Minnesota Data Center Intel

Recent Minnesota data center news

• Oct 23, 2026

  MISO selects consortium of Ameren, GridLiance, Dairyland to deliver foundational energy grid project in Iowa

  MISO has announced that it selected a consortium led by Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois, GridLiance Heartland, and Dairyland Power Cooperative to develop, build, operate, and maintain the EASL transmission project in Iowa.

  • The East Adair – Minnesota/Iowa State Line – Arbor Hill – York Avenue (EASL) project includes a 765-kV backbone, one new 345/765-kV substation, and two new 345-kV transmission lines; it has an estimated cost of approximately $1.23 billion and ownership stakes of 42.5% ATXI, 42.5% GridLiance, and 15% Dairyland.
  • The project is part of MISO’s Long Range Transmission Planning Tranche 2.1 Portfolio (approved in December 2024); expected in-service dates are June 1, 2032 for the 345-kV scope and June 1, 2034 for the 765-kV scope, subject to regulatory review and stakeholder engagement.
• Oct 15, 2026

  Facilities could benefit as on-site energy matures: attorney

  This article is commentary based on an interview with David Streier of Fredrikson & Byron about the growing attractiveness of on-site power and storage for building owners.

  • Streier said building owners are increasingly adding on-site generation and energy storage as part of new construction, renovation, or expansion projects, describing it as an incremental budget item that can produce energy savings and an eventual return on investment.
  • He cited state and federal incentives as having reduced renewable and storage costs, noted that lithium-ion remains the most common battery technology, and pointed to emerging options such as iron-air batteries and graphite-block thermal storage; he also referenced Form Energy’s August deal with Google and Xcel Energy to provide 30 gigawatt-hours of battery energy to one of Google’s data centers.
• Oct 13, 2026

  U.S. Nuclear Policy Enters a New Era: NCCETC Dataset Tracks the Nationwide Sprint Toward New Nuclear Deployment

  The NC Clean Energy Technology Center has announced the latest edition of its Nuclear Energy Policy Dataset, a biannual resource tracking commercial nuclear energy policy and market activity across the United States.

  • The October 2026 update covers all 50 states, U.S. territories, and federal actions, and says 45 states and Puerto Rico took new action between April and September 2026; 48 states and Puerto Rico have acted since the start of the year.
  • Noteworthy developments cited include New Jersey’s 1.1 GW capacity certificate program, Illinois’ statewide inquiry, Tennessee’s first fusion plant license to Type One Energy at Bull Run in Clinton, and the TVA Clinch River SMR construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
• Oct 13, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  The 2026 US-India Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index

  ITIF and the Institute for Competitiveness, India have released a new subnational innovation competitiveness report comparing 87 regions in India and the United States.

  • The report benchmarks 36 Indian states and territories and 51 U.S. regions across 12 indicators in three pillars: knowledge economy, globalization, and innovation capacity.
  • It finds the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and California top the U.S. list, while Chandigarh, Maharashtra, and Delhi lead India; it also discusses AI policy, FDI concentration, renewable energy, Internet access, R&D, business creation, and patenting.
  • The article is a report summary/analysis and appears to be the first public release of this index, with a downloadable report PDF; it includes multiple monetary figures such as $57.2 billion in India FDI equity and $1 billion for New Hampshire’s biofabrication cluster.
  • The piece is substantively about innovation, infrastructure, digital connectivity, AI, and clean energy, and is relevant to data centres because it discusses AI infrastructure, GPUs, digital infrastructure, and power/renewables.
• Oct 12, 2026

  Voices: Strength in numbers. Tribal Nations are building energy sovereignty together.

  MTERA executive director Daniel Wiggins Jr. argues that Tribal Nations are deepening energy collaboration after federal clean-energy funding was cut, and he calls for greater public awareness and inclusion of Tribes in energy proceedings.

