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WV · State profile
West Virginia Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across West Virginia — updated daily.
Recent West Virginia data center news
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.