Missouri Data Center News

May 12, 2026

Google Signs 500 MW Solar Deal to Power Texas Data Centers

Google has announced a new 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Linea Energy for 500 MW from a new solar project in Texas to support its data center operations.

Main announcement: Google signed a 15-year PPA with Linea Energy to purchase 500 MW from Linea’s Duffy Solar Project in Texas; the project will cover 3,526 acres, is co-located with a 235 MWac Duffy BESS, and construction begins Q3 2026.
Background and additional details: The power will supply Google’s data centers in the ERCOT market; Google has signed more than 170 agreements for over 23 GW of clean energy since 2010 and recently executed other large PPAs including 1 GW with TotalEnergies and 1.2 GW with Clearway (earlier in the year).

May 8, 2026

Interview: Unison Energy CEO on Data Centers Turning to On-Site Power

Unison Energy named Mariko McDonagh Meier as CEO in January 2026.

Main announcement: Unison Energy appointed Mariko McDonagh Meier as CEO in January 2026, and the company is positioning its behind-the-meter CHP and microgrid model to supply large energy users—especially data centers—facing interconnection delays.
Background and details:On-site, dispatchable natural gas generation (turbines/engines) is being contracted under long-term (typ. 20-year) agreements, with pipelines spanning hundreds of megawatts to gigawatts, phased builds (phase one often 50–100 MW), and historical contract-to-commissioning timelines of about two years (subject to 70-week equipment lead times); recent deployment example includes a CHP project with General Mills in Missouri.

May 7, 2026

Bunkers, Mines, and Caverns: The World of Underground Data Centers

Data Center Knowledge reports underground facilities represent a small but growing niche in the global data center market.

Main announcement: The article documents operators converting retired mines and Cold War-era bunkers into commercial data centers, citing Iron Mountain’s Boyers, Pa. campus (>200 feet underground with a 35-acre underground lake) as a leading example; other highlighted sites include Lefdal Mine (Norway, fjord cooling, powered almost entirely by renewable hydroelectric energy) and Pionen (Bahnhof, ~100 feet beneath Stockholm).
Background and details: The piece summarizes expert commentary on drivers and constraints: natural ambient rock temperatures and physical security reduce cooling needs and PUE, while operational challenges include humidity control, ventilation, radon mitigation, complex logistics, limited vertical scalability, and the need for specialized engineering and permitting. Markets cited as attractive include Nordics, Singapore, and Switzerland.

May 6, 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 data center job listings on its jobs board.

Monthly job roundup: The post lists multiple open roles including Power Applications Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Power Systems Sales Implementation Engineer, Architect Design Manager (CSA), Electrical Project Manager, Commissioning Project Manager, MEP Superintendent, Director of Data Center Facility Operations, Project Executive (Owner’s Rep), EHS Director, Mechanical Commissioning Lead, Mechanical Controls Engineer, Director of Project Deliverables, and Senior Electrical Engineer across numerous U.S. locations (examples: Pittsburgh, PA; New Albany, OH; Raleigh, NC; Dallas, TX; Charlotte, NC; Chesterton, IN; Denver, CO; New York, NY; Totowa, NJ), with many roles offering remote or multi-city travel options.
Client and role context: Positions are with mission-critical data center developers, engineering design and commissioning firms, electrical contracting firms, general contractors, and digital infrastructure firms; job descriptions emphasize reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design, and LEED expertise, and note career-growth opportunities, competitive salaries and benefits. Many listings reference travel requirements and alternative available locations for implementation timelines (immediate hiring/use by clients), but no specific salary or funding amounts are disclosed.

May 4, 2026

In the PR Battle for AI Data Centers, Tech Giants Got a Blue-Collar Ally

Building trades unions have aligned with tech giants to support and staff rapid expansion of data center construction for the AI economy.

Unions expanding training and workshare:Building trades unions are scaling training centers and apprenticeships (apprentice classes doubling in size in some areas), reporting record numbers of members and apprentices in 2025; data centers account for at least 40% of work hours for the Columbus-Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council and 50% for IBEW Local 26 in metropolitan Washington, D.C. North America’s Building Trades Unions reports record membership and apprenticeships, and union leaders (e.g., Sean McGarvey) attribute growth to data centers, power plants, and Biden-era subsidies for semiconductors and EV battery factories.
Partnerships, funding and project details: Tech companies are funding training and signing labor agreements: Google provided a $10 million grant to a union-backed electricians training program (said to expand the electrician workforce pipeline by 70%); Amazon announced it will spend $20 billion on two data center projects in eastern Pennsylvania (announced with Gov. Josh Shapiro); unions negotiated labor agreements on projects including Oracle/OpenAI’s Stargate campus (Michigan) and the “Project Blue” campus in Arizona. These are factual reporting items, not new single-source policy announcements.

May 3, 2026

Energy group asks Congress to investigate potentially foreign-backed campaigns against AI data centers

Power the Future has asked Congress to open formal investigations into funding it alleges is incentivizing nonprofits and local groups to oppose data center and AI projects.

