesting details on any agreements, terms, origin of the proposal, alternative uses, public-benefit considerations, health/air-quality impacts, carbon emissions, and backup power plans (battery vs diesel). A separate proposal to swap the Stonecroft parcel for Plaza 500 (6295 Edsall Road) was suggested by civic leaders but Fairfax Board Chairman Jeff McKay responded on March 2 calling the idea “creative” but not something that we can pursue; Plaza 500 is owned by SCG/related parties and is being targeted for a data center in Lincolnia.

Mar 10, 2026

US solar installations down in 2025 after Trump policies jolt market, report says

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie published a study showing US new solar installations fell to 43 GW in 2025, down from nearly 50 GW in 2024.

Study finding and causes:43 GW installed in 2025 versus nearly 50 GW in 2024; utility-scale solar installations declined 16% and community solar declined 25% in 2025. The report attributes the disruption to policy changes under the Trump administration, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the scrapping of subsidies and tax breaks for renewable developers, and a freeze on approvals for major projects. Top states: Texas added 11 GW, followed by Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah and Arkansas.
Background and projections: The report notes solar and energy storage accounted for 79% of new capacity additions in the first year of the Trump administration, with more than two-thirds of installations in states won by him. It projects the US will add 490 GW of new solar capacity by 2036, taking cumulative installed capacity to nearly 770 GW. Key spokespersons: Darren Van’t Hof (SEIA interim President and CEO) and Michelle Davis (head of solar, Wood Mackenzie).

Mar 8, 2026

Central Illinois data center policies advance; environmental, utility concerns remain

Logan County Board advanced local consideration of data-center policy as residents and utilities raised concerns about specific projects (including a proposed 500-megawatt site near Latham).

Main action: Logan County held a special meeting (March 6, 2026) where residents opposed a proposed 500-megawatt data center near Latham; counties across Central Illinois are drafting local rules covering construction, noise, environmental impacts and potential utility rate increases.
Background and details: The article documents public opposition, references a related Logan County meeting on March 5, 2026 about hiring a data-center consultant, notes concerns over noise, environmental impact and utility rates, and situates the debate within broader interest in data centers driven by the AI race and existing multi-tenant facilities such as Digital Realty in Chicago.

Mar 5, 2026

U.S. Issues First Commercial Construction Permit for a Nuclear Reactor in Years

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a construction permit for a TerraPower subsidiary to build a sodium-cooled commercial reactor in western Wyoming.

Main announcement: The NRC issued its first construction permit for a commercial reactor in eight years, allowing TerraPower to begin construction within weeks on an up-to $4 billion plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming; completion is targeted for 2030 and the reactor is rated 345 megawatts (up to 500 MW peak).
Background and details: The permit is the NRC’s first for a non-light-water commercial reactor in more than 40 years; the plant will be sited beside a coal-fired plant being converted to natural gas, will use molten sodium as a coolant, and TerraPower says it is lining up sources of highly enriched uranium domestically and in South Africa. In January, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a first step toward modernizing the fuel cycle and invited states to express interest by April 1.

Feb 27, 2026 · RMI

Why Communities Can and Must Consider Electricity Affordability and Risk Together

Stephen Abbott of RMI argues that communities should consider electricity affordability and risk together and pursue diverse, distributed energy portfolios rather than relying solely on large centralized fossil-fuel generation.

Main announcement/action: Communities and local governments should adopt portfolio-based energy strategies (energy efficiency, batteries, renewables, virtual power plants, and other flexible resources) to reduce price volatility and operational risk; RMI highlights concrete examples including data center-driven load growth of 32% by 2030, and Burlington’s 59,204 MWh annual reduction from its energy efficiency program.
Background and details: The piece cites recent cost and risk evidence: ComEd provided $277 million (2024) for efficiency programs yielding an estimated $3.2 billion in customer savings; reliance on fossil fuels produced at least $390 million in excess costs for communities around the Prairie State Energy Campus over four years; typical monthly fuel charges in Florida doubled from ~$20 to ~$40 (2020–2023); utilities such as TVA are proposing large new gas facilities as a conventional response.

Feb 26, 2026

$12B Amazon data center build will rely on surplus water

Amazon has announced a $12 billion multi-site data center campus across Caddo and Bossier Parishes in Louisiana.