  • MTERA says it was founded in 2014 and now brings together 33 Tribes across Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to help plan, finance, and operate energy projects.
  • The article says MTERA aligned more than $62 million in federal funding in 2024 for residential solar in EPA Region 5, but the Solar for All program was terminated in August 2025, cutting more than $500 million for Tribal clean energy nationwide.
  • This is an opinion column in Planet Detroit’s Voices series, not a new project announcement; it also introduces Tribal Energy Voices as a platform for Tribes to tell their own energy stories.
• Oct 1, 2026

  DataBank Acquires Building Housing MSP2 Data Center in Minneapolis

  DataBank announced that it has acquired the building housing its MSP2 data center in Eagan, Minnesota, strengthening its strategy to own and control the real estate beneath its facilities.

  • The building at 3255 Neil Armstrong Blvd, Eagan, MN was previously leased and now becomes an owned asset supporting the MSP2 facility.
  • DataBank says the move supports greater operational control, long-term investment in infrastructure, and reliability for enterprise and institutional clients; it also noted it operates four Minneapolis data centers and has land for a fifth at its Brooklyn Park campus.
• Sep 25, 2026

  Retired and Retiring Coal Plants Offer the Grid’s Fastest Path to New Capacity

  Briggs White argues that retiring coal plants should be repurposed as the grid’s fastest path to new capacity. This is a commentary article, not a first-time corporate announcement.

  • White says coal sites offer interconnection, transmission, water, industrial land, transportation access, and a trained workforce, making them attractive for data centers, manufacturing, electrification, solar, gas, and nuclear projects.
  • Examples cited include D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments’ 240-MW solar-and-storage project in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana; Xcel Energy’s Sherco site in Becker, Minnesota with 710 MW online today and 910 MW by 2029; and TerraPower’s Natrium reactor near the Naughton coal plant in Wyoming. The article also notes a 2022 study finding coal-site reuse could cut a new nuclear plant’s capital cost by 15% to 35% versus greenfield.
• Sep 24, 2026

  Facilities fueling energy storage installations

  The article reports that U.S. commercial-sector energy storage installations are expected to rise 27% annually in megawatt terms through 2031, driven in part by data centers and backup-power demand.

  • The American Clean Power Association and Wood Mackenzie said the U.S. Energy Storage Monitor was released this week for Q3 2026 and forecasts strong growth across commercial, utility-scale, and residential storage.
  • The story cites Google’s earlier deal with Form Energy and Xcel Energy for 30 GWh of iron-air battery storage at a data center, and notes that commercial property storage installed in Q2 was 48 MW while utility-scale deployments reached 4.7 GW/17.6 GWh and residential deployments totaled 676 MW.
• Sep 23, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - September 22, 2026

  Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) has published a climate-focused newsletter previewing an upcoming Super El Niño briefing and summarizing recent Capitol Hill activity.

  • EESI announced an online briefing on Friday, September 25 at noon EDT about Super El Niño, with welcome remarks from Reps. Mike Flood and Eric Sorensen and RSVP links provided.
  • The newsletter also notes the House and Senate action on several bills, including the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, the Ratepayer Protection Act affecting data center-related grid upgrades, and the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act; it also promotes EESI resources and a new podcast episode.
  • This is a newsletter/update, not a standalone corporate deal announcement; it references prior and current legislative developments and upcoming events rather than announcing a new funding commitment.
• Sep 22, 2026

  US energy dynamics extend far beyond Washington

  adelphi, Atlantik-Brücke, and adelphi global co-hosted an event in Berlin titled Understanding US Energy Dynamics: Opportunities for Germany to Engage.

  • The discussion focused on US state policy, regional electricity markets, rising power demand, and the role of battery storage, with participants including Jennifer Morgan, Heiko Willenberg (RWE), Zachary Karas (PowerCo), Jamie Long (Minnesota Representative and DFL Floor Leader), and Tom Opdyke (R Street Institute).
  • Speakers said long delivery times for gas turbines strengthen the near-term case for faster-deployable technologies; they also highlighted the impact of data centre-driven electricity demand, renewables, permitting, siting, and grid infrastructure on future growth.