West Virginia Data Center Intel

Recent West Virginia data center news

• Oct 23, 2026

  Episode for October 23, 2026

  The Allegheny Front’s October 23, 2026 episode summarizes multiple Pennsylvania energy, industrial, and data center developments rather than making a single original announcement.

  • The episode says Pennsylvania officials are studying nearly two dozen retired power plants across the state to see whether they can be reactivated as electricity demand grows, and notes the EPA head plans to loosen methane leak rules for oil and gas wells.
  • It also reports that Archbald Borough denied zoning for a hyperscale data center with 14 buildings and 588 diesel backup generators, while U.S. Steel is seeking an air permit for a new hot strip mill at its Edgar Thomson Plant near Pittsburgh.
• Oct 16, 2026

  Episode for October 16, 2026

  The Allegheny Front has published an episode about abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania, with related reporting on data center noise and grid issues.

  • The episode highlights Pittsburgh high school students raising money to plug an abandoned gas well, and a Bradford retiree helping identify undocumented wells.
  • The page also links to related stories on FERC and PJM over data center demand, plus Allegheny County residents opposing a Springdale data center over noise and pollution.
• Oct 16, 2026

  FERC denies plan that would shield energy customers from data center demand to avoid blackouts

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected PJM’s proposal to temporarily shut off power to data centers during periods of high demand, while allowing PJM to develop a database to track data centers driving up electricity costs.

  • PJM proposed an Interim Resource Adequacy Service (IRAS) to require data centers to pay for their own new power supply and protect other customers from reliability issues.
  • FERC said PJM may submit a revised curtailment plan, but it must explain why data centers would be shut off before other large energy users; reporting cited possible conflict with the Federal Power Act and quoted the commissioners on state authority over retail electricity sales.
• Oct 16, 2026

  What happened to Pennsylvania’s hydrogen hubs?

  Inside Climate News reports that U.S. hydrogen hub projects MACH2 and ARCH2 are facing uncertainty and possible funding loss under the Trump administration.

  • MACH2 and ARCH2 were originally backed by $750 million and $925 million in Department of Energy awards, but both now face stalled progress and unclear federal support.
  • The story says ARCH2 has gone dark while MACH2 is in a holding pattern; it also notes 45V tax credits could offer up to $3 per kilogram of hydrogen, and mentions a revised deadline of December 31, 2027 for starting work.
• Oct 13, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  The 2026 US-India Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index

  ITIF and the Institute for Competitiveness, India have released a new subnational innovation competitiveness report comparing 87 regions in India and the United States.

  • The report benchmarks 36 Indian states and territories and 51 U.S. regions across 12 indicators in three pillars: knowledge economy, globalization, and innovation capacity.
  • It finds the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and California top the U.S. list, while Chandigarh, Maharashtra, and Delhi lead India; it also discusses AI policy, FDI concentration, renewable energy, Internet access, R&D, business creation, and patenting.
  • The article is a report summary/analysis and appears to be the first public release of this index, with a downloadable report PDF; it includes multiple monetary figures such as $57.2 billion in India FDI equity and $1 billion for New Hampshire’s biofabrication cluster.
  • The piece is substantively about innovation, infrastructure, digital connectivity, AI, and clean energy, and is relevant to data centres because it discusses AI infrastructure, GPUs, digital infrastructure, and power/renewables.
• Oct 12, 2026

  Valley Link Expands to Coal Country

  The Piedmont Environmental Council is updating its advocacy on Virginia transmission lines tied to data center growth and a Virginia SCC ruling on who should pay for related grid costs.

  • PEC says Valley Link plans to file the Joshua Falls-Yeat application with the Virginia SCC in November or December instead of September, and plans to file the Amos-Rocky Point (Valley North) line in 2027.
  • The email also highlights the SCC ruling that large-load data centers should pay the up-front costs of transmission facilities built solely to serve them, while PEC calls for a statewide moratorium on new data centers, transmission lines, onsite gas facilities, backup generators, and new water withdrawals.
• Oct 9, 2026

  Episode for October 9, 2026

  The Allegheny Front published an episode and related links highlighting the rise in black lung disease in Appalachia and the political debate over climate and energy policy in Pennsylvania.

  • The episode spotlights a report that one in three Appalachian coal miners surveyed by federal researchers are testing positive for black lung disease, described as the highest level since the late 1970s.
  • The page also notes that Gov. Josh Shapiro and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity discussed data centers and other issues in the first and only 2026 gubernatorial debate, and that Shapiro joined 21 states suing the EPA over its repeal of limits on power-plant climate pollution.
  • This is a media episode page and commentary roundup, not a first-person corporate announcement; it references recent news and linked articles rather than making a new standalone policy filing.
• Oct 8, 2026

  Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground

  POWER magazine reports on a panel discussion at Experience POWER featuring leaders from USEA, NRECA, LPPC, and CEBA. The article is commentary on the panel and on a bipartisan Senate permitting bill introduced later the same day.

  • The panelists said data centers need more infrastructure, that flexible load is hard to sell, and that security rules need one standard; Rich Powell said the industry must do more to prove community benefits, while Tom Falcone said some LPPC members may need to double or triple in size over 10 years.
  • The article also says the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would keep permits in place absent extraordinary circumstances, violations of law, or court order, and would require data centers to pay their transmission costs; BPC said the bill would bar cost-shifting for new data centers of 20 MW or more.
• Oct 7, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - October 6, 2026

  EESI has published a climate and energy newsletter summarizing recent congressional action, upcoming briefings, and related resources.

  • Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Sheldon Whitehouse, Mike Lee, and Martin Heinrich introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (S.5653), a permitting package focused on transmission, grid capacity, and data center energy costs.
  • The newsletter also notes the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act becoming law, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act being signed, the Senate advancing the Agricultural Act of 2026, and an upcoming Oct. 7, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT online briefing on interregional transmission co-hosted with WRI.
• Sep 25, 2026

  Episode for September 25, 2026

  Governor Shapiro and Pennsylvania utility regulators are discussing AI-driven data center growth and its potential grid impacts in Pennsylvania. The item appears to be a podcast episode and linked commentary, not a first-time corporate announcement.

  • At an AI conference in Pittsburgh, Governor Shapiro said AI has promise but that “we cannot ignore the warning signs” and “downplay the risks of the industry.”
  • The piece highlights community pushback in Westmoreland County and cites Pennsylvania utility regulators warning that unchecked data center growth could threaten regional grid reliability within five years; it also references a related article saying new data centers in the PJM region could use more electricity than Pennsylvania uses today.