Requested action: Power the Future sent a letter to Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asking committees to open formal investigations into what it describes as a “coordinated, billionaire-funded, and potentially foreign-backed political campaign” to block construction of data center and AI infrastructure. The group reports 188 local opposition groups across 24 states and cites grant reporting that New Venture Fund, the Sierra Club Foundation and the Sixteen Thirty Fund collectively received over $13 million from pro-environmental donors.
Background/details: The letter raises concerns that U.S. nonprofit donor disclosure laws can shield donors from public disclosure; it names environmental organizations (Sierra Club, Food and Water Watch, Earthjustice, Goods Jobs First, Piedmont Environmental Council, Southern Environmental Law Center, MediaJustice, Athena Coalition) as recipients of funding they say has been spent opposing data center expansions. Power the Future founder Daniel Turner acknowledges some legitimate local concerns but urges scrutiny of the scale and source of funding. The letter quotes Interior Secretary Doug Burgum calling opposition a “surrender” to China. No formal investigation timeline is provided in the article.

May 1, 2026

Scenes from the great data center revolt

Andy Patrizio reports growing community and political pushback against multiple proposed data center projects across the United States.

Widespread local opposition and legal/political actions: Multiple communities have moved from passive concern to active resistance, including a recall of four Festus, Missouri city council members after approval of a $6 billion, 360-acre data center proposal; a citizens’ lawsuit in Hermantown, Minnesota to block a $1.5 billion Google “Project Loon” site; and a coalition in Pennsylvania seeking a three-year moratorium plus legislation (HB 2150, HB 1834, HB 2151) requiring reporting on energy/water use, banning cost-shifting to residents, and a model zoning ordinance.
Project specifics and mitigations for two large developments: In Box Elder County, Utah, a Kevin O’Leary–backed hyperscale campus on 40,000 acres plans an initial ~3 GW power need and up to 9 GW at full buildout with on-site power via the Ruby Pipeline (MIDA says “100% of the power will be generated off the Ruby Pipeline”); Wyoming’s Project Jade expanded from 1.8 GW to 2.7 GW (designer says theoretically up to 10 GW) and proposes closed-loop water cooling with initial fill equivalent to ~20 households and ongoing use equivalent to <3 households per year.

Apr 29, 2026

Data Centers Face a New Constraint: Public Consent

Data Center Frontier reports that public consent has become a material constraint on US data center development.

Main development: State and local actions are escalating: Maine lawmakers advanced LD 307 (would have paused approvals for facilities ≥20 megawatts through Nov 1, 2027) and proposed a Maine Data Center Coordination Council to study AI-scale impacts; Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill, but executive action and local freezes (e.g., Bangor’s proposed 180-day pause) are expected to proceed.
Additional facts & context: Local and county actions include Hood County/Granbury litigation and regulation efforts (county sought legal guidance from Ken Paxton), Huron County expanding a moratorium to three years, Stokes County rezoning litigation over roughly 1,845 acres, Aurora adopting stringent permitting and reporting rules, and a contested $6 billion data center approval in Festus tied to electoral backlash (four council members removed).

Apr 24, 2026

Future‑Ready IT at the University of Missouri: Powering Academic Excellence

The University of Missouri has standardized on Dell PowerStore, Dell PowerMax, Dell PowerFlex and Dell PowerEdge to create a unified, resilient IT platform that reduces data center footprint and energy costs.

Main announcement: The University of Missouri standardized on Dell PowerStore, PowerMax, PowerFlex and PowerEdge to build a single, dependable technology foundation; this modernization reduced the data center footprint by up to 50%, cutting energy costs and freeing floor space. The deployment includes PowerStore for VoIP (including 911) with sub-millisecond latency and zero complaints, PowerMax with SRDF replication for cross-site protection, PowerFlex running the ERP, and PowerEdge servers hosting hundreds of VMs managed with OpenManage.
Additional details / background: Dell reports all‑flash performance across systems (PowerStore/PowerMax) with SRDF replication for resiliency; Mizzou notes upgrades occur mid-day with no user impact and that a PowerStore can be deployed quickly (“over lunch”). The IT team is now exploring AI and machine learning for future services; no specific financial amounts or project timelines were disclosed.

Apr 20, 2026

U.S. Data Center Gold Rush Drives Surge in New Utility Tariffs

SEPA and the NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) updated the Database of Emerging Large-Load Tariffs (DELTa) on March 31, 2026.

Update details: DELTa now summarizes and analyzes 77 approved and proposed tariffs and service rules across 60 utilities (including 51 approved and 26 proposed). Key dataset metrics include 36 states with tracked tariffs, 56% of tariffs specifying thresholds > 20 MW, and 14% specifying minimum loads of 100 MW.
Policy and regulatory actions: The note documents recent state actions and proposals: Pennsylvania PUC proposed a model tariff (minimum demand 50 MW or 100 MW in aggregate; 5-year minimum contract term; 3–5 year ramp; 80% minimum billing demand; up to 20% post-term load reduction; financial security and hardship fund contributions); New York PSC opened an Energize NY proceeding (stakeholder comments due May 13, 2026); North Carolina Task Force interim report (Feb 2026) recommends large-load tariff options and alternative capacity procurement; other actions include Utah S.B. 132 (March 2025, 100 MW threshold), Texas S.B. 6 (June 2025), California S.B. 57 (Oct 2025, CPUC findings due Jan 1, 2027), and Missouri executive order (Jan 2026). FERC’s ANOPR action on large-load interconnection reforms is expected by June 2026.

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