North Carolina Data Center News

Jan 12, 2026

New Data Center Developments: January 2026

Vantage Data Centers broke ground on the Lighthouse data center project in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Project details: Lighthouse is a four-data-center campus delivering 902 MW of IT capacity, driven by a $15 billion investment as part of Oracle and OpenAI’s Stargate initiative; the development positions the site for hyperscale AI deployments and is presented as a regional economic infrastructure project.
Additional facts and background: Major energy and footprint moves this month include Alphabet’s acquisition of Intersect Power for $4.75 billion in cash (plus assumption of existing debt) to secure clean energy for Google data centers; Nscale’s $865 million commitment for a 10-year, 40 MW colocation agreement in North Carolina; TikTok’s >$37.7 billion investment plan for a Brazil data center with Omnia and Casa dos Ventos; Brookfield and Qai’s $20 billion AI infrastructure JV in Qatar; and regulatory/energy items such as Ireland lifting a de facto moratorium requiring on-site generation or batteries to meet full demand for grid connections.

Jan 9, 2026

Meta Strikes Deal With Irving’s Vistra to Purchase Nuclear Power for Meta’s AI ‘Supercluster’

Meta has signed 20-year power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with Vistra to procure 2,609 MW of zero-carbon nuclear energy to support Meta’s operations and its Prometheus AI supercluster in New Albany, Ohio.

Main announcement & deal details: Meta is purchasing 2,176 MW from operating units at Perry and Davis-Besse plus 433 MW of incremental output from equipment uprates at Perry (OH), Davis-Besse (OH), and Beaver Valley (PA) for a total of 2,609 MW; the PPAs are 20-year agreements, purchases begin in late 2026 and the full 2,609 MW will be online by 2034; Vistra will use the commitment to invest in uprates and pursue subsequent 20-year license extensions for the three plants.
Background and implementation details: Vistra acquired the plants in 2023, recently agreed to acquire Cogentrix Energy in a $4 billion deal; uprate projects span approximately nine years and are expected to support ~3,000 project-related jobs, increase state and local tax revenues (described as tens of millions of dollars annually), and benefit the PJM regional grid (PJM service area list provided in article).

Jan 9, 2026

Trump’s AI push breathes life into an old pollution scourge

The EPA under Administrator Lee Zeldin plans to loosen enforcement of a 2024 Biden-era coal ash rule, proposing regulatory changes and potentially granting a three-year cleanup extension to 11 power plants for 13 unlined coal ash dumps.

Main action: EPA plans to propose amendments to the 2024 coal ash rule and is considering a three-year extension (to Oct. 17, 2031) for a subset of plants; the proposal would apply to 11 plants and 13 unlined ash dumps (each spanning more than 40 acres), and the agency will accept comments through February 6, 2026. The agency says the extension aims to promote grid reliability amid rising demand from AI data centers.
Background and details: The 2024 rule had expanded oversight to legacy ash dumps after earlier exemptions; EPA and companies cite implementation challenges. Examples: NIPSCO/Schahfer previously expected to close by 2028 but EPA proposed extension to Oct. 2031; PacifiCorp stopped burning coal on Dec. 31 and will not use the extension (stop disposing ash by Sept. 30); several plants (Naughton, Baldwin) have reported groundwater exceedances of contaminants such as arsenic, lithium, fluoride and radium. EPA has not publicly confirmed compliance status for the 11 plants identified.

Jan 8, 2026

North Carolina Launches $86M Effort to Fill Broadband Gaps Left by Earlier Grants

The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Broadband Infrastructure Office launched the Stop-Gap Solutions Program, an $86 million ARPA-funded initiative to finance small, targeted broadband line-extension projects connecting locations missed by prior grants.

Program details and timeline: The Stop-Gap Solutions Program is $86 million funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), administered by N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Broadband Infrastructure Office (NCDIT), targets fast-turnaround projects that can be completed by the end of 2026, and has applications due January 26; projects must be designed to meet or exceed symmetrical 100 Megabits per second speeds with fiber deployments prioritized.
Background, evaluation criteria, and funding flexibility: The program is intended to fill gaps left by prior efforts including the GREAT grant (launched 2019 and bolstered by $350 million ARPA in 2022) and the CAB program (funded with roughly $177 million from the state’s Capital Projects Fund); proposals will be evaluated on financial stability, past grant performance, technical merits, cost efficiency, number of locations served, proximity to existing infrastructure, and may receive consideration for local letters of support; funding may be shifted into or out of Stop-Gap depending on demand and remaining ARPA balances under authority of the General Assembly.

Jan 7, 2026

Patented: Making a Degradable Ice Straw and More North Texas Inventive Activity

Prive Products of Dallas has received a newly granted U.S. patent for a system and method to make degradable drinking straws from ice, invented by Thomas Surgent (Patent No. 12484726).

Main announcement: Prive Products, LLC — Patent No. 12484726 (Application No. 17609970 filed 05/16/2020; 2026 days app to issue) — describes a system with tubes extending into a reservoir, a connecting bar delivering hot and cold fluid into the tubes, and a resulting hollow ice straw that can cool a beverage as liquid passes through the straw. The abstract states: “A system and method for making degradable drinking straws made of ice (or other frozen liquid(s)).”
Background & roundup details: Dallas-Fort Worth was ranked No. 9 among 250 metros for the week of 12/2/25 with 134 patents granted. The article is a patent roundup (announcement/summary) listing top assignees (e.g., Texas Instruments Inc. — 15 patents), notable grants (Bank of America, Dell, IBM, Verily, Lennox, Halliburton, etc.), and includes patent abstracts, assignees, inventor locations, application numbers and days from application to issue. For partnerships or deals, the article provides assignee and patent filing/issue dates but no implementation timelines beyond application and issue dates.

