Illinois Data Center Intel

Recent Illinois data center news

• Jan 14, 2026

  Emerging Data Center Markets: Key Locations to Watch in 2026

  Cushman & Wakefield reports that power and land constraints in major U.S. data center hubs are driving operators to consider secondary and tertiary markets.

  • Main announcement: Cushman & Wakefield finds power and land constraints in primary hubs (Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland/Eastern Oregon) are shifting site selection toward secondary/tertiary markets; highlights include OpenAI’s Stargate (~$100 billion) and Vantage Frontier (~$25+ billion) as large upcoming projects.
  • Details/background: Regions such as Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, Central Washington, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are offering economic incentives, faster approvals, and flexible regulatory frameworks; Central Washington offers low-cost hydro power enabling 100% renewable operation but is also facing power constraints.
• Jan 14, 2026

  The Domestic Global South and The Need for Climate and Environmental Internationalism

  Black Agenda Report published a related-stories page listing multiple articles, including an Adam Mahoney piece about developers targeting a Black area after a white town rejected a data center.

  • Main item: The page features the article “After a White Town Rejected a Data Center, Developers Targeted a Black Area” (Adam Mahoney, 14 January 2026), highlighting that “Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center” and that communities closest to data centers are described as “overwhelmingly” non-white.
  • Background/other details: The listing also includes coverage of COP30 held in Brazil (article: “COPing Out In Brazil”) and multiple U.S.-focused commentary pieces (dates and authors provided for each item, e.g., essays dated 14 January 2026); donate links reference Stripe and a publisher Skyhorse is named in one item.
• Jan 13, 2026

  Six Stony Brook University Faculty Mentor Regeneron STS Scholars

  Stony Brook University announced that ten high school students mentored by six Stony Brook faculty were named among the top 300 semifinalists in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS).

  • Main announcement: Ten Simons Summer Research Program fellows, mentored by six Stony Brook faculty, were named among the top 300 Regeneron STS semifinalists; each semifinalist and their high school will receive $2,000. The article lists faculty mentors (Benjamin Hsiao, Mohammad Javad Amiri, Yuefan Deng, Zhenhua Liu, Howard Sirotkin, Nengkun Yu) and student projects such as stormwater remediation of 6PPD, AI-enabled drug discovery for oncogenic eIF4E, and Carbon-Aware Reserve Allocation and Checkpoint Scheduling for GPU Sustainability.
  • Background and details: The semifinalists were selected from >2,600 applicants representing 46 states, Washington, D.C., Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries; 40 finalists will be announced on January 21 to compete for over $3.1 million in awards during a week-long event in Washington, D.C., March 5–11. The piece references the Society for Science administration of Regeneron STS and notes that since 1997 about 600 semifinalists have been mentored by Stony Brook faculty.
• Jan 13, 2026

  Sphera Partners With Rolls-Royce Power Systems on mtu Backup Power Gensets Environmental Product Declarations

  Sphera has partnered with Rolls-Royce Power Systems to prepare and publish third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for two mtu generator sets.

  • Main announcement: Sphera’s Sustainability Consultants produced and published two EPDs for mtu 16V4000 DS2500 and mtu 10V1600 DS500 on the International EPD® System (Environdec), following ISO 14025 and EN 50693 standards; the EPDs include LCA study summaries and environmental impact data.
  • Background and details: Sphera used its LCA For Experts and LCA BOM Import tools to create the reports; Rolls-Royce Power Systems (headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, with >10,350 employees) says these are among the first OEM EPDs in the sector and cover high-performance gensets used for mission critical, standby and continuous power.
• Jan 12, 2026

  Meta Unveils Series of Major Nuclear Energy Deals to Power U.S. Data Centers, Support Clean Energy Goals

  Meta announced that it has signed a series of large-scale nuclear power agreements to support its expanding U.S. data center energy needs and clean energy goals.

  • Main announcement: Meta has committed to agreements supporting up to 6.6 GW of nuclear energy by 2035, including: TerraPower funding for two Natrium plants (345 MW baseload each, boostable to 500 MW for >5 hours, with rights to energy from up to six additional units; additional units anticipated as early as 2032); Oklo funding to advance a 1.2 GW power campus in Pike County, Ohio (Phase 1 targeted online as early as 2030, full incremental capacity by 2034); Vistra 20-year PPAs for more than 2.6 GW of zero-carbon energy (including 2,176 MW of operating generation and 433 MW of uprates) with Meta purchases beginning late 2026 and additional capacity added through 2034; and a prior June 2025 Constellation Energy agreement extending a plant life to supply 1.1 GW for 20 years.
  • Background and implementation details: The deals resulted from a U.S.-focused nuclear RFP launched by Meta in late 2024; TerraPower’s Natrium design integrates a sodium fast reactor with molten salt energy storage; Oklo is working with the U.S. Department of Energy and National Laboratories on advanced fuel recycling and has purchased over 200 acres in Pike County; Vistra’s agreements mark the largest nuclear uprates supported by a corporate customer in the U.S. to date. Implementation timelines are explicit: Constellation deal announced June 2025; Vistra purchases begin late 2026 with capacity additions through 2034; TerraPower additional units as early as 2032; Oklo Phase 1 as early as 2030 and full campus by 2034.
• Jan 12, 2026

