Missouri Data Center Intel

Recent Missouri data center news

• Mar 2, 2026

  THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): Blackouts in 2025

  POWER and the International Energy Agency (IEA) report that 2025 major blackout events underscored operational vulnerabilities beyond weather and generation adequacy.

  • Main announcement: The IEA’s Electricity 2026 (released February 2026) and POWER’s coverage identify a shift toward interconnected-system operational risks—notably voltage instability, reactive power balance, and protection coordination—driven by high renewable penetration, record connection queues, and surging data center demand (e.g., Northern Virginia event: ~1,800 MW of data-center load transferred to backup). The IEA series (Electricity 2024–2026) traces the evolution from weather-driven outages to these operational failure modes.
  • Background and key facts: The article catalogs 15 major 2025 events with concrete impacts and dates, including Chile (Feb 25, 2025): grid separation with ~1,800 MW on the 500-kV corridor and 98% of population (~19 million) affected; Ireland Storm Éowyn (Jan 24, 2025): ~768,000 premises affected and €300 million in estimated insurance claims; Brazil (Oct 14, 2025): substation fire triggered ~10,000 MW load-shedding and accelerated planned transmission auctions (March 2026 auction: 888 km; later auction projected to mobilize R$20 billion).
• Feb 23, 2026

  1623 Farnam Partners with Bridged Broadband to Expand Diverse Midwest Connectivity

  1623 Farnam announced a strategic partnership with Bridged Broadband to establish Bridged Broadband presence at 1623 Farnam and extend carrier-diverse routes from Omaha into Kansas City and rural Missouri.

  • Partnership announcement: 1623 Farnam and Bridged Broadband have established an interconnection at 1623 Farnam enabling carrier-diverse routes between Omaha, Kansas City and rural Missouri; Bridged Broadband is deploying an 800G DWDM backbone with full IP/MPLS integration to provide scalable, low-latency, resilient connectivity.
  • Background and concrete details: Bridged Broadband’s Omaha-to-Missouri routes are fully diverse from national carrier networks; 1623 Farnam also announced a second interconnection facility in Omaha planned to be operational in mid-2028 with at least 5MW of capacity, expanding its regional interconnection footprint.
• Feb 19, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  The Grid Act Is the Wrong Way to Protect Consumers from Price Spikes

  Senators Hawley (R-MO) and Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Guaranteeing Rate Insulation from Data Centers Act (GRID Act), proposing strict obligations and penalties for large data centers to prevent alleged increases in residential electricity rates.

  • Main action: The GRID Act would require data centers with demand of 20 megawatts or more to either fully supply their own electricity (on-site generation/microgrids) or pay “rate effect credits” equal to any measured increase in local residential rates as determined by an annual DOE study; facilities that fail to comply face civil penalties up to $1 million per day.
  • Background and context: The article is an opinion/analysis piece arguing the bill misattributes market-design failures to hyperscalers; it contrasts the GRID Act with Texas SB 6 (2025), which conditions access for loads above 75 megawatts on automated curtailment, offers faster interconnection priority, and provides capacity-style payments; the piece cites an example where utilities might otherwise wait to build $500M+ in transmission upgrades.
• Feb 13, 2026

  The 50 States of Power Decarbonization: States and Utilities Navigate Large Load Customer Demand in 2025

  The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its 2025 Annual Review and Q4 2025 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization report.

  • Report release & headline findings: The NCCETC released the 2025 annual review and Q4 2025 quarterly report, finding 49 states plus Puerto Rico took a total of 667 actions on electric power decarbonization and resource planning in 2025; 37 states took 104 actions related to large load customers. The report highlights top trends including new large-load tariffs, increased natural gas capacity additions, state-led procurement of energy storage, and consideration of advanced nuclear.
  • Background & concrete details: The release documents integrated resource plan filings showing planned capacity additions of 144,405 MW solar, 125,016 MW natural gas, 58,581 MW storage, 58,381 MW wind, and 56,475 MW planned coal retirements in 2025; it notes 400 actions tracked in Q4 2025 plus more than 270 introduced bills, and calls out surging data center development driving large-load policy responses.
• Jan 29, 2026

  Data center critics speak out at Indy environmental committee meeting

  Dozens of residents and the Hoosier Environmental Council turned out at the City of Indianapolis Environmental Sustainability Committee meeting to protest data-center development and urge stricter oversight.

  • Main announcement: The Hoosier Environmental Council asked the committee to explore a pause on data center construction, consider removing discretionary economic incentives, and fully evaluate projects’ energy, water and land use and potential impacts to the electrical grid as part of permitting decisions. The group emphasized community impact and identified energy, water, land as four key aspects to assess.
  • Background and details: Public commenters called for stronger state development, building and zoning standards or a moratorium; the article cites a Citizen Action Coalition report saying nearly 30 data centers are proposed or under construction in Indiana. The meeting was reported on January 29, 2026 and included presentations from experts on grid and environmental impacts.
• Jan 29, 2026

  Madison, Wis. Joins Growing List of Cities Pausing Data Center Development

  The Madison Common Council has approved a one-year moratorium on new large-scale data center development.

