Minnesota Data Center News

Apr 23, 2026

“Colossus Failure”: Elon Musk’s Data Centers Face Lawsuit for Polluting Black Neighborhoods in Memphis

The NAACP has sued Elon Musk’s xAI, accusing the company of operating over two dozen unpermitted methane gas turbines to power its Colossus I and Colossus II data centers in Memphis, allegedly violating the Clean Air Act.

Lawsuit details & immediate action: The NAACP lawsuit alleges xAI is operating over two dozen methane gas-burning turbines without legal permits, powering Colossus I and Colossus II, and emitting nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals; activists say the turbines generate enough power to power over half a million homes and are running without permits under the Clean Air Act.
Background & local context: Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) and executive director KeShaun Pearson describe the project as environmental racism concentrated in southwest Memphis; xAI purchased a former Electrolux factory site previously subsidized by local government, and advocacy groups (NAACP, Southern Environmental Law Center, Earthjustice, Safe and Sound Coalition) are coordinating legal and community responses. Maine’s recent statewide data center moratorium is cited as a related policy precedent.

Apr 22, 2026

Patented: Verizon’s Signal Spoof Detection at Base Stations and More North Texas Inventive Activity

Dallas-Fort Worth reported 171 patents granted for the week of March 24 and Verizon was granted a patent for detecting GPS/satellite signal spoofing at cellular base stations.

Main announcement: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (19100) 171 patents granted for the week of March 24, ranked No. 8 out of 250 U.S. metros; notable individual patent: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. (U.S. Patent No. 12587857) for signal spoof detection at base stations using a comparison of a station’s known “true position” with a calculated “real time position” and generating an alert when the distance exceeds a threshold. Named inventors on the Verizon patent are Jerry Gamble, Jr. (Grapevine, TX) and Sumanth S. Mallya (Flower Mound, TX).
Background/details: The article is a patent roundup (Dallas Invents) listing utility and design patents connected to North Texas; it enumerates classification counts (G: Physics 53; H: Electricity 49; DESIGN: 31, etc.), top assignees (e.g., Texas Instruments Inc. 17; Traxxas L.P. 17; Samsung 8; Verizon 6) and highlights many granted patents across domains (telecom, AI/ML, medical devices, robotics, energy, networking). For each patent the report includes patent number, inventor(s), assignee, application file/date, and abstract (no speculative outcomes).

Apr 21, 2026

Meta reserves up to 100GWh of US ‘multi-day’ energy storage startup Noon Energy’s technology

Noon Energy has announced an agreement with Meta to reserve up to 1GW/100GWh of long-duration energy storage (LDES) capacity.

Main announcement: Noon Energy will start the collaboration with a 25MW/2.5GWh project scheduled for completion by 2028, and, following the initial project’s success, will begin deliveries under a 1GW/100GWh supply contract with Meta; Noon said it will begin developing the 25MW/2.5GWh project soon but did not provide a detailed timeline beyond the 2028 completion target.
Background and technical details: Noon’s system is built around reversible solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology with separate charge and discharge tanks (decoupling power and energy); the company has an operational demonstration it claims is capable of 200 hours of discharge and the article references other LDES deals and pilots (Form Energy, Energy Dome, Google, Xcel Energy, Crusoe) as context.

Apr 14, 2026

AI boom derails clean-air efforts in heavily polluted cities

The Trump administration has rolled back federal soot standards and taken actions to keep coal plants online to support AI-driven data center power demand.

Main action: In February the Trump administration scrapped Biden-era soot standards that were due to take effect in 2027 and issued an executive order (“Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry”), provided funding to keep coal plants running, delayed plant retirements, and rolled back rules on mercury and other toxins to support AI-driven electricity demand (DOE projects 50 gigawatts of new demand by 2030).
Background and specifics: The article cites the Labadie Energy Center (owned by Ameren Corp) as a major emitter; Reuters estimates the plant’s pollution drives an economic burden up to $5.5 billion per year, with about $820 million borne by St. Louis area residents. Biden-era soot limits would have required Labadie to cut soot emissions by more than half and delivered net public health benefits up to $3 billion by 2037; Ameren says Labadie will run for at least another decade to ensure reliability.

Apr 12, 2026

The Rights Of Nature Movement Comes To Traverse City

The International Affairs Forum (IAF) is hosting two Rights of Nature events in Traverse City featuring CDER attorneys Hugo Echeverría and Frank Bibeau.

Main event and local programming:
- 7pm Wednesday, April 15 — IAF will host two attorneys from the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights (CDER): Hugo Echeverría (Ecuador) and Frank Bibeau (tribal attorney, Leech Lake) to discuss rights of nature legal frameworks. Location: not explicitly specified in the article (event link provided). Agenda/subject: legal frameworks for rights of nature, comparative examples including Ecuador and U.S. tribal litigation.
- April 16 — a conservation community dialogue at NMC to convene regional conservation leaders with Frank Bibeau and moderator Nicholas Reo to discuss local preservation and reclamation work.
Background, recent cases, and concrete details:
- White Earth Nation (2018 law / 2021 lawsuit): Frank Bibeau helped author a law recognizing legal rights for wild rice (“manoomin”) and used it as a framework in a 2021 suit against Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources related to Enbridge’s Line 3 construction.
- Sauk-Suiattle v. Seattle City Light: a tribal lawsuit over salmon passage led the city to agree to invest nearly $1 billion over the next 30 years to incorporate fish passage technology into three dams on the Skagit River.
- Rappahannock Tribe: currently appealing a Virginia permit authorizing large-scale water withdrawal (including for cooling of data centers). The article highlights data center cooling and AI-driven data center growth as drivers of increased rights-of-nature discussion.