  New Data Center Developments: January 2026

  Vantage Data Centers broke ground on the Lighthouse data center project in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

  • Project details: Lighthouse is a four-data-center campus delivering 902 MW of IT capacity, driven by a $15 billion investment as part of Oracle and OpenAI’s Stargate initiative; the development positions the site for hyperscale AI deployments and is presented as a regional economic infrastructure project.
  • Additional facts and background: Major energy and footprint moves this month include Alphabet’s acquisition of Intersect Power for $4.75 billion in cash (plus assumption of existing debt) to secure clean energy for Google data centers; Nscale’s $865 million commitment for a 10-year, 40 MW colocation agreement in North Carolina; TikTok’s >$37.7 billion investment plan for a Brazil data center with Omnia and Casa dos Ventos; Brookfield and Qai’s $20 billion AI infrastructure JV in Qatar; and regulatory/energy items such as Ireland lifting a de facto moratorium requiring on-site generation or batteries to meet full demand for grid connections.
• Jan 9, 2026

  Meta Strikes Deal With Irving’s Vistra to Purchase Nuclear Power for Meta’s AI ‘Supercluster’

  Meta has signed 20-year power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with Vistra to procure 2,609 MW of zero-carbon nuclear energy to support Meta’s operations and its Prometheus AI supercluster in New Albany, Ohio.

  • Main announcement & deal details: Meta is purchasing 2,176 MW from operating units at Perry and Davis-Besse plus 433 MW of incremental output from equipment uprates at Perry (OH), Davis-Besse (OH), and Beaver Valley (PA) for a total of 2,609 MW; the PPAs are 20-year agreements, purchases begin in late 2026 and the full 2,609 MW will be online by 2034; Vistra will use the commitment to invest in uprates and pursue subsequent 20-year license extensions for the three plants.
  • Background and implementation details: Vistra acquired the plants in 2023, recently agreed to acquire Cogentrix Energy in a $4 billion deal; uprate projects span approximately nine years and are expected to support ~3,000 project-related jobs, increase state and local tax revenues (described as tens of millions of dollars annually), and benefit the PJM regional grid (PJM service area list provided in article).
• Jan 9, 2026

  Constellation Completes Acquisition of Calpine; Groups Have 55 GW of Generation Capacity

  Constellation has completed its acquisition of Calpine Corp from Energy Capital Partners (ECP).

  • Main announcement: Constellation completed the acquisition of Calpine (transaction first announced a year earlier), creating a combined company with 55 GW of generation capacity, serving 2.5 million retail and business customers nationwide, and with a total transaction value of $26.6 billion including debt (originally announced as a $16.4 billion cash-and-stock deal). The merged company will power data centers, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure and will maintain headquarters in Baltimore with a significant presence in Houston.
  • Background and details: The deal was closed and announced on January 7; the combination joins Constellation’s nuclear fleet with Calpine’s natural gas-fired and geothermal assets. The transaction strengthens footprints in Texas and California while maintaining operations in Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania; Energy Capital Partners emphasized its role as seller and long-term investor.
• Jan 9, 2026

  Meta Secures 6.6 GW of Nuclear Energy to Power AI Data Centers

  Meta Platforms has announced agreements with TerraPower, Oklo, and Vistra to secure up to 6.6 GW of nuclear energy over the next 20 years to support its AI-driven data center expansion.

  • Main announcement: Meta will secure up to 6.6 GW over 20 years through agreements with TerraPower, Oklo, and Vistra, gaining immediate access to 2.1 GW from the Besse and Perry reactors (Ohio) and the Beaver Valley facility (Pennsylvania); the deals also include 433 MW from upgrades at the Pennsylvania site and 75 MW from an Oklo reactor planned in Ohio (pending regulatory approval).
  • Background and timeline details: The agreements support construction of two new SMRs producing 690 MW by 2032, plus access rights to up to six additional SMRs (2.1 GW) targeted for completion by 2035; Meta previously signed a 20-year, 1.1 GW deal with Constellation for its Clinton, Illinois plant, and analysts have described the long-term value of these agreements as tens of billions (non-specific).
• Jan 9, 2026

  Trump’s AI push breathes life into an old pollution scourge

  The EPA under Administrator Lee Zeldin plans to loosen enforcement of a 2024 Biden-era coal ash rule, proposing regulatory changes and potentially granting a three-year cleanup extension to 11 power plants for 13 unlined coal ash dumps.

  • Main action: EPA plans to propose amendments to the 2024 coal ash rule and is considering a three-year extension (to Oct. 17, 2031) for a subset of plants; the proposal would apply to 11 plants and 13 unlined ash dumps (each spanning more than 40 acres), and the agency will accept comments through February 6, 2026. The agency says the extension aims to promote grid reliability amid rising demand from AI data centers.
  • Background and details: The 2024 rule had expanded oversight to legacy ash dumps after earlier exemptions; EPA and companies cite implementation challenges. Examples: NIPSCO/Schahfer previously expected to close by 2028 but EPA proposed extension to Oct. 2031; PacifiCorp stopped burning coal on Dec. 31 and will not use the extension (stop disposing ash by Sept. 30); several plants (Naughton, Baldwin) have reported groundwater exceedances of contaminants such as arsenic, lithium, fluoride and radium. EPA has not publicly confirmed compliance status for the 11 plants identified.