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Mississippi Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Mississippi — updated daily.
Recent Mississippi data center news
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Alabama regulators approve two-year electric rate freeze and two solar projects for a Meta data center
The Alabama Public Service Commission approved a temporary two-year electric rate freeze and authorized two large-scale solar projects tied to Meta’s Montgomery data center.
- Main action: The PSC voted 3-0 to freeze electric rates at 2025 levels through 2027, delaying a rate increase tied to the $622 million purchase of a natural gas plant until 2028; the order also transfers projected excess 2025 profits into Alabama Power’s Natural Disaster Reserve and locks the Rate RSE factor for two years. The PSC approved two solar projects—Stockton I (80 MW) and Stockton II (180 MW)—to be built in Baldwin County by Dotier, LLC (a Meta subsidiary), with completion expected by Dec. 31, 2028, and Alabama Power buying the projects’ power while Dotier retains the RECs.
- Background and implementation details:Alabama Power will keep environmental compliance and fuel cost factors steady through 2027, use nuclear production tax credits to offset lost revenue during the freeze, and rely on internal cost control measures; critics (Energy Alabama) call the freeze a cost-shifting delay and noted limited public input during the shortened adoption period.
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The Five Types of Electro-Industrial States
Rocky Mountain Institute presents a typology classifying US states into five electro-industrial archetypes.
- Main announcement/action: RMI authors classify states into five archetypes — Momentum Hubs (Arizona, California), Fast‑Track Builders (Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Idaho), Policy Champions (New York, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania), Open‑Door Starters (Vermont, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Iowa), and Early‑Stage Starters (Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maine, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas). The typology is based on policy reliability, regulatory ease, economic capacity, physical infrastructure (power and interconnection), and market momentum.
- Background and details: The analysis highlights that market momentum and policy reliability should operate in tandem; low regulatory burdens accelerate short-term investment but may strain local housing and infrastructure without accompanying policy ambition. The authors reference the report GREASE Lightning as a policy playbook for designing investment-led, state-driven electro-industrial strategies.
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Power, Proximity, Policy: The Legal Landscape of Siting Data Centers Near Natural Gas Resources
Michelman Robinson partners Warren Koshofer and Seth Leibenstein analyze the legal and regulatory considerations for siting data centers near U.S. natural gas resources.
- Main announcement/action: The article provides a legal and practical guide on siting data centers adjacent to natural gas infrastructure, noting concrete facts such as data center loads often exceeding 100 megawatts per site and that natural gas supplies more than 40% of U.S. electricity. It identifies regional hubs (Texas/Permian Basin; Appalachian Basin — Marcellus & Utica; Midcontinent/Great Plains; Rockies — DJ and Powder River basins; Gulf South — Louisiana & Mississippi) and highlights relevant regulators like ERCOT and FERC, plus contractual vehicles such as PPAs and gas tolling arrangements.
- Background and details: The piece outlines regulatory and compliance requirements (Clean Air Act permitting, Section 401 water quality certifications, state environmental reviews), flags evolving ESG and carbon disclosure pressures (SEC proposals, IRA incentives), and lists states considering restrictions on fossil-fueled generation for new data centers (Oregon, Virginia, Illinois). Contact details for the authors are provided: Warren Koshofer (212-730-7700; wkoshofer@mrllp.com) and Seth Leibenstein (212-730-7700; sliebenstein@mrllp.com).
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Entergy Louisiana and Energy Transfer Sign Agreement That Supports Reliable, Affordable Energy and Economic Growth in North Louisiana
Entergy Louisiana and Energy Transfer signed a 20-year firm natural gas transportation agreement.
- Agreement details: Energy Transfer will provide 250,000 MMBtu per day of firm transportation service beginning February 2028 through January 2048, with Entergy having an option to expand delivery capacity; the project includes constructing a 12-mile lateral on Energy Transfer’s Tiger Pipeline with capacity up to 1 Bcf/d to serve Entergy Louisiana’s combined-cycle combustion turbine facilities and support Meta’s hyperscale data center in Richland Parish.
- Background and implementation: The natural gas quantity is included in Entergy’s financial plan; Entergy Louisiana supplies electricity to more than 1.1 million customers in 58 parishes and is advancing its Louisiana 100 Plan (including a stated $100 million community investment commitment); Energy Transfer operates approximately 140,000 miles of pipeline across 44 states and will source gas from its network connected to major U.S. producing basins.
