Pennsylvania Data Center Intel

Recent Pennsylvania data center news

• Feb 26, 2026

  Meta Signs Solar PPA with MN8 Energy to Power U.S. Data Centers

  Meta has announced it has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with MN8 Energy to procure 80MW from a new solar project in Pennsylvania.

  • Main announcement: Meta will purchase 100% of the electricity generated by MN8 Energy’s Walker Solar plant in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, under an 80MW PPA; Walker Solar is under development and is targeted to begin operations by the end of 2026. This is the first joint project between Meta and MN8 Energy.
  • Background and deal context: MN8 Energy (founded 2017, New York-based) specializes in decarbonization projects, energy storage, and grid-scale power; the company was originally founded within Goldman Sachs Asset Management as Goldman Sachs Renewable Power and became independent in 2022. The article references a BloombergNEF report noting Meta signed over 10 GW of PPAs in 2025 and was the largest corporate clean energy offtaker that year.
• Feb 25, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - February 24, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released a newsletter highlighting data center impacts, policy developments on Capitol Hill, and upcoming briefings and events.

  • Main announcement: EESI highlighted rising household energy costs driven in part by data center demand, noting electricity prices have risen by up to 267% since 2020 in high-concentration data center areas and that wildfires cost the United States up to $424 billion annually. The newsletter features the article “Data Center Power Demands Are Contributing to Higher Energy Bills,” a podcast on wildfire philanthropy, and announces briefings including “Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability” on Thursday, February 26 (3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online).

  • Background and other details: The newsletter summaries recent legislative actions and events: Senate Energy Committee advanced the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 (S.714); House Committee approved the ACERO Act (H.R.390) to authorize NASA’s ACERO project; Senate Foreign Relations agreed to the Protecting Global Fisheries Act of 2026 (S.1369); House introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567). Events listed with dates/times/locations:

    • Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability — Feb 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
    • Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy — Mar 3, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building, Room 385 and online (Reception to follow)
    • Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses — Mar 12, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
    • 2026 Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (EXPO 2026) — Jun 24, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Foyer and Gold Room and online
• Feb 25, 2026

  PJM proposes behind-the-meter reforms in data center colocation effort

  PJM Interconnection asked FERC to approve changes to its retail behind-the-meter generation rules to facilitate colocating generating resources with data centers.

  • Main action: PJM proposed changes including three new transmission services — interim network integration transmission service, firm contract demand transmission service, and non-firm contract demand transmission service; it set a 50-MW threshold for behind-the-meter facilities that would fall under the proposed requirements, a three-year transition period, and grandfathered existing behind-the-meter contracts through their life; PJM said rates, terms and conditions for the new services will be filed at FERC in a future filing.
  • Background and additional details: The filing responds to FERC’s Dec. 18 order to revamp 2004 colocation/BTMG rules; PJM excluded backup generation from the 50-MW threshold and stated the proposal aims to support building AI infrastructure while ensuring grid reliability; industrial trade groups (PJM Industrial Customer Coalition, IECA) and the Pennsylvania OCA filed objections or support statements noting potential adverse effects on combined heat and power (CHP) and existing retail behind-the-meter generation.
• Feb 25, 2026

  NEMA, other groups want the US to pay companies to employ veterans as electricians

  Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) introduced the Veterans Energy Transition Act (H.R. 4105) this week.

  • Main announcement: The bill, H.R. 4105, would provide $10,000 for each veteran hired and up to $500,000 annually per organization to cover training, onboarding, relocating, and professional certifications; service members’ spouses are also eligible. The legislation was introduced to the House Veterans Affairs Committee and is supported by a coalition including the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Data Center Coalition, and American Lighting Association.
  • Context and supporting details: The coalition sent a letter arguing the move addresses labor needs as data centers and other big electricity users drive projected 50% growth in energy consumption by 2050. Testimony supporting the bill came from Wes Smith, president/CEO of the National Association of Electrical Distributors, and Liza Reed, director of climate and energy at the Niskanen Center, emphasizing worker shortages, Department of Defense transition figures (~200,000 service members/year), and electrician supply gaps (about 7,000 entering vs 10,000 leaving annually).
• Feb 24, 2026

  Nvidia lines up partners to boost security for industrial operations

  Nvidia announced expanded collaborations with Akamai, Forescout, Palo Alto Networks, Siemens and Xage Security to embed Nvidia BlueField DPU-based accelerated computing and AI into OT/ICS cybersecurity, announced at the S4x26 conference.