Apr 10, 2026

As Trump throws lifeline to coal plants, critics warn of higher costs and health risks

The Trump administration has used emergency powers to prevent scheduled coal plant retirements and to fund upgrades that keep plants operating.

Main action: The administration issued emergency orders to keep at least five coal plants from closing, spent $175 million on upgrades for seven plants, is considering $350 million more in applications, and officials (e.g., Interior Secretary Doug Burgum) have articulated a goal of “100 per cent stay open, no more retirements”, citing grid reliability concerns. The administration also used measures that delayed the planned retirement of the Schahfer Generating Station in Indiana and justified keeping it online for extreme weather power needs.
Background and details: The piece references analysis by Enverus that suggested no additional coal retirements may occur during the administration; it notes 34 GW of coal capacity was set to retire before 2029, coal plants slated to retire emitted >130 million tons CO2 last year, and that keeping the fleet afloat could cost about $1 billion annually. Legal challenges have been filed by multiple states (Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado).

Apr 9, 2026

Data Centers Are Contributing to PFAS Forever Chemical Pollution

The EPA announced proposals in 2025 to delay PFAS drinking-water compliance and to fast-track chemical reviews for data-center projects.

EPA proposals (May–Sept 2025): The EPA proposed pushing back the compliance deadline for PFAS drinking-water standards to 2031 and announced plans to fast-track review of chemicals used in data centers to support the goal of making the U.S. the “AI capital of the world”; President Trump issued an executive order directing multiple federal agencies (EPA, DOI, DOE, DOC) to expedite permitting for data-center materials and infrastructure.
Background and parallel actions: Congress (117th) designated $1 billion via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and other PFAS wastewater programs; private-sector and state actions include 3M exiting PFAS manufacturing by end of 2025, Maine’s phased ban on many PFAS products (effective dates 2026–2040, coolants banned from 2040), and Minnesota’s statutes requiring PFAS reporting standards by 2026 and product-sale restrictions effective 2025 with broader bans by 2032.

Apr 7, 2026

CO2 battery startup Energy Dome signs MOU to deploy technology at Texas data centre

Energy Dome has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New Era Energy & Digital (NUAI) to evaluate deployment of its CO2 Battery Plus at NUAI’s Texas Critical Data Centres (TCDC) in Odessa, Texas.

Main announcement: The MOU creates a framework for Energy Dome (headquartered in Italy) and NUAI to evaluate implementing CO2 Battery Plus to support NUAI’s AI-optimised 1GW data centre in Odessa, Texas, with priorities on speed to power, reduced reliance on grid interconnection timelines, high availability for mission-critical operations, and lower-emissions power generation.
Background and related projects/details: Energy Dome’s CO2 Battery Plus uses waste heat from OCGT exhaust (removing the need for prior heat storage) and can operate in Charge, Discharge (SuperBoost) and Generation (Boost) modes (SuperBoost can more than double output; Generation can boost net gas turbine output by as much as 25%). Related deployments: 200MWh Sardinia project (financial close 2024, Engie offtake signed in late 2024); Alliant Energy 20MW/200MWh project approved by regulators in July 2025 (construction to begin this year, completion expected by end of 2027). The article also references other LDES and multi-day battery deals including Google’s strategic investment in Energy Dome, Google’s plan for 30GWh of Form Energy iron-air batteries in Minnesota, and Form Energy’s 12GWh supply agreement with Crusoe.

Mar 31, 2026

Michigan approves 1,332MW of BESS with 332MW supporting Oracle data centre

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved six battery energy storage system (BESS) projects totalling 1,332MW.

Main action: The MPSC approved six BESS contracts — Big Mitten Energy Centre (450MW), Monroe 1 Energy Centre (350MW), Fermi Energy Centre (200MW), Fish Creek Energy Centre (132MW), Cold Creek Energy Centre (100MW), and Pine River Energy Centre (100MW) — totalling 1,332MW. The first three projects (1,000MW) satisfy DTE Electric’s IRP settlement requiring at least 850MW, and the Big Mitten contract is a 20-year tolling agreement while Fermi and Monroe 1 are self-build contracts.
Background and implementation details: The last three (Fish Creek, Cold Creek, Pine River) are company-owned (DTE Electric) and will support a 1,383MW data centre developed by Green Chile Ventures (Oracle) in Saline Township; Oracle/Green Chile must develop 1,383MW of company-owned storage but initially will fund 332MW of storage capacity for the data centre and cover costs over 15 years. The MPSC denied rehearing petitions, citing lack of standing and no new evidence, and set protections including a minimum 19-year contract, 80% minimum billing demand, and a termination payment up to 10 years’ worth of minimum billing demand.

Mar 31, 2026

100-hour LDES battery technologies from Form, Noon and Ore: how do they compare?

This article analyses and compares commercial 100-hour batteries from Form Energy, Ore Energy and Noon Energy.

Main action: The article compares technical and commercial metrics for three commercial 100-hour LDES systems — Form Energy, Ore Energy (both iron-air) and Noon Energy (SOFC-flow). It highlights a major deployment reference: Form Energy’s 300MW / 30GWh iron-air project announced with Google to be installed alongside 1.6GW of renewable capacity for a Minnesota data centre. Cost targets are stated (Form: US$15–20/kWh, Ore: €16 / ~US$18.50/kWh, Noon: <US$20/kWh).
Background and technical details: The article summarises RTE ranges (iron-air ~35–50%, Noon 60–80%), operating temperatures (iron-air -40°C–50°C, Noon SOFC ~600–800°C likely), and system life estimates (iron-air ~20 years; Ore assumed similar; Noon undisclosed). It collates published references (Form Energy presentations, OSTI and IOP reports, Fraunhofer analysis) and notes gaps where companies have not publicly disclosed full data.

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