Virginia Data Center Intel

Recent Virginia data center news

• Jul 29, 2026

  Battery storage is an important growth driver, NextEra CEO says, amid merger to create largest regulated utility in US

  NextEra Energy reported higher Q2 2026 earnings and said it is continuing preparations for a merger with Dominion Energy.

  • Q2 2026 earnings: adjusted earnings of US$2.407 billion versus US$2.164 billion in Q2 2025; net income US$3.144 billion; EPS US$1.15. FPL reported US$1.412 billion net income and US$2.8 billion quarterly capital expenditures, while NextEra Energy Resources reported US$1.634 billion income.
  • Grid and storage activity: FPL expects to install about 900MW of solar and over 1.4GW of battery storage in 2026; NextEra Energy Resources added 3.6GW to backlog, including 2GW of battery storage. The companies also filed merger applications on 15 July and said the deal could close in 2H 2027.
• Jul 29, 2026

  Brookfield, NextEra to Develop $100B Data Center Campus at DOE’s Paducah Site, Paired With 4.6 GW of Dedicated Generation

  Brookfield and NextEra Energy have announced a $100 billion plan to develop a privately funded AI data center campus at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Paducah Site in Kentucky, paired with up to 4.6 GW of dedicated generation.

  • The campus is expected to be fully built out in 2032 and support up to 1.8 GW of utility capacity and more than 1.2 GW of compute load; Brookfield will lease land from DOE and develop and operate the campus.
  • NextEra Energy will own and operate up to 2 GW of natural gas generation and up to 2.6 GW of BESS added in stages; the project also involves Big Rivers Electric, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, and Paducah Power System, with KPSC approval still required for the power service agreement.
• Jul 29, 2026

  Amazon Pushes Virginia to Let AI Data Centers Fund Their Own Grid Upgrades

  Amazon has urged Virginia regulators to let hyperscale data center operators voluntarily fund transmission infrastructure serving their campuses, in Dominion Energy Virginia’s Rider T1 proceeding.

  • Amazon witness Cameron Brooks said voluntary transmission CIAC would let hyperscale customers “put their own capital at risk” and reduce costs for other ratepayers by shifting stranded-asset risk to the customers driving new demand.
  • Dominion argued the issue should not be decided in Rider T1 because it raises broader questions involving PJM planning, FERC jurisdiction, and retail rate design; the Commission also reviewed testimony on how the proposal could interact with Virginia’s newly approved GS-5 tariff and large-load transmission charges.
• Jul 29, 2026

  AI data centers in the US may face power cuts under PJM reliability proposal

  PJM Interconnection has proposed a new framework to curtail electricity supply to certain new large power users, including AI data centers, during grid emergencies beginning in June 2027.

  • PJM would require new Large Loads that do not secure their own generation or contracted supply by June 1, 2027 to be subject to curtailment before pre-emergency load management is deployed.
  • PJM plans to create a Large Load Registry by site and service area; it defines Large Loads as single-site end-use customer load of at least 50 MW within a one-mile radius. PJM also forecasts 70 GW of new large loads by 2038, while 15 GW of generation has retired since 2022.
  • The article is analysis/commentary about grid reliability and data center power risk, quoting industry analyst Pareekh Jain and referencing broader concerns such as transmission constraints, transformer shortages, and sustainability regulation.
• Jul 28, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - July 28, 2026

  Environmental and Energy Study Institute has published a Climate Change Solutions newsletter highlighting climate data access, data center health impacts, nuclear energy, and several congressional bills.

  • The newsletter spotlights a new online platform, Climate.us, and an interview with Rebecca Lindsey, who discusses filling the gap left by the now-defunct Climate.gov.
  • It also summarizes recent legislative activity, including the House passage of the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act (H.R. 8790) and Senate movement on the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (S.4949) and the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026 (S.5045).
  • A separate article in the newsletter discusses data center health impacts, noting emissions from on-site diesel generators and from natural gas and coal power plants used to power data centers.
• Jul 27, 2026

  Data Centers are Hotbeds of Health Risks

  The article argues that U.S. data center growth is driving fossil-fuel use, air pollution, and public health harms, while highlighting policy proposals and clean-energy alternatives.

  • More than 5,500 U.S. data centers already exist, with thousands more under construction or in planning; the article says developers are planning or constructing more than 90 GW of on-site, off-grid natural-gas power plants to avoid grid interconnection queues.
  • It cites estimated health damages of $53–99 million per year from permitted PM2.5 emissions at a Loudoun County, Virginia facility, $6 billion in annual U.S. health costs in 2023 from fossil-fuel plants powering data centers, and a projection of $20 billion annually by 2028; it also notes proposed congressional bills and mentions solar, battery storage, and microgrids as solutions.
• Jul 27, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Mobilizing for Techno-Economic War, Part 6: From Free Trade Agreements to Strategic Techno-Economic Agreements

  ITIF has published a policy report proposing Strategic Techno-Economic Agreements (STEAs) as a new framework for U.S.-led trade deals aimed at strengthening allied industries and constraining China.

  • The report argues that the free trade era is over and calls for binding, reciprocal agreements with allies that include zero-for-zero tariffs, digital trade rules, defense production cooperation, investment screening, export-control alignment, and counter-IP theft measures.
  • It also cites several recent or existing policy precedents and announcements, including USTR’s March 2026 Section 301 investigations, the U.S.-U.K. critical minerals MOU, and the Pax Silica initiative; the report itself is an original ITIF publication, not a news report of a single transaction.
• Jul 26, 2026

  Virginia Study on Groundwater and Data Centers Calls for Tighter Water Regulations

  Virginia has released a long-delayed groundwater study examining eastern-region aquifer supply and the possible impact of data centers, and the report urges stricter groundwater regulations.

  • The report says regulators should have more authority to reject industrial water withdrawal permits, require applicants to examine surface water or water reuse, and strengthen planning and staffing/equipment funding for water management.
  • It finds groundwater in Virginia’s eastern coastal plain is constrained, with declining availability likely, and says a data center using evaporative cooling would probably not find a reliable groundwater supply anywhere in the region.
  • The report was provided to AP by Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s office after more than six months of withholding; AP says the report had been due in January and was released in July 2026.
• Jul 24, 2026

  Episode for July 24, 2026

  The Allegheny Front has published an episode roundup covering several Pennsylvania environmental and infrastructure stories, including U.S. Steel’s mill modernization plans, AI tornado forecasting, a renewed solar schools program, and a crowdfunding challenge to a data center project.

  • U.S. Steel is described as investing big money to modernize a mill in the Pittsburgh area, with local reaction split between air pollution concerns and expected economic impact.
  • The episode also notes that Pennsylvania’s Solar for Schools program has been renewed for a third year and is funded at $25 million, covering 75% of school district solar installation costs; another segment says environmental groups are crowdfunding a legal challenge to the Homer City data center project tied to a gas-fired power plant.
• Jul 24, 2026

  Data center boom tests Florida’s new infrastruture law as power demands surge across the state

  Florida Construction News reports that Florida’s expanding data center pipeline is driving construction demand while also triggering debate over utility cost shifting and grid upgrade expenses.

  • The article says a $2.6 billion hyperscale AI campus is proposed in Fort Meade, alongside a 300-megawatt campus in Polk County and additional projects in Palm Beach County and Palm Coast.
  • It also says SB 484 will take effect on July 1, 2026 and bars utilities from shifting infrastructure costs to residential ratepayers; Duke Energy is scheduled for hearings on August 25 and 26 over 540 megawatts of active projects in Fort Meade and Fort Pierce.