Pennsylvania Data Center Intel

Recent Pennsylvania data center news

• Dec 18, 2025

  Feds Allow Big Tech to Plug Data Centers Right Into Power Plants

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a unanimous order allowing large tech data centers to effectively colocate and draw power directly from power plants within the PJM mid-Atlantic territory.

  • Main action: FERC’s order requires PJM Interconnection to develop rates and conditions for multiple colocation scenarios (including with new power plants and existing plants) and may allow big users to pay only for transmission services they use; it stems from a dispute over a proposed colocation between Amazon’s cloud-computing subsidiary and the owner of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. Key names: Laura Swett (FERC chair), Chris Wright (Trump’s energy secretary). The mid-Atlantic territory covers about 65 million people.
  • Background and details: The order is pitched as protecting ratepayers while enabling rapid connections for data centers; it was welcomed by power plant owners and supported in part by Advanced Energy United, while Edison Electric Institute said it would “continue to work” on rapid connections. The decision grew from disputes between power plant owners and electric utilities, and FERC may require colocating users to pay to replace diverted energy to the broader grid.
• Dec 18, 2025

  AI Is Draining the Grid—and the Power Solution Is Sitting Idle Right Next Door

  Daniel Domingues (founder and CEO of Planno) calls for deploying commercial and industrial rooftop solar and battery storage near data centers to meet AI-driven electricity demand while avoiding long transmission build timelines.

  • Main announcement/action: Advocate to prioritize C&I rooftop solar + storage adjacent to data center clusters to supply local load quickly; cites IEA projection of data center electricity reaching ~1,000 TWh by 2030, U.S. interconnection queues holding >2,000 GW, and transmission projects taking ~10 years (with permitting >50% of that timeline). Notes New Jersey Planno data: 13.5 GW total C&I rooftop potential, 7% adoption, leaving ~10.7 GW untapped; systems <2 MW can use streamlined permitting/interconnection and be built in months.
  • Background and details: Draws on NREL national assessment and a Deloitte study (82% and 92% statistics on innovation/investment focus), highlights benefits of proximity, speed, and private financing (PPAs/leases) for C&I solar; recommends pairing with batteries/microgrids to meet peaks and provide localized resilience.
• Dec 18, 2025

  Environmentalists and Affordability Duke It Out in New York

  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has shifted to an affordability-focused energy agenda, approving the NESE natural gas pipeline, reversing opposition to new nuclear, streamlining permitting, and establishing a $500 million Empire AI Consortium to support power-hungry AI capacity in the state.

  • Main actions and timeline: Hochul approved the NESE natural gas pipeline (reported Nov 2025) and directed the New York Power Authority to pursue a new zero-emission advanced nuclear plant; her administration has streamlined permitting for electric power and transmission infrastructure and announced the Empire AI Consortium — a $500 million public-private partnership to advance AI/data-center capacity in New York. The NESE approval was explicitly framed by Hochul as a return to an “all-of-the-above” policy and is cited by supporters (Breakthrough Institute letter) as likely to lower regional costs and carbon by displacing heating oil.
  • Background and related developments: The House passed the SPEED Act (sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman) to limit NEPA reviews and expedite permitting; Diablo Canyon received a state permit to continue operating for another 20 years but still needs a final NRC license extension and state legislative approval to operate after 2030. Environmental groups (e.g., League of Conservation Voters, Food & Water Watch) criticized Hochul’s moves in reports and public statements (December 2025 LCV report; quotes from Bill McKibben and Alex Beauchamp).
• Dec 18, 2025

  Beyond Coal 2025: Fighting for an Affordable, Renewable, Zero-Emission Future

  The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign published a 2025 year-end summary of actions and wins while outlining ongoing legal and advocacy fights against federal rollbacks and fossil fuel bailouts.

  • Campaign summary & key metrics: Sierra Club highlights 60,000 premature deaths prevented, claims 100,00 heart attacks and one million asthma attacks avoided (June milestone); warns of projected 50 gigawatts of data center-driven electricity demand by 2030 (nearly a 10% U.S. grid increase over four years); reports active presence in 30+ states and support for nearly 9 GW of onshore wind, solar, and storage projects across 20 states in 2025 with a plan to double engagement in 2026.
  • Legal and policy actions / implementation details: The campaign is challenging EPA rollbacks and litigating coal bailouts; it filed at the D.C. Circuit Court to contest the J.H. Campbell extension and filed at DOE over the Eddystone extension; it joined amici in litigation against the Trump offshore wind moratorium, supported actions around the 800 MW Empire Wind (noting it would provide electricity to 500,000 homes) and cited a federal ruling vacating the wind permitting ban and resumed construction by Equinor; Merrimack coal station retired in September 2025 (final New England coal retirement).
• Dec 18, 2025

  Climate Change Solutions - December 16, 2025

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) issues a Climate Change Solutions newsletter summarizing recent climate, energy, and environmental policy developments, briefings, and media coverage in the United States.

