Oregon Data Center Intel

Recent Oregon data center news

• Nov 6, 2025

  50 States of Power Decarbonization Q3 2025: States Work to Accelerate Clean Energy Project Development and Define “Large” Load Customers

  The NC Clean Energy Technology Center released the Q3 2025 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization quarterly report.

  • Key announcement: The Q3 2025 report documents that 48 states and Puerto Rico took a total of 384 actions related to electric power decarbonization and resource planning in Q3 2025, with 234 introduced bills (not yet passed a chamber). The report also summarizes planned capacity additions from integrated resource plans: solar 87,539 MW, natural gas 77,145 MW, wind 43,031 MW, storage 39,310 MW, and planned coal retirements 33,424 MW. Top active states listed are North Carolina, California, and Minnesota (followed by Indiana, Missouri, and Oregon).

  • Background and details: The report identifies three trends: (1) states responding to federal clean energy policy changes (citing the passage of OBBBA) and accelerating project development (focus on permitting and interconnection), (2) states/utilities reconsidering demand thresholds for large load customers (e.g., data centers), and (3) state regulators revising integrated resource planning rules. The report highlights five specific Q3 developments, including North Carolina lawmakers repealing interim emission targets, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approving a new NIPSCO subsidiary for large loads, Ohio approving an AEP Ohio customer class for data centers, the Southwest Power Pool’s new interconnection policy for large loads, and Georgia/Virginia regulators approving IRPs for Georgia Power and Dominion Energy.

• Nov 6, 2025

  Trane unveils thermal management design for next-gen NVIDIA data centers

  Trane Technologies has launched Reference Design #501, a thermal management reference design targeted at gigawatt-scale AI data centers engineered around NVIDIA Omniverse DSX and NVIDIA’s next-generation Vera Rubin chips.

  • Main announcement/action: Reference Design #501 is a gigawatt-scale thermal management reference design that integrates the NVIDIA Omniverse DSX blueprint for AI factories (designed for Vera Rubin chips). It emphasizes high-efficiency water-cooled chillers, swing chillers (shift between high- and low-temperature loops), dedicated temperature loops to maximize free cooling hours, and advanced controls to minimize onsite energy consumption and free up power for computing.
  • Background and additional details: The design responds to power constraints in key U.S. markets (e.g., Pacific Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, northern Virginia) and incorporates digital twin capabilities to aggregate 3D data, simulate performance across loads/conditions, and optimize thermal systems prior to construction; Trane positions the digital twin as enabling continuous optimization and future-proofing for facilities that can cost billions of dollars to build. The announcement references coordination with adjacent products (e.g., dry coolers) to optimize PUE and can, in some ambient conditions, nearly zero out water consumption.
• Nov 6, 2025 · RMI

  How Virtual Power Plants Can Help the United States Win the AI Race

  RMI publishes an analytical brief recommending rapid deployment and novel commercial models for virtual power plants (VPPs) to speed interconnection and reliably supply growing AI/data-center loads in the United States.

  • Main announcement/action: RMI proposes three commercial models (Pass-Through Funding for Utility-Managed VPPs; VPP Capacity Transfer; VPP as Reliability Reinforcement) to enable large loads to sponsor VPP capacity in exchange for expedited interconnection. Key figures and timelines include VPPs could scale to meet over 20% of US peak demand by 2030, Brattle’s finding that 400 MW of VPP resource adequacy costs ~$2 million annually versus ~$43 million for equivalent new gas plants and grid upgrades, and examples of program scale such as California’s DSGS enrolling over 750 MW (including a 500 MW increase during Jan–Oct 2025). Utility and grid timing constraints cited include gas turbine backlogs through at least 2028, average interconnection timelines >5 years, and localized waits (e.g., Dominion warns up to 7 years in Northern Virginia; some DFW data center deliveries delayed to 2027 or later).

  • Background and implementation details: The brief documents operational examples (National Grid Connected Solutions; Green Mountain Power battery programs; Ontario 90 MW residential VPP that enrolled 100,000 homes in six months) and outlines policy and market prerequisites: changes to interconnection policy (e.g., Oregon, Nevada, CAISO, SPP experiments), stronger integrated planning and data access (capacity accreditation, Green Button Connect), and customer protection measures (transparent tariffs, up-front payments/long-term contracts, rate-design evaluations). It emphasizes measurement & verification, transferable capacity credits, and that models shift different financial and delivery risks among large loads, VPP aggregators, and utilities.

• Nov 4, 2025

  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).
• Nov 4, 2025

  GridStor Celebrates Completion of Texas’ Newest Battery Storage Facility

  GridStor dedicated its Hidden Lakes Reliability Project facility on November 4 and began operation of a 220 MW / 440 MWh battery energy storage facility in Texas.

  • Project details & immediate action: The Hidden Lakes Reliability Project is now operational as a 220 MW / 440 MWh battery energy storage facility (serving the equivalent of 140,000 average Texas households during peak hours); the facility participated in a dedication on November 4 with GridStor CEO Chris Taylor, Congressman Randy Weber, PUCT Chairman Thomas J. Gleeson, and Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson.
  • Financials, local impact & pipeline: The project will contribute tens of millions of dollars in estimated sales and use tax revenue (including property taxes) benefiting Galveston County and Dickinson Independent School District, employed approximately 100 full-time skilled tradespeople and apprentices during construction, participates in the ERCOT market, and GridStor — backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management — manages a project pipeline of over 3 GW in later-stage development or under construction.
• Nov 4, 2025

  New Data Center Developments: November 2025

  Data Center Knowledge published a monthly roundup summarizing recent global data center developments and investments across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.

