Oregon Data Center Intel

Recent Oregon data center news

• 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 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.
• 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 (SRP) and ESS announced Project New Horizon, a 5 MW / 50 MWh iron flow long-duration energy storage pilot to be installed at SRP’s Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center and sold to SRP under a 10-year energy storage agreement.

  • Project details and timeline: The pilot is 5 MW, 50 MWh (10 hours discharge) using ESS’s Energy Base iron flow technology; design is underway, manufacturing begins in 2026, and ESS will deliver the project by December 2027. SRP and ESS will work with EPRI to monitor performance data, and the project resulted from SRP’s 2024 RFP for LDES pilots.
  • Background and technical specifics: The system will store enough energy to power 1,125 average-size homes for 10 hours and uses mainly iron, salt and water, offers “fast charging” (≤10 hours), is Made in America with >90% domestic content, and has an expected 25-year life expectancy. The Copper Crossing site currently hosts a 99-MW natural gas facility, a 55-MW solar project under construction, and will host CMBlu Energy’s Desert Blume 5 MW, 10-hour LDES project.
• Oct 7, 2025

  Alaska Governor Pitches State as a Data Center Hub for AI-Era Compute

  Governor Mike Dunleavy pitched Alaska as a competitive location for next-generation data center development at Data Center World Power in Texas.

  • Main announcement/action: Governor Mike Dunleavy presented Alaska’s “arctic advantage”—highlighting 30 degrees cooler average temperatures vs. Texas and claiming it could save a one-gigawatt plant upwards of $150 million a year in reduced ancillary cooling; he emphasized abundant freshwater, vast land (the state owns 110 million acres), and a tax posture with no state income tax and no state sales tax as competitive benefits for data center operators.
  • Background, timelines and project details: Dunleavy pointed to the Alaska LNG development (saying gas delivery to south central Alaska is expected in two years and exports to Asia by 2030), projected wholesale power of “four or five cents a kilowatt hour” for decades, multiple fiber routes with ~12 milliseconds latency to the Oregon coast, and renewable potential (hydro, wind, geothermal, tidal) plus large tracts suitable for carbon-offset projects.
• Oct 2, 2025

  Microsoft Bets $33B on Neoclouds to Ease AI Crunch

  Microsoft announced a major capacity deal with neocloud Nebius to source AI computing power as part of a broader neocloud strategy.

  • Main action: Microsoft agreed a deal with Nebius Group worth up to $19.4 billion (outlined Sept. 8) to access computing capacity including more than 100,000 Nvidia GB300 chips, enabling Microsoft to run internal large-language-model training and a consumer AI assistant at neocloud facilities and free its own servers to sell AI services. This is part of more than $33 billion in commitments Microsoft has made to neocloud providers (including CoreWeave, Nscale, Lambda).
  • Background and implementation details: The move addresses tight AI data-center capacity and gives Microsoft financial flexibility by shifting some costs to operational expenses (per Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler). Microsoft continues in-house expansion (announced a second phase at its Racine, Wisconsin site to bring utility power capacity to at least 900 megawatts). Deals include regional arrangements (e.g., Nscale for the UK and Norway) and earlier capacity rentals (e.g., Oracle for an AI-infused Bing).
• Oct 1, 2025

  Amazon Signs Deal for Solar Energy to Power Data Centers in U.S.

  Amazon announced it has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Avangrid to purchase electricity from the Oregon Trail Solar project in Oregon.

  • Project details: Oregon Trail Solar — 57 MWdc (41 MWac) capacity, expected operations in 2027, will supply Amazon’s data centers in the Pacific Northwest; construction is projected to create ~200 construction jobs (mostly local union workers), will install >100,000 solar panels, and is expected to generate roughly the annual electricity consumption of ~10,000 U.S. households.
  • Background and other details:Avangrid has operated in Oregon since 2001 and runs 2.5 GW of capacity in-state, including a National Training Center in Sherman County and a corporate office in Portland; the project will contribute approximately US$6 million in combined payments in lieu of taxes and property taxes over its lifetime to benefit schools and infrastructure; this is a follow-up collaboration after Avangrid and Amazon’s agreement for the Leaning Juniper IIA repower and follows similar partnerships in Illinois, Ohio, and North Carolina.
• Sep 24, 2025

  Fuel Cells: The Next Big Thing in On-Site Energy for Data Centers?

  Equinix announced a collaboration with energy provider Bloom to deploy fuel cells at 19 data centers (announcement in August).

  • Main announcement: Equinix is collaborating with energy provider Bloom to deploy fuel cells at 19 data centers (announced in August). The article notes the move highlights reduction of emissions and water use, but does not specify timelines or the exact types of fuel cells to be used.
  • Background and details: Fuel cells are described as scalable, low-water and operationally emissions-free devices, but the article flags an indirect carbon footprint from fuel production and a typical installation cost of around $7 per watt (about twice solar and multiple times diesel generators). It also cites past/ongoing pilots or deployments involving Amazon (worked with Bloom Energy but reportedly scaled back), Microsoft, Google, and Plug Power.
• Sep 24, 2025

  Avangrid to supply power from Oregon Trail Solar Project to Amazon  

  Avangrid has announced a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Amazon for the Oregon Trail Solar Project.

  • Project and deal details: 57MW DC Oregon Trail Solar in Gilliam County, Oregon will supply renewable energy to Amazon’s data centres in the region; the facility is scheduled to start operations in 2027 and the PPA is the agreed mechanism for energy supply for those data centres.
  • Background and additional facts: The project features >100,000 solar panels, will generate electricity equivalent to ~10,000 US homes, is expected to create around 200 construction jobs (largely local union labour), and Avangrid anticipates approximately $6m in payments in lieu of taxes and property taxes over its lifetime; this builds on a prior PPA tied to the Leaning Juniper IIA repower project in Gilliam County and other agreements across Illinois, Ohio, and North Carolina. Avangrid has operated in Oregon since 2001 and currently manages 2.5GW of capacity and facilities including the National Training Center in Sherman County and a corporate office in Portland. Last month Avangrid signed a contract with SmartestEnergy for power from two projects in New Hampshire.