Iowa Data Center News

Mar 13, 2026

OPINION: Care about the environment

Jocelynn Messersmith urges readers to reduce environmental harm by limiting non-essential uses of artificial intelligence and adopting everyday sustainable behaviors.

Main action: The opinion piece calls for reducing non-essential AI use (criticizing large-scale content generation and “busy work”), and adopting lifestyle choices like carpooling, public transportation, biking, walking, buying fewer things, shopping secondhand, and repairing items.
Background/details: The article cites environmental harms linked to AI and supporting infrastructure — data centres producing electronic waste, high water use, reliance on critical minerals, and large electricity consumption; it also references resources from UNEP and WWF and reiterates the long-standing advice to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Mar 12, 2026

DOE Unveils Initiative to Add 5 GW of Nuclear Capacity Through Uprates and Restarts

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) to accelerate nuclear uprates, restarts, and life extensions with targets of 2.5 GW by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029.

Main announcement/action:UPRISE unveiled March 12 will focus on power uprates, license renewals, restarts, and plant efficiency optimization, delivering 2.5 GW by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029 through targeted technical support to owners and the NRC, matchmaking workshops between plants and large end-users, and expanded use of federal loan authority to de‑risk investments.
Background and concrete details: DOE/EDF provide financial and program support including EDF loan authority > $289 billion (can fund up to 80% of eligible project costs); specific restart loans include a $1.52 billion DOE loan guarantee for Palisades (800 MW, Holtec targeting 2026) and a $1 billion DOE loan for Crane (Constellation’s ~ $1.6 billion restart, 835 MW, possible 2027 online under a Microsoft contract); Duane Arnold is a candidate for restart targeting ~2029 with a PPA announced by NextEra/Google; NEI and NRC pipeline data cited (NEI: >8 GWe potential from fleet; NRC: ~30 expected uprates through 2030 representing ~2.5 GWe).

Mar 5, 2026

Hyperscalers Sign White House Pledge to Fund Data Center Power, Grid Upgrades

The White House convened seven major AI/hyperscaler companies on March 4 to sign the non‑regulatory Ratepayer Protection Pledge committing to fund new generation capacity and pay for required grid upgrades so costs are not passed to residential or commercial ratepayers.

Main announcement (signatories & commitments): The pledge was signed on March 4, 2026 by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI, committing to build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers; companies also agree to pay for contracted power and infrastructure whether or not they ultimately consume the electricity. The White House framed the effort as a policy response to AI-driven load growth and stated companies will negotiate separate rate structures with utilities and state governments to isolate costs from existing ratepayers.
Background & implementation details: The article cites EPRI projections (U.S. data center demand ~177–192 TWh in 2024, rising to 9–17% of national demand by 2030, up to 793 TWh in a high scenario). It documents specific company actions and figures: Google >7,800 MW contracted in Texas and a $4.75 billion Intersect Power acquisition pending; Microsoft contracted 7.9 GW in MISO; Amazon-related deals cited ~$1 billion projected customer savings (Indiana) and a $300 million Entergy transformation (Mississippi); OpenAI’s Stargate aims for 10 GW U.S. AI compute by 2029 and committed $175 million for local infrastructure in Wisconsin. The notes also record that the pledge is non‑binding and the White House disclosure does not specify independent auditing, penalties, or a defined enforcement methodology.

Mar 4, 2026 · Google

Supporting the White House Affordability Pledge: Google’s approach for responsible energy growth

Google has announced its formal support for the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge and detailed actions it will take to protect ratepayers, add new energy, and strengthen grid resilience.

Main announcement: Google will pay 100% of the power its data centers use and fund any new infrastructure costs directly driven by its growth, adopt and accelerate the Capacity Commitment Framework (CCF) (first adopted in early 2025), and commit to bringing net-new energy to the grid; Google states it has added more than 22 GW of new energy to global grids over the past decade and will pursue advanced nuclear, geothermal, and long-duration storage projects (including restarting a U.S. nuclear plant in Iowa).
Background and details: Google plans additional measures to improve grid resilience (partnerships with CTC Global to scale advanced conductors and Intersect Power to colocate data center load with generation), to pursue new rate structures like the Clean Transition Tariff (CTT), and to expand workforce programs such as the electrical training ALLIANCE aiming to increase the electrical workforce pipeline by 70% within five years; Google also highlights operational efficiency (trailing 12-month PUE 1.09 vs industry average 1.56).

Mar 4, 2026

Data Center Jobs: Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Sales, Field Service and Facility Tech Jobs Available in Major Data Center Hotspots

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, has posted the latest roundup of data center career opportunities on the Data Center Frontier jobs board.