Jan 7, 2026

Software: Batteries’ Unsung Hero

FlexGen CTO Hugh Scott argues that advanced, hardware-agnostic energy management systems (EMS) are essential to ensure BESS availability and protect project ROI.

Main announcement/action: FlexGen (via CTO Hugh Scott) advocates implementation of advanced, hardware-agnostic EMS to maximize battery availability and ROI; concrete practices highlighted include remote monitoring, preventative maintenance, state-of-health diagnostics, and scheduling maintenance away from high-earning events. Example scenario: two identical sites, one delivering 90 MW instead of its contracted 100 MW, demonstrates how a high-performance EMS can detect and resolve faults faster to avoid lost revenue.
Background and details: The commentary describes evolving use cases (peak shaving → multi-service operations), applicability to AI-driven loads and data centers, and hybrid sites (solar-plus-storage). It references the FlexGen Innovation Lab in Durham, North Carolina (HybridOS EMS pre-configuration) and market examples such as ERCOT and emerging European markets; no specific monetary investments or timelines were provided.

Jan 6, 2026

Ohio EPA reviewing data center discharge permits amid water quality concerns

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing a proposal to issue five-year permits allowing eligible data centers to discharge cooling water into Ohio’s lakes and streams.

Main action: The draft would allow eligible data centers to obtain five-year permits to release cooling water; the permit text includes a ban on discharges within 500 yards upstream of a public water intake, prohibits discharges into groundwater and lakes other than Lake Erie, and uses standard NPDES “lowering” language for new or expanded discharges. The article states a single data center can use up to half a billion gallons of water daily for cooling.
Background and details:Environmental groups (Ohio Valley Environmental Group, Ohio River Foundation) raise concerns about PFAS contamination and limited capacity at rural treatment centers to filter contaminants; the Ohio EPA responded that permits include strict limits and monitoring and that data centers are not expected to be PFAS sources. The piece notes H2Ohio does not set discharge rules, mentions Bloom Energy as an alternative technology, and provides a public comment link (https://ohioepa.commentinput.com/?id=csDN8pRrg).

Jan 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 Critical Facilities Recruiting, published a monthly roundup of current data center job openings on its jobs board.

Monthly jobs roundup: The post lists roughly 15–18 open roles (examples: Data Center Facility Technician, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Construction Project Manager, Senior Electrical Engineer, Production Architect, Strategic Sales Account Manager, Mechanical Engineer, Site Selection Manager/Director/VP, Electrical Project Manager, Electrical Superintendent, Project Executive, MEP Construction Project Manager, Mechanical Commissioning Engineer, Engineering Design Director, Navy Nuke Facility Technician) with locations across the United States including Impact, TX; Ashburn, VA; Dallas, TX; Atlanta, GA; Reading, PA; Allentown, PA; Charlotte, NC; New Albany, OH; Lyndhurst, NJ; Boulder, CO; Richmond, VA; Austin, TX.
Role and employer context: Positions are listed with mission-critical data center providers, engineering design and commissioning firms, A/E/C architecture firms, equipment rental providers, electrical contractors and general contractors; listings repeatedly cite energy efficiency, sustainable design, and AI infrastructure support, and several technician roles explicitly note acceptance of Navy Nuke / military veterans.

Jan 5, 2026

Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2026

Data Center Frontier (Matt Vincent) publishes a 2026 forecast outlining eight trends that reposition AI-driven power, cooling, site selection, and capital discipline as the central constraints for data center development.

Main announcement/action: The piece presents eight defining trends for 2026 that—collectively—argue AI factories and general‑purpose data centers are distinct classes; AI factories will routinely plan for hundreds of megawatts of firm power, push onsite generation (near‑term: natural gas, mid/long term: nuclear/SMRs), and require liquid cooling, standardized modular designs, and utility co‑architecture to meet compressed timelines.
Background and details: The article documents a shift toward power co‑design with utilities, greater capital discipline (phased campuses, modular delivery, optional expansion), and operational emphasis on reuse, volatility planning, and O&M; it cites analysis from CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Reuters and coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg as context (timeline: trends framed for 2026).

Jan 4, 2026

Big Tech's Expanding Plans for Data Centers are Running into Stiff Community Opposition

Associated Press reports tech companies and developers increasingly losing local fights over data center projects.

Main announcement: Data Center Watch (a project of 10a Labs) counted 20 proposals valued at $98 billion in 11 states that were blocked or delayed between April and June, representing two-thirds of the projects it was tracking; the article notes major firms (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook) are collectively spending “hundreds of billions of dollars” on data centers globally.
Background and details: Community opposition is driven by concerns about energy use, water consumption, zoning, and loss of open space/farmland; local examples include East Vincent Township (Larry Shank), Matthews, NC (Mayor John Higdon: “999 to one against”), and Hermantown/Duluth, MN (Mortenson developing for an unnamed Fortune 50 company — Mortenson says it is considering changes). Developers and industry sources (Maxx Kossof, Dan Diorio) report zoning defeats, the prospect of selling sites after securing power, and calls for earlier community engagement.

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