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Utah Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Utah — updated daily.
Recent Utah data center news
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Utah’s 4 GW AI Campus Tests the Limits of Speed-to-Power
Joule Capital Partners (branded “Joule Power”) in partnership with Caterpillar has advanced a proposal to develop an AI-focused data center campus on ~4,000 acres in Millard County, Utah, anchored by on-site engine-based generation; groundbreaking occurred in November 2025 but final site plans and key conditional use permits remain pending.
Main announcement/action: Joule (with Caterpillar) is pursuing a zone change for ~4,000 acres to Heavy Industrial and is advancing an initial entitlement scenario described as six buildings each paired with fleets of Caterpillar natural-gas generators (reports cite 69 generators per building), framing the campus as a 4-gigawatt development with 1.1 GWh of battery storage; project materials and public filings (air permits) report ~4,380 tons/year of regulated pollutants and ~1,380 tons/year of NOx, and Joule asserts >10,000 acre-feet/year of secured groundwater rights.
Context and status (background): This is a follow-up to earlier coverage (not a first-time announcement); public meetings (July 2025) and local reporting highlight community concerns (noise, emissions, water, traffic, farmland loss), groundbreaking in Nov 2025, and pending conditional use permits and air permits; reported broader site scaling toward up to 12 GW is tied to future entitlements and demand, and regulatory outcomes (BACT/LAER determinations, monitoring, noise limits, water metering) remain unresolved and could materially affect timeline and equipment configuration.
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Top 20 countries by the number of data centers in 2025
DevelopmentAid publishes an overview of the global data center market, trends, and investment forecasts.
- Main summary: The article provides a market overview noting the United States leads with 4,165 data centers (about 3,000 more being built/planned) and estimates the sector could reach US$22.7 billion by 2030 driven by generative AI, cloud services, 5G, and IoT. It cites major investment figures including Google >€5.5 billion (US$6.37 billion) in Germany and a €1 billion project involving Nvidia and Deutsche Telekom.
- Background & details: The piece aggregates third-party reports and data (Statista, Axios, McKinsey, JLL, Datum, Baxtel, Global Data Center Hub) and provides regional details: McKinsey’s US$6.7 trillion capex by 2030 (US$5.2 trillion for AI-optimized facilities, US$1.5 trillion for typical IT), Latin America growth from ~US$5bn (2023) to >US$10bn by 2029, and capacity/footprint statistics for countries and hyperscale operators. It is an informational market overview, not a primary announcement of a single new project with implementation timelines.
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The POWER Interview: A Path Forward for Geothermal Energy
Rodatherm Energy Corp. completed an oversubscribed $38-million Series A funding round and is developing closed-loop AGS pilot projects in Beaver and Millard counties, Utah.
- Main announcement: Rodatherm completed an $38-million Series A (September last year) and is piloting its closed-loop, refrigerant-based Advanced Geothermal System (AGS) in Beaver and Millard counties, Utah, seeking to validate efficiency versus traditional water-based systems.
- Background/details: The company is Utah-based with operations in Calgary, Canada, claims its organic working fluid yields ~50% more power output than water-based systems, targets data centers and communities for baseload power, and lists investors including Evok Innovations, TDK Ventures, Toyota Ventures, TechEnergy Ventures, MCJ, Active Impact Investments, Renewal Funds, The Grantham Foundation, and Giga Investments.
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Investment in next-generation geothermal is surging. Policies are key to further growth – EQ
The IEA reports that investment in next-generation geothermal reached nearly USD 2.2 billion in 2025.
- Main announcement: The IEA analysis shows next-generation geothermal financing reached nearly USD 2.2 billion in 2025 (up 80% YoY from USD 22 million in 2018); conventional geothermal funding hit nearly USD 5 billion and geothermal heating projects secured over USD 11.5 billion in 2025. The report highlights public grants ~9% of next-gen funding, and that debt financing now accounts for nearly 30% of sector finance.
- Background and specifics: The analysis cites technology and industry examples: FORGE and collaborators (e.g., Fervo, which raised over USD 1 billion between 2022–2025) improved drilling rates (up to 30 m/h); corporate offtake examples include Google–NV Energy (115 MW Corsac PPA) and Meta’s 150 MW commitment from Sage starting 2027; electricity contract prices rose from USD 30–60/MWh typical of earlier guarantees to about USD 130/MWh in some recent deals.
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Vanderbilt Report Argues for 'Dig Once' Policies to Reduce Fiber Instillation Costs
Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator released a report in December recommending strong “dig once” laws to require installation of conduit during any roadway excavation, shifting conduit installation responsibility toward governments to reduce costs and speed fiber deployment.
