New Mexico Data Center Intel

Recent New Mexico data center news

• Jun 10, 2026

  Behind-the-meter data center gas plants will raise US energy bills

  Energy Innovation authors Jeffrey Rissman and Eric Gimon argue that data centers building on-site natural-gas power plants will raise energy prices for U.S. households and businesses and that policymakers should require data centers to supply their own clean on-site electricity.

  • Main announcement/action: The authors call for a “bring your own clean energy” mandate so data centers do not rely on on-site natural-gas plants; they cite concrete capacity examples including a Richland Parish, LA facility using ~2.2 GW, a Cheyenne-area project with a 1.8 GW first phase designed to scale to 10 GW, and a BloombergNEF finding that ~100 GW of on-site gas capacity is planned for U.S. data centers. The piece urges that data centers instead deploy wind/solar + batteries and enhanced geothermal to provide firm, fuel-free power.
  • Background and supporting details: The article documents that combined-cycle gas turbines are back-ordered 5–7 years, forcing use of inefficient turbines that increase pollution (citing an xAI Clean Air Act lawsuit), and describes policy tools to implement the proposal including “permit-by-rule”, pre-authorized renewable zones (Texas CREZ, Nevada Solar Energy Zones, Arizona Renewable Energy Incentive Districts), and mentions state laws that streamline permitting (Michigan HB 5120, Illinois HB 4412). It also gives examples of companies already using clean on-site supply (Google: 1.6 GW wind+solar with 300 MW battery; Amazon: 1.2 GW solar + equal battery storage).
• Jun 9, 2026

  From Tail Risk to Design Baseline: How the Grid Is Adapting to Extreme Heat

  POWER (Sonal Patel) reports that system planners and grid operators are now treating extreme heat as an assumed operating condition rather than a tail risk.

  • Main announcement/action: POWER summarizes that system planners and reliability entities (notably NERC and FERC) and operators are treating extreme heat as a design baseline, citing metrics such as EIA projection of ~1,610 CDDs for 2026 (4% above 2025), NERC’s 2026 Summer Reliability Assessment (net internal demand up 1.3% to 790 GW, and >58 GW of new on-peak capacity including 16.4 GW solar, 14.7 GW batteries, 6.7 GW natural gas, 1.6 GW wind), and FERC’s forecast of $46.81/MWh average wholesale price for summer 2026. The piece catalogues operational changes (hourly ambient-adjusted transmission ratings, dynamic line ratings pilots, ADMS/DERMS deployments) and emergency interventions (DOE Section 202(c) orders covering roughly 4,400 MW of extended capacity service).
  • Background and details: The article documents drought risks (FERC: 62% of continental U.S. impacted; Lake Powell inflow forecast at 13% of average), potential loss of up to 4,500 MW of Colorado River hydropower as soon as August 2026, rapid data center load growth (from 44 GW in 2025 to 55 GW in 2026, ~25%), and operational timelines (PJM implemented AAR on March 4, 2026; SPP expects AAR by Sept. 1, 2026; MISO full compliance by Q2 2028).
• Jun 4, 2026

  Infocast’s Transmission & Interconnection Summit 2026

  Troutman Pepper Locke has announced it will be a Gold Sponsor of Infocast’s Transmission & Interconnection Summit 2026 and will have partners moderating panels.

  • Main announcement: Troutman Pepper Locke is a Gold Sponsor of Infocast’s Transmission & Interconnection Summit 2026 (June 23–25) at the Hamilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.; the firm will have Partner Chris Jones moderating “Easing Transmission Challenges in the West – Impacts of New Reforms and Regional Collaboration” on June 24 at 11:00 a.m. ET, and Counsel Anne Dailey moderating “Cost Allocation & New Tariff Structures — Avoiding Rate Increases and Customer Blowback” on June 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

  • Background & details:Conference focus: grid impacts of unprecedented load growth and regulatory change, including the claim that new data centers alone are driving an estimated $1.1 trillion in transmission investment; agenda topics include CAISO’s EDAM, SPP’s WEIS, WECC-wide planning, WestTEC 10- and 20-year studies, lessons from SunZia, and FERC Order No. 1920 cost allocation processes.

• Jun 1, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Targeted Pressure: How Chinese Manufacturing Competition Impacts US States

  The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has published a report finding Chinese industrial policy is reshaping global manufacturing and harming industries across every U.S. state.

  • Main finding & method: The ITIF report (June 1, 2026) analyzes one “national power industry” per state using County Business Patterns employment data, HS/SITC export proxies, and global market-share series to conclude that state-backed Chinese subsidies, export pushes, and overcapacity are driving down prices and pressuring U.S. producers in sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, aircraft, and fabricated metals.
  • Key facts, numbers, and timelines:China plans ~$150 billion in semiconductor investment through 2030 vs. $52 billion under the U.S. CHIPS funding; the report cites $63.3 billion Chinese semiconductor spending in H1 2025, TSMC’s $165 billion U.S. investment announcement, GE Appliances’ $490 million Appliance Park investment (2025), and state/national export shares and HS-code trade series used throughout the analyses.
• May 29, 2026

  TNMP Files Comprehensive Rate Settlement

  TNMP has filed a comprehensive settlement in its base rate review before the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).