  • Scope & duration: The moratorium applies to new data centers and telecommunications centers larger than 10,000 square feet and will remain in effect for one year; existing facilities and smaller data centers are exempt. The city said the pause will allow staff to review zoning rules, electricity and water use, land use planning, and community benefits before approving additional projects.
  • Implementation & context: Planning Division Director Meagan Tuttle described the moratorium as a planning tool to develop clearer standards as demand for computing power (driven by artificial intelligence and cloud services) grows; the city plans to engage utilities, environmental experts, developers, and policymakers during the moratorium. The article also references similar moratoria in other U.S. jurisdictions (Coweta County, Douglas County, Clarke County, Springfield Township, St. Charles).
• Jan 29, 2026

  Town hall meeting to discuss environmental impact of proposed data centers in Montgomery County

  Montgomery County community members will host a town hall meeting Thursday regarding a proposed 5,000-acre mega site for two data centers.

  • Main announcement: The town hall will be held Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 7 p.m. at Montgomery County High School to discuss environmental concerns and present research by environmental geologists and community members; the forum responds to recent local controversy after the Montgomery County Commission confirmed the proposed site near I-70 and Highway 19 and approved a tax break for the Green Amazon data center project earlier this month.
  • Background and project details: The proposal includes Amazon planning a 1,000-acre facility starting with four buildings and potential expansion up to 13 buildings; New York-based Spade Property proposes approximately 850 acres including three primary buildings, a security guard station, and a visitor center; community concern centers on water and energy usage and local utility pressures.
• Jan 26, 2026

  How Hyperscale AI Is Remaking the Power Grid

  Industrial Info Resources (IIR) reported at PowerGen International that the US has approximately $2.4 trillion in AI data center development underway.

  • Key announcement: IIR presented at PowerGen International (Jan. 20-22, 2026) that the US accounts for about $2.4 trillion in AI data center development and that global announced and ongoing data center investment ≈ $3.2 trillion; IIR also reported roughly 296 GW of cumulative planned capacity in the US with more than 70 projects ≥ 1 GW and projected US electricity demand rising from ~23 GW (2023) to ~42 GW (today) and on target to surpass 90 GW by 2030.
  • Details and context: IIR outlined concentration by state (Texas ~$517 billion, Virginia ~$344 billion, Georgia ~$217 billion, Missouri ~$121 billion, Arizona ~$102 billion), noted month-over-month investment velocity (more than $100 billion announced per month over the past year; October 2025 > $350 billion), and described near-term procurement strategies including gas turbines (booked through end of decade), reciprocating engines, BESS, and partnerships on nuclear; timeline compression pressures require many projects to deliver generation and interconnection within 12–24 months.
• Jan 21, 2026

  Google inks PPAs to power data centers with carbon-free energy

  Google has signed three 20-year power purchase agreements with Clearway Energy Group for new clean energy capacity.

  • Google and Clearway executed three 20-year PPAs in 2025 totaling 1.17 gigawatts of “carbon-free energy projects” to support Google data centers in Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia, with the deals representing over $2.4 billion in energy infrastructure investment; the partnership totals 1.24 GW when combined with an existing 71.5 MW PPA in West Virginia.
  • Implementation details and background: Clearway will begin construction on over 1 GW of new projects, with new generation expected online in 2027 and 2028, delivered across grids managed by Southwest Power Pool, ERCOT, and MISO; Clearway (San Francisco-headquartered) has a 13 GW portfolio across 350 operating projects in 27 states, and Google/Alphabet recently announced the planned acquisition of clean energy developer Intersect for $4.75 billion (expected close H1 2026).
• Jan 16, 2026

  Google Buys 1.2 GW of Carbon-free Energy to Power Data Centers Across U.S.

  Clearway announced a series of long-term PPAs with Google to deliver nearly 1.2 GW of carbon-free energy to power Google data centers.

  • Main announcement: Clearway announced long-term PPAs with Google for nearly 1.2 GW of carbon-free energy from new projects located in Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia, supplying grids serving Google data centers in SPP, ERCOT, and PJM for up to 20 years.
  • Project details & timeline: Construction is expected to begin this year, with first sites coming online in 2027 and 2028, and the portfolio represents more than $2.4 billion in investment in infrastructure. Additional context: Google has signed 170+ agreements for over 22 GW of clean energy since 2010 and reported a 12% reduction in data center emissions in 2024.