Project scope & funding: Amazon will invest $12 billion to develop interconnected campuses in Caddo and Bossier Parishes, including $400 million allocated for local water infrastructure (using only verified surplus water) and a $250,000 community fund for STEM and local projects. Construction is expected to start in the coming weeks; STACK Infrastructure will lead development and Southwestern Electric Power Company will be the local utility partner with Amazon paying 100% of new energy infrastructure expenses.
Context & related projects: The announcement follows other multibillion-dollar data center projects in Louisiana, including Jacobs starting phase one of a $10 billion Hut 8 project (Hut 8 expects operations to begin Q2 2027) and a $10 billion Meta data center near Monroe being built by Turner, DPR and Mortenson. The article is an announcement summarizing Amazon’s commitment and situating it within recent regional data center investments.

Feb 25, 2026

Climate Change Solutions - February 24, 2026

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released a newsletter highlighting data center impacts, policy developments on Capitol Hill, and upcoming briefings and events.

Main announcement: EESI highlighted rising household energy costs driven in part by data center demand, noting electricity prices have risen by up to 267% since 2020 in high-concentration data center areas and that wildfires cost the United States up to $424 billion annually. The newsletter features the article “Data Center Power Demands Are Contributing to Higher Energy Bills,” a podcast on wildfire philanthropy, and announces briefings including “Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability” on Thursday, February 26 (3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online).
Background and other details: The newsletter summaries recent legislative actions and events: Senate Energy Committee advanced the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 (S.714); House Committee approved the ACERO Act (H.R.390) to authorize NASA’s ACERO project; Senate Foreign Relations agreed to the Protecting Global Fisheries Act of 2026 (S.1369); House introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567). Events listed with dates/times/locations:
- Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability — Feb 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
- Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy — Mar 3, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building, Room 385 and online (Reception to follow)
- Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses — Mar 12, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
- 2026 Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (EXPO 2026) — Jun 24, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Foyer and Gold Room and online

Feb 25, 2026

CTA Official Says It’s Time to Reclaim and Auction TV Station Spectrum

The Consumer Technology Association’s SVP Michael Petricone called on Congress to pursue an “Incentive Auction 2.0” to reclaim and auction spectrum licensed to TV station owners.

Main action: Michael Petricone (CTA SVP of Government & Regulatory Affairs) urged Congress to reclaim broadcaster-held spectrum via an “Incentive Auction 2.0”, to auction it openly and let the market allocate it to its highest value uses; he also called for removing regulatory advantages that favor legacy TV stations and criticized proposals to loosen ownership rules to permit more mergers and consolidation.
Background and other details: The National Association of Broadcasters (Grace Whaley) pushed back defending local stations and praising FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for modernizing rules; the article also references related telecom items including Akamai opposing a USF tax on CDNs, calls to protect CBRS from auction, four ISPs joining an open-access network in Los Alamos, a Florida bill to make Big Tech pay data center energy bills, and a Starlink–Microsoft partnership to serve developing nations.

Feb 23, 2026

NVIDIA Brings AI-Powered Cybersecurity to World’s Critical Infrastructure

NVIDIA is collaborating with Akamai, Forescout, Palo Alto Networks, Xage Security and Siemens to bring accelerated computing and AI to OT cybersecurity.

Main announcement: NVIDIA and partners will embed AI-driven, zero-trust security into OT/ICS by running security services on NVIDIA BlueField DPUs, enabling agentless discovery, agentless segmentation, local inspection/enforcement at the edge, and centralized analysis in AI factories; demonstrations are scheduled at S4x26 (Feb. 24–26, Miami).
Details and background:Forescout provides continuous, agentless discovery and policy enforcement for OT/IoT/IT; Akamai has extended the Guardicore Platform to run on BlueField for agentless segmentation; Palo Alto’s Prisma AIRS runs on BlueField for deep traffic inspection; Xage (which already protects about 60% of U.S. midstream pipeline infrastructure) will show zero-trust integrations on BlueField; Siemens will demonstrate an AI-ready Industrial Automation DataCenter with IEC 62443-aligned cybersecurity and edge data center capabilities.

Florida Data Center Intel

Recent Florida data center news