West Virginia Data Center Intel

Recent West Virginia data center news

• Apr 11, 2026

  WV lawmakers did little to nothing for environmental protections during legislative session

  The West Virginia Legislature kept the law creating the high-impact microgrid and data center program unchanged and failed to advance environmental protections.

  • Kept high-impact microgrid and data center program law unchanged after the data center bill passage in 2025; local control remains nonexistent, and the column warns that gigantic natural gas plants and diesel generators tied to data centers threaten local air and water. Senate President Randy Smith reportedly expressed second thoughts but made no legislative changes.
  • Removed references to energy efficiency and renewable energy when codifying the governor’s 50 gigawatt by 2050 plan; senators debated a bill that would have pressured Appalachian Power and First Energy on coal plant retirements (a proposal did not pass), Public Service Commission Chair Charlotte Lane advised against that bill, and aboveground storage tank inspection requirements (weakened since the 2014 chemical spill that left 300,000 West Virginians without water) were again reduced in scope.
• Apr 10, 2026

  Episode for April 10, 2026

  The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing to gather comments about a new permit for Shell’s ethane cracker / plastic production facility in Beaver County.

  • DEP public hearing: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing in Beaver County to collect comments on a new permit for Shell‘s ethane cracker / plastic production facility; the hearing drew both support and opposition and is covered in the Allegheny Front episode (April 10, 2026).
  • Background and additional coverage: A report by PennEnvironment gives Pennsylvania an F for rooftop solar permitting; Pennsylvania state lawmakers have introduced multiple bills to address data center growth (covering electricity and water use and potential tax breaks); the episode also highlights the American woodcock mating display and an Ohio legislator‘s proposal to reintroduce elk.
• Apr 7, 2026

  Will the Dickerson data center project impact MoCo’s environment?

  Atmosphere Data Centers and Terra Energy propose a large data center campus at the former Dickerson power plant site in Montgomery County, Maryland.

  • Project announcement and status: Atmosphere Data Centers (developer) and Terra Energy (site owner) are proposing a 110-acre data center campus with a planned capacity of 360 megawatts; Terra Energy filed an initial application in December 2023, so this article reports on an ongoing proposal rather than a first-time announcement. The campus would connect to the grid via FirstEnergy transmission lines and requires new on-site infrastructure (substation, switchyard).
  • Key technical and regulatory details: Atmosphere says the campus would use an average 69,300 gallons/day for cooling with a proposed maximum daily allowance of 500,000 gallons; the company plans diesel generators with emissions controls for backup (selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filters). Atmosphere has submitted water withdrawal and discharge permit applications to the Maryland Department of the Environment, while local activists and county officials are urging a 100% renewable energy commitment and greater transparency on water use. County climate targets cited: 80% emissions reduction by 2027 and 100% by 2035.
• Apr 3, 2026

  Nscale Expands AI Factory Strategy With Power, Platform, and Scale

  Nscale has announced rapid expansion of a vertically integrated AI infrastructure platform, including the acquisition of American Intelligence & Power Corporation (AIPCorp) and a $2 billion funding round at a reported $14.6 billion valuation.

  • Acquisition & funding: Nscale completed the acquisition of American Intelligence & Power Corporation (AIPCorp) (bringing the Monarch Compute Campus), and raised $2 billion at a $14.6 billion valuation; the Monarch site is described as up to 2,250 acres with a state-certified AI microgrid and a power runway said to scale beyond 8 gigawatts.
  • Execution details & timelines: Nscale announced a letter of intent with Microsoft for up to 1.35 gigawatts at Monarch with deliveries beginning in late 2027, plans to reach 2 gigawatts by H1 2028 and expand to ~8 gigawatts by 2031, and will deploy Caterpillar G3500 generator sets with equipment deliveries expected between September 2026 and August 2027.
• Apr 3, 2026

  Episode for April 3, 2026

  The Allegheny Front released a podcast episode on April 3, 2026 covering air pollution and lung cancer alongside related environmental stories.

  • The episode focuses on a February report finding energy generated in Pennsylvania will power data centers both in-state and out-of-state, a new study attempting to separate smoking from lung cancer risk (with surprising results in areas with poor air quality), and includes an interview with the author of a birding guide.
    • Date: April 3, 2026
    • Duration: 29:49
    • Format/location: Podcast episode available online (audio mp3 and streaming platforms)
    • Agenda/subject: air pollution & lung cancer study; data center energy demand impacts on Pennsylvania; steel industry climate ranking; earlier allergy season; wildlife/fish kill report; birding guide interview
  • The episode also reports that Nippon Steel (U.S. Steel’s new owner) scored near the bottom in a climate ranking due to increased coal usage and a recent reinvestment in coal at a U.S. Steel plant in Indiana; other segments note a fish kill in Centre County (Pine Creek) documenting dead fish, crayfish, and frogs, and that allergy season is starting earlier due to changing temperature and precipitation patterns.
• Apr 2, 2026

  Panel discusses how energy demand from data centers nationwide will impact Pennsylvania

  The Clean Energy Group, Clean Air Council and Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania released a report titled “The High Cost of AI: How Data Centers are Reshaping Pennsylvania’s Energy Landscape.”