  • Newsletter content highlights articles on FEMA reform (FEMA Act, H.R.4669), ghost fishing gear in Hawaiʻi, and global green building standards (LEED, BREEAM), plus an EESI briefing on how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) changed 12 clean energy and efficiency tax incentives and how companies and consumers are adjusting.
  • Capitol Hill updates cover House passage or advancement of the Electric Supply Chain Act (H.R.3638), ePermit Act (H.R.4503), ESTUARIES Act (H.R.3962 / S.2063), and multiple PFAS bills (H.R.6668 / S.3457, H.R.6626 / S.3460, H.R.6667, S.3445, S.3446), as well as links to EESI legislative trackers, grid and industrial decarbonization briefings, and external media citations of EESI work on data centers, water use, and EERE investments.
• Dec 18, 2025

  Prices in biggest US power grid auction hit new record, signaling higher utility bills ahead

  PJM Interconnection reported record-high capacity prices driven by data center electricity demand that outstripped new supply.

  • Main announcement: PJM reported capacity prices reached $333.44 a megawatt-day in the latest auction and capacity prices have risen by about 1,000% over roughly two years, reflecting that data centers’ demand overtook available supply; available cleared supply was 134,479 megawatts, about 6,600 MW short of PJM’s reliability requirement.
  • Background and details: PJM is holding catch-up auctions to return to a three-year-ahead schedule with the prices released taking effect for the year beginning June 2027; Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting the price limit be extended, and independent power producer Talen Energy expects more than $1 billion in capacity revenues for the 2027-2028 planning year.
• Dec 18, 2025

  MD lawmakers override climate, environmental bill vetoes

  The Maryland General Assembly has overridden Gov. Wes Moore’s vetoes to pass three climate and environmental bills during a special session.

  • Main action (override on Dec. 16, special session): Lawmakers passed legislation requiring a study of the cost to Maryland of greenhouse gas emissions (HB0128), a study of the economic, energy and environmental impacts of data center development (HB0270), and creation of an office to plan to meet the state’s energy needs (HB1037).
  • Background and implementation details: Gov. Moore had cited the state budget crunch when vetoing the bills and had characterized legislatively mandated studies as “a drag on state government.” A few days before the session he agreed to fund the climate-costs study but provided only half of the $500,000 the bill called for (the bill requested $500,000, implying ~$250,000 provided); advocates lobbied the legislature to override the vetoes. Kim Coble (Maryland League of Conservation Voters) publicly supported moving forward on revenue sources for climate impacts and energy planning.
• Dec 17, 2025

  Springdale data center gets green light

  The Springdale borough council granted a conditional use permit to Allegheny DC Property Company to build a data center at the former Cheswick Generating Station site.

  • Permit and project details: The council voted 5-2 on Dec. 16, 2025 to approve a conditional use permit for Allegheny DC Property Company to build a 565,000-square-foot data center (about seven stories tall) at the former Cheswick Generating Station; the developer’s materials say the facility could demand as much power at one time as more than 140,000 homes and includes rooftop cooling equipment.
  • Background, conditions and local concerns: The approval followed public opposition citing noise, health risk concerns, and doubts about promised property tax revenue; council cited sound modeling showing noise below the borough limit of 85 decibels and read a prepared statement from Borough Manager Terry Carcella that Pennsylvania law requires approval if the applicant meets zoning criteria; several council members said they voted yes to avoid expected lawsuits if the permit were denied.
• Dec 17, 2025

  Enterprises to prioritize infrastructure modernization in 2026

  World Wide Technologies (WWT) published research reporting that AI-powered applications are driving enterprises to modernize IT and consider private cloud and on-premises AI infrastructure.

  • Main announcement/action: WWT recommends enterprises prioritize IT modernization (visibility of assets, addressing technical debt, application modernization) and consider private AI / private cloud and specialized on-premises AI/HPC deployments; it cites IDC forecasting 75% of enterprise AI workloads will run on fit-for-purpose hybrid infrastructure by 2028 and Grand View Research projecting the global AI infrastructure market to reach $223.45 billion by 2030.
  • Background and implementation details: WWT highlights concrete infrastructure requirements including power and cooling upgrades (direct-to-chip liquid cooling, immersion cooling, rear-door heat exchangers), edge compute and high-speed networks, and stricter access control/identity policies for AI agents; the report and commentary from WWT CTO Neil Anderson emphasize vendor partnerships (example: Nvidia on liquid cooling) and the need for environmental sensors and integrated vendor support.
• Dec 16, 2025

  Virginia regulators weigh expanded use of data centers’ polluting generators

  The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued guidance expanding the definition of an “emergency” to potentially allow data centers to run Tier II diesel backup generators during certain planned utility outages.

  • Main action: DEQ’s Sept. 30 memo from Mike Dowd to Director Michael Rolband would treat some planned outages (notice provided within 14 days or less) as “sudden and reasonably unforeseeable” events, allowing use of Tier II diesel generators that are currently limited to emergencies; the guidance is under public review with environmental groups requesting a 30-day extension to comment and the change would still be under review when Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger takes office in January.
  • Background & details: The article cites about 9,000 generators in Virginia (≈8,000 Tier II, about 4,700 in Loudoun County); a legislative report estimated a worst-case 9,000 tons of nitrogen oxides from backup generators in the region. Drivers include over 100 planned transmission upgrades and federal initiatives (DOE’s Speed to Power Initiative cites 17.6 GW of planned data center capacity across five Virginia counties). DEQ said interested parties requested the guidance and that sources must still meet permitted emission limits.