  • Main announcement: Nvidia will integrate its BlueField DPUs with partner security products (Akamai Guardicore, Forescout sensors, Palo Alto Prisma AIRS, Siemens Industrial Automation DataCenter integration, Xage Fabric Platform) to enable agentless zero-trust, edge enforcement, and AI-driven centralized intelligence for OT/ICS environments; the news was revealed at S4x26 and described in an Nvidia blog post by Itay Ozery.
  • Background and details: Partners will run or offload security workloads directly on BlueField (for example, Forescout sensors and Palo Alto Prisma AIRS) to accelerate tasks like deep packet inspection, micro-segmentation, identity-based access, and runtime enforcement; Akamai emphasized agentless segmentation for fragile legacy systems, Siemens will demo BlueField integration with its Industrial Automation DataCenter, and Xage will demo its Fabric Platform operating with BlueField.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Episode for February 20, 2026

  The Allegheny Front released a podcast episode on Feb 20, 2026 covering an avian flu surge and regional environmental and industrial issues.

  • Episode details & main stories: The Feb 20, 2026 episode (runtime 29:30, downloadable mp3) focuses on an avian flu surge in Pennsylvania with state agricultural officials and USDA increasing testing and surveillance; it also reviews the aftermath of the Clairton Coke Works explosion (now six months after two deaths) and the transfer of the plant to Nippon (Nippon’s plans have not yet been released).
  • Additional reporting & concrete details: The episode summarizes a new study on deaths attributable to air pollution in the Pittsburgh region; it highlights growing opposition to dozens of proposed data centers in the region and cites a specific proposal in Delaware City that would use 20 million gallons of water a year. All facts are drawn from linked reporting and the episode content.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

  This article analyzes shifting patterns in data center site selection in the United States and is an analytical overview rather than a new corporate or government announcement.

  • Main finding: Data center site selection is diversifying as power capacity expansion, long-haul fiber, streamlined permitting, and incentives reduce legacy clustering in hubs such as Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, and the greater Chicago area.
  • Drivers and trade-offs: The piece outlines six selection factors — Infrastructure, Demand Proximity, Economics, Governance, Risk and Resilience, and Community and Social License — and cites emerging markets in parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Mississippi, alongside growing urban hubs like Boston and Denver.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

  The article analyzes a shift in U.S. data center site selection toward greater geographic diversity, including more rural builds.

  • Main finding: The piece argues that as regions expand power capacity, extend long‑haul fiber, and streamline permitting and incentives, legacy hub advantages (e.g., Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, greater Chicago) are weakening and site selection is diversifying toward a wider set of geographies, including rural areas.
  • Supporting details: The analysis lists core site-selection factors — infrastructure, demand proximity, economics, governance, risk and resilience, and community/social license — and cites emerging growth markets and examples such as parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Utah, while noting new urban hubs like Boston and Denver; it also references multi-decade grid requirements and decades of legacy investment in hubs.
• Feb 11, 2026

  General Assembly Leadership Appears Once Again Unwilling to Advance Data Center Reform Legislation that Addresses all of the Issues, Not Just a Few

  The Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition held a lobby day in Richmond urging the General Assembly to pass comprehensive data center reform.

  • Lobby day details and primary action: The Coalition assembled a standing-room-only audience, met with more than 80 legislative offices, and emphasized a package of reforms built on four pillars (transparency; state oversight and mitigation; financial protections for families and businesses; tying tax exemptions to standards). More than 50 bills related to oversight, transparency, ratepayer protections and mitigation were introduced this session; several (including HB658, HB589, HB155) were heard and killed in the House Finance Committee, while others (e.g., SB253 amended by Senator Lucas, SB619, SB553, SB339, HB897) remain under consideration.
  • Background and additional details: The Coalition represents more than 50 nonprofit organizations and community groups; the release cites Virginia housing 500+ data centers and references Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro unveiling standards for data center management. The group’s priority bills include SB619/HB284/SB371/HB507 (state oversight), SB553 (enhanced transparency), SB339 (ratepayer protections), and HB897/SB465 (tax incentive reform).
• Feb 10, 2026

  Dell Private Cloud Expands Choice with Nutanix Support

  Dell Technologies has announced that Dell Private Cloud now supports Nutanix, letting customers deploy Nutanix AHV on Dell infrastructure.

  • Main announcement: Dell Private Cloud is deploying Nutanix with immediate support for Dell PowerFlex (available today) and Dell PowerStore integration coming this summer; the solution enables customers to pair Nutanix AHV with Dell infrastructure, scale compute and storage independently, and use Dell Automation Platform for Day 0–2 deployment and lifecycle management.
  • Background and details: The platform previously supported VMware and Red Hat OpenShift; the announcement emphasizes multi-hypervisor flexibility (citing Gartner data on 52% of IT leaders considering multiple hypervisors), continued use of familiar tools like Prism UI, and reuse/protection of existing Dell infrastructure investments. Author: Caitlin Gordon, VP of Product Management for Private Cloud and AI Solutions at Dell Technologies.