  • Main finding: The report finds Pennsylvania will export electricity to surrounding PJM states to meet growing data center demand, with PJM relying on Pennsylvania to supply energy to high-demand importers like Virginia (35% of hyperscale data centers); it projects an additional 24 to 44 million metric tons of CO2 by the end of the decade and an estimated $20 billion public health burden in 2028.
  • Background & local context: The report was discussed at a University of Scranton event with local officials and residents; Archbald has six proposed data center campuses under local opposition, the groups support Sen. Katie Muth’s three-year moratorium (co-sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Brown), and utilities such as PPL Electric Utilities perform system upgrade studies that can socialize costs across ratepayers.
• Apr 2, 2026

  New Data Center Developments: April 2026

  Data Center Knowledge published a monthly roundup of global data center developments and investments.

  • Key highlights and announced projects: The roundup summarizes multiple announced projects and financing moves, including Moody’s projection of ~$700 billion hyperscaler capex in 2026, Crusoe’s 900 MW AI data center in Abilene, West Texas (to support Microsoft workloads), Meta’s revised $10 billion investment targeting 1 GW capacity in El Paso with a planned 2028 launch, Penzance Management’s planned $4 billion investment for a 600 MW High Impact Intelligence Center in West Virginia, Aligned Data Centers’ $2.58 billion credit facility for US expansion, Digital Edge’s $665 million green loan for phase I of a 500 MW Bekasi campus, Pure DC’s 110 MW microgrid in Dublin, Prime Data Centers’ €6 billion campus plan for 550 MW, and Datagrid’s approval for a 280 MW hyperscale campus in New Zealand.
  • Context and supporting details: The article emphasizes energy and grid constraints and on-site/clean power solutions (e.g., Google + AES onsite clean energy, Concord New Energy + Bridge Data Centers barge-based hydrogen plant, Pure DC microgrid), highlights subsector partnerships (EdgeConneX + Kilimo water-efficiency program; MANTA consortium selecting MDC Data Centers for two cable landing hubs in Mexico), notes regional regulatory shifts (Australia’s new approval framework tying data center approvals to energy/resource commitments), and provides firm-level capital and timeline details where stated (e.g., Meta 2028 launch; Vietnam 200 MW AI data center construction starting end of April).
• Mar 31, 2026

  100-hour LDES battery technologies from Form, Noon and Ore: how do they compare?

  This article analyses and compares commercial 100-hour batteries from Form Energy, Ore Energy and Noon Energy.

  • Main action: The article compares technical and commercial metrics for three commercial 100-hour LDES systems — Form Energy, Ore Energy (both iron-air) and Noon Energy (SOFC-flow). It highlights a major deployment reference: Form Energy’s 300MW / 30GWh iron-air project announced with Google to be installed alongside 1.6GW of renewable capacity for a Minnesota data centre. Cost targets are stated (Form: US$15–20/kWh, Ore: €16 / ~US$18.50/kWh, Noon: <US$20/kWh).

  • Background and technical details: The article summarises RTE ranges (iron-air ~35–50%, Noon 60–80%), operating temperatures (iron-air -40°C–50°C, Noon SOFC ~600–800°C likely), and system life estimates (iron-air ~20 years; Ore assumed similar; Noon undisclosed). It collates published references (Form Energy presentations, OSTI and IOP reports, Fraunhofer analysis) and notes gaps where companies have not publicly disclosed full data.

• Mar 30, 2026

  Morrissey Announces Massive Google Data Center Project in West Virginia

  West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that Google purchased land for a “multibillion-dollar High Impact Data Center Project” to be located in Putnam County.

  • Main announcement:Google purchased land in Putnam County for a “multibillion-dollar High Impact Data Center Project”; Governor Morrisey said Google will cover costs for electrical, water and sewer upgrades (including water replenishment and onsite power generation) and will cover 100% of the electricity used to power the facility to avoid energy rate increases.
  • Background and context:State policy and local response: West Virginia has been pursuing data center investment via legislation House Bill 2014 which redirects property taxes from data centers to a state-managed fund (with 30% returned to the host county, 10% distributed per capita to all counties, and the remaining 10% split between an economic enhancement grant fund and an electric credit stabilization fund).
    • Event: Community meeting on March 20, 2026, Berkeley County (hosted by Commissioners Eddie Gochenour and John Hardy) attended by over 400 residents; agenda/concerns: water usage, traffic, noise, air quality, and approval processes for large data center projects (relating to a separate $4 billion project announced in Berkeley County).
• Mar 27, 2026

  Episode for March 27, 2026

  PennFuture has called for a moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania until stricter laws can be passed.

  • PennFuture moratorium call: PennFuture has requested a statewide moratorium on data center development in Pennsylvania citing concerns about water use, electricity prices, and increased pollution; the call seeks a pause until stricter laws can be passed.
  • Related, verifiable developments: The central Pennsylvania electric utility settlement would shield average residential customers from data center-related rate increases and requires data centers to pay $11 million for low-income rate relief; the Pennsylvania DEP is considering a proposed Shell ethane cracker permit with higher emission limits; Governor Josh Shapiro is among plaintiffs suing to block the EPA repeal of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding; a Lackawanna County commissioner has proposed an air quality ordinance to address data center emissions and diesel backup generators.