  • Main roundup details: The report aggregates announcements including a $70 billion Pennsylvania initiative launched at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit; Amazon’s $8 billion Project Rainier (30 interconnected data centers in Indiana); Google’s multi-billion-dollar West Memphis campus plan; Meta’s >$1.5 billion GW-scale data center in El Paso (expected launch 2028); and a collaboration where OpenAI, Oracle, and Vantage will deliver almost a GW of AI capacity in Port Washington, Wisconsin, with campus construction starting soon and completion targeted for 2028.
  • Energy and implementation details: Highlights include deployment of a 31 MW, 62 MWh BESS by Aligned Data Centers and Calibrant Energy to accelerate site commissioning; DOE opening the Oak Ridge Reservation for private AI data center development; Blue Energy planning a gas-to-small-reactor plant supplying up to 1.5 GW to Crusoe Energy Systems with a planned reactor transition by 2031; and Google committing €5 billion in Belgium plus new PPAs with Eneco/Luminus/Renner. Timelines specified in the article include 2026–2030 for Google’s $15 billion India hub and 2028 targets for several GW-scale facilities.
• Oct 22, 2025 · Google

  A new water infrastructure project is increasing water security in Oregon.

  Google has completed an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project in The Dalles, Oregon, and permanently transferred ownership and associated groundwater rights to the City of The Dalles.

  • Project completion and transfer: Google completed a new aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) system in The Dalles, Oregon and permanently transferred ownership and associated groundwater rights to the City of The Dalles; the system provides over 100 million additional gallons of water annually and is designed to capture rainy-season runoff for use in drier months, increasing the city’s water capacity for decades.
  • Context and implementation details: The ASR is part of Google’s investments in Oregon where it operates data centers that deliver AI-powered technologies (Cloud, Maps, Workspace, YouTube); the announcement references a data center water profile PDF and an accompanying YouTube video; no monetary figures or specific project construction timelines are stated in the article.
• Oct 16, 2025

  Pennsylvania’s $70 Billion Race for America’s Data Centers

  Pennsylvania has announced an ambitious $70 billion state-led initiative to attract major AI data center investments and related infrastructure upgrades, unveiled in July at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University.

  • Main announcement and projects:$70 billion initiative announced in July at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh). Key commitments include $25 billion Aliquippa steel mill redevelopment (Blackstone; joint venture with PPL Corp. on power generation), CoreWeave $6 billion for up to 300 MW in Lancaster, Energy Capital Partners $5 billion at York II Energy Center, PA Data Center Partners & Powerhouse $15 billion three-campus hub near Carlisle with 1.3 GW capacity, and Google/Brookfield 20-year repowering deal for Safe Harbor and Holtwood hydropower totaling 670 MW. The plan also includes workforce development via the Energy Innovation Center Infrastructure Academy and Meta’s $2.5 million investment to CMU’s Schwartz Center for Entrepreneurship.
  • Background and implementation details: The plan is state-coordinated and privately funded (not federally backed like the CHIPS Act). It focuses primarily on power delivery and grid enhancements (rather than direct data center construction), leveraging Pennsylvania’s status as the 2nd-largest U.S. natural gas producer and a major coal producer. The Google-Brookfield arrangement is a 20-year repowering commitment; other projects are announced as multi-billion-dollar investments without explicit completion timelines. Industry sources quoted include Forrester Research (Alvin Nguyen), DVM Power + Control (Bob Ricci), and DataBank (Joe Minarik).
• Oct 9, 2025

  SRP and ESS Announce New 50 MWh Long Duration Energy Storage Pilot Project

  Salt River Project (SRP) and ESS announced an agreement to add Project New Horizon, a 5 MW / 50 MWh iron flow long-duration energy storage (LDES) system, to SRP’s grid at the Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, Arizona, selling capacity to SRP under a ten-year energy storage agreement.

  • Project details: The pilot is a 5 MW, 50 MWh ESS Iron Flow Battery using ESS’ Energy Base technology, designed for 10 hours of discharge (and “fast charging” of 10 hours or less), sized to store enough energy to power 1,125 average-size homes for 10 hours; design underway, manufacturing begins 2026, and delivery targeted by December 2027. SRP issued the RFP for LDES pilots in 2024 and will buy capacity under a 10-year agreement. SRP will collaborate with EPRI to monitor project performance.
  • Background and site context: The system will be installed at SRP’s Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center (which currently has a 99-MW flexible gas facility and a 55-MW utility-scale solar project under construction) and will sit alongside CMBlu Energy’s “Desert Blume” 5 MW, 10-hour LDES project; SRP currently operates nearly 1,300 MW of energy storage (including 1,100 MW battery across eight facilities and 200 MW pumped hydro).
• Oct 9, 2025

  SRP and ESS Announce New 50 MWh Long Duration Energy Storage Pilot Project

  Salt River Project announced an agreement with ESS to add Project New Horizon, a 5 MW, 50 MWh iron flow long-duration energy storage system at SRP’s Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center under a ten-year energy storage agreement.

  • Main announcement: SRP will procure Project New Horizon (5 MW / 50 MWh) from ESS using ESS’ Energy Base iron flow technology; the system will store energy for 10 hours (stated equivalent to powering 1,125 average-size homes for 10 hours) and will be installed at Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, Arizona under a 10-year energy storage agreement.
  • Background and implementation details:RFP issued in 2024 for LDES pilots; design underway, manufacturing begins in 2026, and ESS will deliver the project by December 2027; SRP and ESS will work with EPRI to monitor performance. The Copper Crossing site currently hosts a 99-MW flexible natural gas facility, a 55-MW solar project under construction, and will host CMBlu Energy’s “Desert Blume” 5 MW, 10-hour LDES project.