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Patmos Expands Downtown KC AI Data Center
Patmos has expanded its AI data center by converting the former Kansas City Star building into the Patmos AI Campus, adding 10 MW of new colocation capacity to reach a total of 35 MW in a 360,000-square-foot facility.
- Project details & capacity: The renovation adds 10 MW of new colocation space (total 35 MW site capacity), offers rack-ready colocation in increments of 2.5 MW, and supports densities of 100 kW or more per rack; the campus includes office, conference, and entertainment spaces. The company expects a $1 billion total investment as the project progresses and has similar projects in Dallas and Phoenix, and is considering St. Louis.
- Infrastructure, security & community outreach: Patmos favors brownfield urban sites for existing infrastructure and chilled water capacity; security includes 24-hour armed guards, cameras, and a night-vision surveillance robot. Patmos conducted a comprehensive outreach effort (door-to-door engagement, joining the neighborhood association, and dedicated community meetings) to explain differences from traditional data centers and address local concerns.
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Innovation Crossroads welcomes six entrepreneurs for Cohort 2025
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announced the 2025 Innovation Crossroads cohort, comprising six entrepreneurs focused on energy and emerging technologies.
- The two-year fellowship program provides startup founders with access to ORNL’s scientific resources, mentorship, and a substantial grant, supported by DOE offices and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The 2025 cohort includes ventures addressing wildfire prevention, advanced materials coatings, scalable carbon fiber production, aluminum-air battery technology, algae-based biocomposites, and efficient data center cooling.
- Cohort members will also complete the Spark Cleantech Accelerator at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The program aims to accelerate commercialization of innovative energy technologies and strengthen U.S. competitiveness.
This initiative advances energy innovation by integrating national lab resources with entrepreneurial expertise to foster sustainable technology development and regional economic growth.
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Duke Energy, GE Vernova Strike Major Gas Turbine Deal to Support Explosive Demand Growth
Duke Energy has entered a significant partnership with GE Vernova for the supply of up to 11 advanced 7HA gas turbines to support its integrated resource plans (IRPs).
- Duke Energy aims to meet rising power demand driven by growth in advanced manufacturing, data centers, and population.
- Industry-wide turbine supply shortages are leading utilities like Duke, NextEra, Entergy, and NRG to secure long-term procurement agreements and investment in manufacturing expansion.
- GE Vernova is investing $160 million in its Greenville, South Carolina facility to increase production capacity by 25%, part of a $600 million U.S. manufacturing expansion.
- Duke’s updated resource plans include combined cycle natural gas plants, battery storage, and transmission upgrades to meet 1.5-5% projected annual load growth across its service areas through 2032.
This partnership reflects a strategic focus on dispatchable natural gas generation amid high demand and supply chain constraints, aiming to accelerate clean energy infrastructure deployment.
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Southern Telecom secures largest fiber deal in company history with hyperscale customer
Southern Telecom, a subsidiary of Southern Company, announced the signing of its largest fiber contract to date, a 300-mile fiber infrastructure project in Alabama and Georgia. The project connects a major data center in Montgomery, Alabama, to Birmingham and Atlanta, Georgia, with the deployment of high fiber count cables to enhance network connectivity. The deal underscores Southern Telecom’s commitment to expanding its high-quality fiber network across the Southeast, which currently spans nearly 10,000 route miles across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.
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Entergy's 2024 Performance Report shares progress toward a better future
Entergy Corporation, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, released its 2024 Performance Report detailing achievements in growth, environmental sustainability, and community support. The company plans to invest $37 billion by 2028 to enhance its services in the Gulf South, while advancing a cleaner energy portfolio, including commitments to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Entergy’s efforts in corporate social responsibility resulted in an economic impact of $153.52 million in 2024 through various initiatives, including energy efficiency programs for customers.
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A capacidade dos Data Centers vem aumentando, assim como o investimento e o uso da terra
The article discusses the increasing capacity and investment in Data Centers in the United States, attributed mainly to a surge in electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence applications. By the end of 2024, Data Centers had reached over 92 GW of capacity, with additional monthly growth surpassing 7 GW. Major companies like Meta and Amazon are investing heavily in renewable energy to meet their electricity consumption, including significant solar projects in Texas and Mississippi. The trend highlights the urgent market expansion and infrastructure challenges for energy supply.