Main announcement: Data Center Frontier and Pkaza published 13 current data center job listings across the United States (examples include Electrical Applications Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Production Architect – Data Center Facilities Design, Director of Construction, and Data Center Facility Operations Director), with many roles offering remote options or multiple city locations (e.g., Pittsburgh, Dallas, New York, Ashburn, Columbus, Boulder, Chesterton, Augusta).
Background and details: Listings are provided by/for mission-critical and colo/hyperscale sectors and emphasize reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design and LEED expertise; roles cover engineering design & commissioning firms, electrical contracting, general contracting and data center developers, and include positions supporting AI/HPC infrastructure and brownfield conversions.

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 25, 2026

US Roundup: FlexGen updates EMS, LandGate’s BESS site selection tool, ON.Energy-Shoals target data centres, Sunrun’s season of VPP dispatching

Energy-Storage.news reports a roundup of recent industry announcements from FlexGen, LandGate, ON.energy & Shoals, and Sunrun.

FlexGen announced an updated HybridOS EMS with a new user interface, real-time and historical data, integrated market prices, mobile app access, an augmentation prediction and diagnostics dashboard, charge limit handler, and native CAN support; LandGate launched its Battery Storage Analysis tool to produce automated ‘Battery Storage Due Diligence Reports’ and assess interconnection, arbitrage, queue competition and environmental risks; ON.energy and Shoals agreed to deploy multiple GWs of critical power systems pairing ON.energy’s medium-voltage AI UPS with Shoals’ DC Recombiner; Sunrun completed a VPP dispatch season with PG&E totaling more than 1,200 dispatch hours across over 1,000 customers, with participants earning US$150 per battery.
Background and supporting details: FlexGen completed its acquisition of most assets and IP from Powin in August 2025 and supports over 25GWh of BESS across 10 countries; FlexGen recently put two utility-scale BESS totalling 700MWh into operation in Wisconsin and Iowa; ON.energy previously announced a 5GW transformer supply agreement with Prolec GE (late 2025); Sunrun’s Local PeakShift Power VPP operated as part of PG&E’s SAVE program (tests April–June 2025; dispatched July–October 2025); the article also references interconnection reform discussions and noise/permitting issues for BESS projects (Idaho Power case, Wärtsilä commentary).

Feb 19, 2026

Alliant Energy announces 2025 results

Alliant Energy Corporation announced its consolidated 2025 financial results and reaffirmed 2026 ongoing earnings guidance.

Main announcement: Alliant Energy reported GAAP EPS of $3.14 in 2025 (vs $2.69 in 2024) and ongoing EPS of $3.22 in 2025 (vs $3.04 in 2024, 6% growth), and affirmed 2026 ongoing EPS guidance of $3.36 - $3.46. This is presented as an earnings/press release on the company’s investor site.
Background and other details: The company stated it renegotiated an electric service agreement with QTS tied to a new project location and referenced its two regulated utilities, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL); contact info for media relations and a link to the full investor news release were provided.

Jan 30, 2026

Climate Change Solutions - January 27, 2025

The U.S. Congress has enacted the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R.6938), signed into law by the President.

Main action: The appropriations minibus (H.R.6938) was signed into law, providing FY2026 funding for agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA (including ENERGY STAR®), NASA, and the Forest Service; bill summaries for Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment appropriations are linked in the newsletter.
Other legislative and policy items referenced:NFIP Extension Act of 2026 (H.R.5577) advanced in the House to extend NFIP authorization through September 2026; Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act (H.R.2860) was reported out with $10 million annually through 2031 for the Northwest Straits Commission; the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act (H.R.7142 / S.3637) was reintroduced to reauthorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority. The newsletter also announces an EESI briefing postponed (wildfire briefing) and lists upcoming briefings (dates, rooms, and RSVP links).

Jan 30, 2026

Top 20 countries by the number of data centers in 2025

DevelopmentAid publishes an overview of the global data center market, trends, and investment forecasts.

Main summary: The article provides a market overview noting the United States leads with 4,165 data centers (about 3,000 more being built/planned) and estimates the sector could reach US$22.7 billion by 2030 driven by generative AI, cloud services, 5G, and IoT. It cites major investment figures including Google >€5.5 billion (US$6.37 billion) in Germany and a €1 billion project involving Nvidia and Deutsche Telekom.
Background & details: The piece aggregates third-party reports and data (Statista, Axios, McKinsey, JLL, Datum, Baxtel, Global Data Center Hub) and provides regional details: McKinsey’s US$6.7 trillion capex by 2030 (US$5.2 trillion for AI-optimized facilities, US$1.5 trillion for typical IT), Latin America growth from ~US$5bn (2023) to >US$10bn by 2029, and capacity/footprint statistics for countries and hyperscale operators. It is an informational market overview, not a primary announcement of a single new project with implementation timelines.

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