Ohio Data Center Intel

Recent Ohio data center news

• Jan 21, 2026

  Vertical integration improves capital efficiencies through scale, stability, goal alignment

  EQT Corp announced it achieved net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 for its upstream operations in 2024.

  • Operational and decarbonization actions: EQT reports net zero (Scope 1 & 2) in 2024, a 100% electric frac fleet, replacement of more than 8,000 natural gas pneumatic devices completed in under 18 months, and participation in nearly 15,000 aerial surveys over 20,500 square miles via the Appalachia Methane Initiative.
  • Integration, investments and synergies: After acquiring Equitrans EQT became a vertically integrated operator, actively developing ~1.5 million lateral feet/year, underwrote nearly $20 billion in deals over six years, realized $60 million in capital synergies this past year with $250 million anticipated over the next few years, and is an equity investor in Context Labs (working with KPMG) for carbon accounting and verification.
• Jan 21, 2026

  Can Trump’s coal comeback last? Experts say no

  The Department of Energy has issued emergency orders delaying retirements of multiple coal-fired power plants and the Trump administration has issued an April executive order promoting coal to meet rising electricity demand from AI data centers.

  • DOE emergency orders: Chris Wright has issued emergency orders delaying retirement of at least five of the 11 plants slated for closure, renewing them every 90 days; under these orders, plant operators can seek FERC approval to recover costs from customers, with examples such as the J.H. Campbell plant’s expenses being spread across millions of Midwest ratepayers.
  • Context & impacts: Analysts estimate keeping slated plants open through 2028 could cost ratepayers up to $6 billion, on top of a $6 billion increase in coal-fired generation costs from 2021–2024; roughly 25 gigawatts of aging coal capacity may continue operating to meet data center demand through 2030, while the EPA and Interior Department actions have eased pollution constraints and opened lands to mining.
• Jan 21, 2026

  The plan to build massive data center in Imperial County — without environmental review

  Sebastian Rucci’s company, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, is advancing a plan to build a nearly one-million-square-foot, $10 billion data center in Imperial County while seeking to avoid California’s environmental review process (CEQA).

  • Project scope & immediate action: The proposal is for a nearly 1 million-square-foot facility allegedly costing $10 billion, intended to power AI computing; developers claim the project can be designated a ministerial (CEQA-exempt) project and have pursued a lot merger to combine five parcels into a 75-acre site — the lot merger failed an initial Planning Commission vote (Dec. 18, 2025) and has been appealed to the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. The city of Imperial has filed a lawsuit alleging CEQA and local-law violations; the developer and county have asked the court to dismiss the suit, and the developer filed a separate federal lawsuit against the city.
  • Background & concrete details: The developer claims an agreement to purchase 6 million gallons/day of reclaimed water from El Centro and Imperial and says the data center would use ~750,000 gallons/day (1/8 of that total); IID officials warned the proposed power demand would be “a massive increase in overall electrical load” and said current infrastructure would not be sufficient without upgrades. State Sen. Steve Padilla introduced SB887 to require environmental review for new data centers and to clarify that data centers do not qualify for the “advanced manufacturing” exemption. The article documents the developer’s prior business/legal controversies and cites feasibility studies provided to IID.
• Jan 21, 2026

  Virginia proposes 20.78GW storage mandate as Trump, governors call for emergency PJM grid measures

  Virginia state delegate Richard C. ‘Rip’ Sullivan, Jr has introduced HB895 to raise mandatory energy storage procurement targets for Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy Virginia.

  • Main announcement: HB895 would require Appalachian Power to add 780MW short-duration by 2040 and 520MW long-duration by 2045, and Dominion Energy to add 16,000MW short-duration and 3,480MW long-duration by 2045; the bill is nearly identical to HB2537 (vetoed May 2025) but raises Dominion’s short-duration target from 5,220MW to 16,000MW within the same timeframe.
  • Background and related actions: The Trump administration and a bipartisan group of governors urged PJM (16 January) to hold an emergency procurement auction and to build more than US$15 billion of baseload generation; PJM responded by initiating a “Reliability Backstop Procurement” and directed immediate process discussions and deadlines to be considered at the 22 January Members Committee meeting. The bill and procurement push are motivated by rapidly rising demand in Virginia—driven largely by data centres—and recommendations from groups such as MAREC Action, NRDC, and Environment America.
• Jan 21, 2026

  Months later, lawsuit between nature school and bitcoin mine continues

  Lake Superior Academy (LSA) has filed a civil lawsuit against Odessa Partners over noise from a bitcoin-mining data center across the street; the dispute has continued into its seventh month.

  • Main announcement: LSA filed a civil lawsuit in June 2025 seeking damages for irreparable harm caused by noise from a cluster of data center units; mediation attempts stalled, the judge denied a jury trial request and ordered another 120-day mediation period.
  • Background & procedural details: LSA Superintendent Susie Schlehuber described stalled mediation where she asked the operator not to grow or become louder in exchange for dropping litigation; Odessa Partners filed a counter-suit seeking a bond to cover alleged damages (the judge did not grant the bond request).
• Jan 20, 2026

  Dallas’ Solidion Gets U.S. Army Grant for Fiber-Based Battery System, Will Partner With UTD on Research

  Solidion Technology has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Army’s STTR Program to develop an advanced fiber-based electronic battery system; research will be conducted jointly with the University of Texas at Dallas and the grant amount was not disclosed.

