West Virginia Data Center Intel

Recent West Virginia data center news

• May 11, 2026

  Comcast Seeks FCC Action in Pole Dispute With Appalachian Power Company

  Comcast has asked federal regulators (the FCC) to step back into a continuing dispute with Appalachian Power Company over utility pole replacement cost charges.

  • Main action: Comcast filed a letter (through law firm Mintz Levin) asking the FCC’s Rapid Broadband Assessment Team to schedule a status conference to resolve the dispute; Comcast alleges Appalachian Power is charging new attachers at least 20% of total pole replacement costs, which Comcast says could delay federally backed BEAD deployments to roughly 13,000 Virginia locations and that lawful incremental costs should be about $100 per pole versus the utility’s formula that could exceed $1,600 per pole.
  • Background/details: The filing references an February FCC ruling that utilities cannot force new attachers to bear full replacement costs for poles with preexisting violations; Comcast originally filed its complaint in November 2025, the FCC fast-tracked the case in December 2025, and Comcast alleges Appalachian Power has continued to refuse compliance and may seek higher payments in future proceedings.
• May 11, 2026 · RMI

  A Fast-Path to Affordability: Understanding the Benefits of Energy-Only Resources in PJM

  RMI (authors Katie Siegner, Sarah Toth Kotwis, Abigail Weeks) commissioned Aurora Energy Research analysis and recommends PJM reform ERIS interconnection pathways to accelerate deployment of energy-only resources.

  • Main announcement/action: RMI highlights Aurora’s finding that deploying 10 GW of ERIS resources (5 GW solar + 5 GW wind) by 2028 could yield ~$10.9 billion in PJM ratepayer savings (billion, 2025$) over the next decade, and urges PJM to create a separate, fast ERIS study track with minimal network upgrade scope and clearly defined short timelines. The analysis assessed IRRs across four PJM zones (AEP, ComEd, Dominion, PPL) using a 9% hurdle rate and assumed no network upgrade costs beyond the point of interconnection for the primary scenarios.
  • Context and details: Aurora’s study modeled ERIS resources (wind and solar) with a 2028 commercial operation date, found ERIS projects are financially viable across most scenarios (central-case IRRs: solar ~9%–10.2%, wind ~9.2%–13.6%), noted ERIS uptake in PJM is currently low (PJM ~1% of MW online ERIS vs much higher elsewhere), and recommended that transmission planning (e.g., PJM’s RTEP) handle broader system upgrades while ERIS studies limit scope to point-of-interconnection impacts.
• May 8, 2026

  Episode for May 8, 2026

  Pennsylvania is getting a federal grant to install a geothermal project at an existing natural gas site.

  • Federal grant for enhanced geothermal in Indiana County — The federal government awarded funding to install an enhanced geothermal project at an existing natural gas site in Indiana County, Pennsylvania; the project uses techniques such as fracking to access underground heat and is described as “enhanced” geothermal. (No dollar amount for the grant was specified in the article.)
  • Other local energy and conservation actions — Pennsylvania PUC advanced guidance intended to protect ratepayers from high electricity demand by large data centers; the Pittsburgh Energy Innovation Center (Hill District) installed a rooftop solar array covering >20% of the building’s electricity needs, estimated to be worth $50,000 annually over the next 25 years; a federal critical habitat designation was issued for four endangered freshwater mussel species affecting western Pennsylvania rivers and streams.
• May 6, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - May 5, 2026

  EESI will host a briefing with American Rivers on May 7 about U.S. water infrastructure challenges and solutions.

  • Briefing with American Rivers on May 7: EESI and American Rivers will hold a briefing titled Policies and Financing Solutions to Modernize U.S. Water Infrastructure on Thursday, May 7, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., at the Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) and online; agenda includes U.S. water infrastructure challenges, solutions to close the investment gap, and discussion of the January 2026 Potomac River sewer collapse that discharged 200 million gallons of raw sewage.

    • Location: Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168)
    • Time & Date: Thursday, May 7, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
    • RSVP: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/050726water#rsvp

  • Newsletter content and related items: The issue highlights articles on data center waste heat reuse, PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in data center components, a breakdown of 65 climate, energy, and environment hearings on the Hill from March–April 2026, and a podcast interview about environmental justice research in Accra, Ghana. It also notes internship applications open until May 17, 2026, and links to legislative actions such as the enactment of the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R.7147) and passage of bills including the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567).

• May 5, 2026

  Thermal Energy Networks Turn Data Center Waste Heat into a Hot Commodity

  Author Aastha Singh presents an analysis promoting Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) to capture and reuse waste heat from data centers across U.S. communities.