- Main recommendation: Require strong “dig once” laws for federally funded road construction so governments install conduit whenever roads are built or repaired; the report cites studies finding 75% to 90% of fiber deployment costs stem from digging up and repairing roadways (Fiber Broadband Association 2024; FHWA 2012).
- Context and details: The report notes federal legislative attempts were weakened into notification requirements (states notify ISPs when construction occurs); highlights state examples such as Utah (62.5% fiber coverage vs national average 49%) and other states with laws (California, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa); it references June 2026 BEAD revisions and urges Congress, during 2026 surface transportation reauthorization, to mandate dig once on federally funded projects.
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In Davos debut, Musk says US tariffs make solar power a challenge
Elon Musk was interviewed at Davos by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, during which he criticised US solar tariffs and outlined aggressive targets for Tesla and his AI/robotics efforts.
- Main announcement/action: Musk said the United States could produce enough solar power to meet all of its electricity needs by using a “small corner of Utah, Nevada or New Mexico,” criticised high US solar tariffs as making solar economics artificially poor, and flagged humanoid robot sales next year plus European approval for self-driving tech within weeks.
- Background and context: The interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland covered Musk’s roles at Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI, referenced a freeze on US approvals for major wind and solar projects leaving thousands of megawatts in limbo, and noted growing electricity demand from Big Tech data centres; remarks were part of a technology-focused session rather than a geopolitical discussion.
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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.
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GSN Roundup: Blackstone and Willis Tower, JV’s Big Data Center Refi, and Prestige Closing
Affinius Capital partnership is seeking a $925 million mortgage to refinance the second phase of the Gainesville Crossing Data Center Campus.
- Deal specifics: The JV of Affinius and Corscale is pursuing a $925 million mortgage to refinance a fully leased, 482,000 sq ft building with 72 megawatts of capacity; the borrower prefers a floating-rate loan with a 2–3 year term, and Newmark is advising. The tenant is an undisclosed large cloud-computing provider on an initial 15-year lease; the building is part of a planned five-building campus totaling 306 MW.
- Background & supporting facts: The 130-acre site was bought from Buchanan Partners in mid-2020 for $74.5 million after rezoning in late 2019; Corscale is the data-center arm of Patrinely and Affinius’ predecessor firm is USAA Real Estate, which helped acquire the site. Financial performance issues led Larry H. Miller Co. to close Prestige Financial Services amid an MLB expansion funding push (expansion fee expected to top $2 billion), and Blackstone is separately exploring options around a $1.32 billion securitized loan on Willis Tower.
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The State of the Science 1 Year On: Environment
The Trump administration has announced multiple rollbacks of U.S. environmental protections and actions to fast-track permits for mining, AI infrastructure, and data centers.
- Major policy actions: Executive orders and budget proposals from the Trump administration include fast-tracking federal permitting for data-center infrastructure (July executive order), expediting mining permitting (goal: as little as 28 days), and an April executive order to revive coal and designate coal as a critical mineral; the administration also ordered closure of 25 USGS Water Science Centers and proposed cuts to NOAA labs and programs.
- Concrete budget and project details: The FY2026 Omnibus proposal (OBBB / OMB materials) includes $2.46 billion cut to EPA Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, $1.01 billion cut to categorical grants for air and water quality, and $721 million cut to USDA Rural Development programs; the Interior announced plans to complete the Velvet-Wood mine environmental assessment in 2 weeks and construction of that uranium/vanadium mine began in November 2025.
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Illinois Governor Signs Wide-Ranging Energy Legislation Addressing Battery Storage, Nuclear Power, Renewables, and More
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) on January 8, 2026.
- Overview of the action: CRGA directs the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) to prepare a Storage Procurement Plan (stakeholder review and comment in 2027) and mandates an initial energy storage procurement on or about August 26, 2026 for slightly more than 1 GW, followed by additional procurements for 3 GW; CRGA lifts the moratorium on new Illinois nuclear plants over 300 MW, expands regulator authority (ICC, IPA, IFA, Illinois EPA) to develop an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), and imposes additional emissions permitting for diesel- and natural gas‑powered backup generators at data centers.
- Background and key implementation details: CRGA requires an IRP evaluating needs over 5/10/15/20-year horizons; directs the ICC and IPA to publish an Illinois-specific ISO study by December 1, 2026 (with possible follow-up study); creates a Geothermal Homes and Businesses Program with up to $10 million worth of RECs per delivery year (program to be included in the IPA Long‑Term Plan beginning June 1, 2028 through June 1, 2035); mandates each electric public utility file an initial VPP tariff by June 1, 2026 (short‑term VPP beginning no later than June 30, 2026, with a compensation floor of $10 per kW of average dispatch), expands Project Labor Agreement (PLA) requirements and raises community solar size caps to 10,000 kW AC.