  • Settlement details: The filing seeks recovery of a $2.8 billion filed rate base (as of June 30, 2025), maintains the currently authorized 9.65% return on equity (ROE) and 45% equity ratio, and would implement $20.5 million in rate rider recovery for Hurricane Beryl restoration costs over five years. The settlement is subject to PUCT approval and under interim rates any final-approved rates will relate back to May 22, 2026.
  • Parties and background: The stipulation is joined by the Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, municipal and industry groups (Alliance of Texas-New Mexico Power Municipalities; Cities Served by Texas-New Mexico Power Company), industry and large customer stakeholders including the Data Center Coalition, Joint Data Center Group, Hunt Energy Network, Office of Public Utility Counsel, Texas Competitive Power Advocates, Texas Industrial Energy Consumers, and Walmart. Amazon Data Systems and Texas Energy Association for Marketers do not oppose the stipulation. The filing and related documentation are posted on TXNM Energy’s investor rates-and-filings page.
• May 29, 2026

  FCC's Carr Sends a Warning: ‘No Broadcaster Has a Right to Use the Public Spectrum'

  The FCC issued a Public Notice reminding broadcasters that their access to public spectrum depends on meeting public interest obligations.

  • Main announcement: On May 28, the FCC issued a Public Notice (link included) stressing that broadcasters receive government-granted spectrum access only if they meet public interest obligations, stating “this Public Notice serves to remind broadcasters of their longstanding public interest obligations and further ensure that broadcasters are continuing to comply with the public interest obligations that underpin their licenses.” The notice also said “no broadcaster has a ‘right’ to use the public spectrum.”
  • Other items and details: Headlines in the same roundup include SpaceX calling for automatic mobile phone unlocking within 180 days; GCI sending a crew to repair subsea fiber damage in the Aleutians; a coalition mocking Anthropic’s knowledge of submarine-cable security; NAB urging broadband ISPs and Big Tech to help fund the FCC’s budget; CFTC accusing a Google employee of making $1.2 million from insider trading on Polymarket; and New Mexico awarding $300,000 in planning grants.
• May 27, 2026

  Place-based pathways to a viable future

  MIT’s Living Climate Futures (LCF) showcased collaborations at its second Living Climate Futures Symposium held April 23–25 at MIT.

  • Main announcement: LCF convened its second Living Climate Futures Symposium (April 23–25) at MIT to showcase place-based research collaborations between 20 MIT faculty and affiliates and frontline community organizations, focusing on community-based responses to climate impacts (sessions included data centers and community health, global climate reparations, urban agriculture, rural adaptation, and training for community-oriented research).
  • Background and details: The initiative is funded by the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC) and based in MIT SHASS; the symposium highlighted concrete tools and outputs such as a data-center emissions and exposure modelling tool (Michael Cork), the Global Climate Reparations Working Statement (resulting from the 2024 Nairobi Governance Assembly), community CBAs (community benefit agreements) as negotiation tools, and field activities including a visit to The Food Project and a Stone Living Lab tour of nature-based flood protection; no monetary deal values or contract prices were announced.
• May 27, 2026

  US energy storage installations hit Q1 record, up 32% year over year: SEIA

  SEIA reported record 9.7 GWh of battery energy storage installed in Q1 2026.

  • Main announcement: SEIA said the U.S. installed 9.7 GWh of battery energy storage in Q1 2026 (a 32% YoY increase), with commercial & industrial 648 MWh, utility-scale 1.5 GW / 7.8 GWh, and residential 515 MWh; Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (for SEIA) forecasts 613 GWh of U.S. storage deployment by 2030.
  • Background and details: SEIA and Benchmark highlighted data centers as a major driver (example: Meta + Enbridge will build 365 MW solar colocated with 200 MW / 1.6 GWh of Tesla batteries to support a Cheyenne, WY data center with 8-hour discharge capability); SEIA also flagged 101 GW of clean projects under political threat and said 36% of projects due by 2030 could be affected; 13 states have storage targets and cumulative deployment leaders include California 60.6 GWh, Texas 29.2 GWh, Arizona 20.2 GWh.
• May 19, 2026

  Data center news: Saline Township treasurer resigns over data center death threats

  Saline Township Treasurer Jennifer Zink has resigned citing death threats tied to the 1.4-gigawatt Related Digital data center project.

  • Main announcement: Jennifer Zink resigned after six years as Saline Township Treasurer, citing death threats related to the 1.4-gigawatt Related Digital data center project developed for Oracle and OpenAI; the project was allowed to proceed after a legal settlement overturning the township board’s rezoning rejection.
  • Background and other developments:Lyon Township unanimously denied drainage easements for Walbridge’s 1.8-million-square-foot Project Flex on a 172-acre site (Walbridge offered to fund roughly $3 million–$4 million in improvements); the University of Michigan’s planned $1.2 billion high-performance computing/data center project is trending toward Willow Run after a proposed Textile Road site was described as “dead”; a judge has cleared a recall effort of all seven Augusta Township board members over rezoning for a Thor Equities hyperscale data center, and water experts warn undisclosed data center water/electricity use could strain resources near Lake Michigan.
• May 18, 2026

  NextEra Will Buy Dominion Energy in Largest-Ever Electric Utility Deal

  NextEra Energy has announced it will buy Dominion Energy in an all-stock deal valued at about $67 billion.

  • Deal terms and governance: NextEra shareholders will own 74.5% of the combined company and Dominion investors 25.5%; the combined company will trade under NextEra on the NYSE as NEE, own 110 GW of generation capacity, and have a board consisting of 10 NextEra and 4 Dominion directors. The announcement was made on May 18; John Ketchum will serve as chairman and CEO and Robert Blue as president and CEO of regulated utilities.
  • Financial and operational details: The transaction value is about $67 billion; NextEra reported an enterprise value of about $303 billion (about one-third debt) and Dominion an enterprise value of about $111 billion (about $50 billion in debt). The companies highlighted commitments including bill credits, continued investments in generation, reliability and storm resiliency, and retention of dual headquarters in Juno Beach, Florida and Richmond, Virginia.