  • Main proposal: The article urges adoption of Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) and district heating to capture waste heat from data center cooling and deliver it to nearby buildings; it cites concrete examples (Stockholm, Mäntsälä, Tallaght, Equinix PA10 in Paris) and quantifies benefits such as avoiding construction of 54 new power plants and $22.1 billion in building-cost savings.
  • Policy and implementation details: It documents current policy moves (Virginia HB323 as the first U.S. waste-heat reuse bill), federal legislative activity (S.4213 Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act introduced March 2026), and recommends actions including DOE pilot grants, expedited permitting, and energy/resource-intensity standards for data centers.
• Apr 29, 2026

  Dashboards, AI infrastructure and the States Leading Both

  Dell participated in two National Governors Association (NGA) convenings in Charleston and Philadelphia to advance statewide data dashboards for student/system success and to discuss energy infrastructure needs as AI scales.

  • Dell participated in two NGA convenings:

    • Location: Charleston, SC (NGA Policy Academy to Advance Data Dashboards Measuring Student and System Success) and Philadelphia (NGA Chair’s Initiative “Reigniting the American Dream”).
    • Date: not specified in article
    • Time: not specified in article
    • Agenda/subject: designing user-centered data dashboards that connect agencies and measure student/system success; discussing permitting reform, grid upgrades, and community engagement to support AI-driven energy demand.

  • Key follow-ups and context:

    • Technical examples and gaps: Indiana’s “Graduates Prepared to Succeed” dashboard cited as a model; teams identified measurement gaps in civic preparation and student well-being.
    • Energy and permitting focus: states are prioritizing permitting reform, grid upgrades, smarter demand mapping and energy-efficient design; the article cites a multi-year permitting example (“a project that takes seven years to permit”) as a strategic liability.
• Apr 24, 2026

  Episode for April 24, 2026

  Gov. Josh Shapiro announced two Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants will push back their retirement dates by at least four more years.

  • Main action: Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the two Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants will stay open through 2032, providing additional time to meet water pollution standards and to help satisfy rising energy demand from data centers.
  • Background and other details: The episode (April 24, 2026) also reports Ohio residents’ concerns about planned fracking in a remote natural area, coverage of native hawthorn trees Crataegus pennsylvanica and their habitat value for the scarlet tanager (an estimated 13% of its breeding population in Pennsylvania), and a farm–nonprofit partnership redirecting spoiled produce to a farm where chickens eat the food as a “salad bar” to reduce waste and fight hunger.
• Apr 21, 2026

  Officials Shift Data Center Strategy to Win Community Support

  States are changing how they manage data center growth, pushing developers to engage communities, improve facility design, and assume infrastructure costs, officials said at Data Center World on April 21, 2026.

  • Main action: States are requiring greater community engagement, design improvements, and that developers take on infrastructure/grid costs (e.g., Mississippi legislation requiring data centers to cover grid costs; Georgia has similar standards). West Virginia created a one-stop shop and removed local zoning for qualifying projects while retaining voluntary developer presentations for local feedback. Power access is now the primary constraint with projected connection delays—officials warned timelines for new projects may be “a decade to 15 years off.”
  • Background/details: Remarks came at Data Center World (April 21, 2026) from named officials including Buddy Rizer, Chris Morris, Brian Rothamel, Garrett Wright, Chris Pumphrey, and Reena Brilliot. Santa Clara reported data centers contribute 15 to 18 percent of its general fund. Public resistance increasingly tied to concerns about AI, and officials emphasized that financial incentives alone are insufficient without visible local partnerships and improved facility aesthetics.
• Apr 17, 2026

  Episode for April 17, 2026

  The Pennsylvania state House has approved two bills to regulate data center development.

  • Pennsylvania state House approved two measures to regulate data center development; Harrisburg lawmakers advanced the votes as part of efforts to manage a fast‑growing industry. The article reports two measures were passed by the state House (no timeline for enactment provided in the episode summary).
  • Background: an energy company (NextEra) is seeking eminent domain to build a high‑voltage power line through southwestern Pennsylvania to feed data centers in Virginia (residents fear losing homes if the PUC grants eminent domain). Other coverage includes the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map update (released last fall) and the designation of Laurel Caverns as Pennsylvania’s 125th state park (an underground park).
• Apr 15, 2026

  Energy company wants eminent domain for power lines in SW Pa. for data centers in Virginia

  NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic Inc. is seeking a certificate of public convenience from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to build the 107-mile MidAtlantic Resiliency Link and to obtain eminent domain rights in Pennsylvania.

  • Project details & authority: NextEra plans a 107-mile transmission line (reported as a 500-volt line in the article) from Dunkard Township, Greene County, PA to an endpoint in Northern Virginia; the project was awarded by PJM to meet data center demand and retirements, and NextEra is requesting a PUC certificate that would grant eminent domain authority.
  • Local impacts, economics & schedule: NextEra estimates $33 million in Pennsylvania economic output during construction and 150 construction and related jobs, while its filings state no full-time jobs will remain in-state after completion; opposition noted by the Center for Coalfield Justice cites residents’ fears of losing homes.
    • Prehearing conference: May 6, 10:00 am, before Administrative Law Judge John M. Coogan (Pennsylvania PUC proceeding).