  • Grant award & project: Solidion Technology received a U.S. Army STTR Program grant to develop an advanced fiber-based lithium-ion battery built on a coaxial carbon nanotube yarn architecture; research collaboration with University of Texas at Dallas is confirmed and the grant amount was not disclosed. This award is Solidion’s third federal grant in six months.
  • Background & prior funding: In recent months Solidion also received an ARPA-E grant for electrochemical manufacturing of high-performance graphite (biomass-derived carbon) and a U.S. Department of Energy grant to scale synthesis of a carbon-nanosphere material for molten-salt reactor heat transfer fluids; Solidion holds over 525 patents, is headquartered in Dallas with pilot production in Dayton, Ohio, and develops battery materials/components including UPS systems serving the AI data center market and EV applications.
• Jan 16, 2026

  Meta Builds a Nuclear Supply Chain for the AI Era

  Meta has announced a package of multi-gigawatt nuclear agreements and related support to secure firm, long-duration power for its AI data center buildout.

  • Main announcement: Meta signed a set of deals that together could support up to 6.6 GW of new and existing clean power by 2035, including a 20-year PPA for more than 2,600 MW tied to three Vistra plants (Perry, Davis-Besse, Beaver Valley), an agreement with TerraPower to support up to eight Natrium plants (Meta funding for two Natrium units totaling up to 690 MW with delivery targeted as early as 2032, plus rights to energy from up to six additional units ~2.1 GW by 2035), and a deal with Oklo to enable a prepay-backed, scalable up-to-1.2 GW nuclear power campus in Pike County, Ohio.
  • Background and implementation details:DOE announced $2.7 billion to bolster domestic uranium enrichment over the next decade (including HALEU support); Oklo has a DOE Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for an Aurora fuel facility at Idaho National Laboratory; TerraPower’s initial two-unit site is expected to be identified “in the coming months”; many elements remain in early site-selection, licensing, fuel-qualification, and interconnection stages, with explicit timelines ranging from 2026 (Meta’s Prometheus data center) through 2032–2035 for advanced reactor deliveries.
• Jan 16, 2026

  Episode for January 16, 2026

  Meta reaches agreement to buy electricity from the Beaver Valley nuclear plant to fuel its AI data centers.

  • Main announcement: Meta has reached an agreement to purchase electricity from the Beaver Valley nuclear power plant in western Pennsylvania to help power its AI/data center operations; nuclear is presented in the story as a zero-carbon generation source being used to meet rising electricity demand from AI.
  • Other details and background: The episode also reports the Trump administration is taking actions that make expanding renewable energy more difficult; an Ohio commission approved a permit/lease allowing a Texas-based company to frack the Leesville Wildlife Area; Penn State will move forest and wildlife programs from Mont Alto and DuBois to Penn State Altoona in 2027; and State Sen. Gene Yaw was elected chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
• Jan 16, 2026

  Trump Moves to Have Tech Giants Pay for Surging Power Costs

  The Trump administration, together with governors of several Northeastern states, announced a push for an emergency PJM wholesale electricity auction that would require tech companies to fund new power plants.

  • Main action: The administration and state governors will sign a non-binding “statement of principles” urging PJM Interconnection LLC to hold a one-time reliability backstop auction for 15-year contracts exclusively for data center owners/operators, with the White House and governors urging the auction to be held by the end of September to support rapid new construction (estimated to back ~$15 billion of new power plants).
  • Background & implementation details: The plan targets the PJM region (serving >67 million people), seeks to ensure tech giants provide guaranteed revenues to generators (reducing price volatility and bankruptcy risk), asks PJM to extend the price cap for auctions held through this year, and was discussed with stakeholders including PJM executives, utilities, developers, Wall Street and hyperscalers; the statement is non-binding and PJM representatives were not invited to the announcement.
• Jan 15, 2026

  PJM Dials Back Near-Term Load Outlook but Maintains Steep Long-Term Growth Trajectory

  PJM Interconnection issued its 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast on Jan. 14, 2026, trimming near-term peak-demand projections while reaffirming steep long-term growth driven by data centers and electrification.

  • Near-term adjustments: PJM reduced projected summer peak demand by 2,564 MW for 2026 (-1.6%), 4,414 MW for the 2028 summer peak used in the capacity auction (-2.6%), and 1,630 MW for the 2031 summer peak used in transmission planning (-0.8%); the 2026 update attributes near-term declines to large loads (-0.7%), economic activity (-0.5%), and EVs (-0.1%) and notes updated economic inputs from Moody’s Analytics (Sept 2025).
  • Long-term framework and scope: The report projects average annual summer peak growth of 3.6% (next decade) and roughly +85,000 MW over 15 years, formalizes a new “firm” vs “non-firm” vetting framework via the Load Adjustment Request Implementation document (published July 2025) that requires Electric Service Obligations or Construction Commitments for near-term (<=3 years) large loads, and reports adjustments across 15 transmission zones (14 influenced by data center development).