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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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Episode for December 19, 2025
The Allegheny Front published an episode “Bears!” highlighting regional environmental, wildlife, and infrastructure developments on Dec 19, 2025.
- Main episode coverage: The program reports that Springdale borough council granted a conditional use permit for a massive data center to be built on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania has joined a lawsuit seeking release of federal EV charger funds held by the White House; the US EPA held a public hearing in Pittsburgh on a proposed Clean Water Act rule change that would remove federal protections for about 80 percent of wetlands; the episode notes Three Mile Island as central to the Trump administration’s push linking nuclear projects to AI power needs.
- Background and supporting details: The episode features a story on Sherrie Flick and her short story collection “I Have Not Considered Consequences” (bears as recurring characters), a report with Pennsylvania’s bear biologist tracking roughly 16,000 black bears, and is distributed via Libsyn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and TuneIn on Dec 19, 2025.
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Broadband Industry Likes New Non-Deployment Bill
Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.) introduced the SUCCESS for BEAD Act to ensure states use their full BEAD allocations and to allow specified “non-deployment” infrastructure and workforce uses tied to AI.
- Main action: The bill would allow states to spend remaining BEAD allocations on wholesale fiber lines, mobile wireless infrastructure, submarine cables and landing stations, workforce development, mapping, and permitting reform, while explicitly excluding data centers as eligible uses. The Commerce Department estimates about $21 billion of the $42.45 billion BEAD program is currently unallocated for deployment; states would be required to hold another round of bidding for wholesale or backbone projects.
- Background and additional details: The Trump administration rescinded approval for non-deployment activities in June and the President issued an executive order directing NTIA to produce a policy notice making states ineligible for non-deployment funds if they have “onerous” AI laws; NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said the agency was still “operating under the assumption” states could use full allocations. The bill does not permit spending on adoption, affordability, or device/plan subsidies; the administration also canceled $2.75 billion in Digital Equity Act funding. Supporters include Fiber Broadband Association, INCOMPAS, WIA, USTelecom, Connected Nation, Competitive Carriers Association.
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Wicker, Capito Introduce Bill to Ensure Use of Non-Deployment Funds
Sen. Roger Wicker and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito introduced legislation requiring states to use non-deployment funding from the Commerce Department’s BEAD program.
- Main action: The SUCCESS for BEAD Act would require states to “use all remaining amounts” from the $42.45 billion Commerce Department BEAD program, directing leftover non-deployment funds (about $21 billion expected to remain under updated rules) into a competitive subgrant program for eligible projects; the bill explicitly prohibits data center construction and lists allowed uses such as telecom workforce development, wholesale fiber, internet exchange points, and mobile wireless infrastructure.
- Implementation & background: The bill gives NTIA 30 days after enactment to provide guidance; states with workforce development boards may award funds without bidding; the NTIA earlier rescinded approval for non-deployment activities in June, and a Presidential executive order directs NTIA to issue a policy notice within 90 days to potentially withhold funds from states deemed to have “onerous” AI laws.
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Calls for US Data Center Freeze Grow as Local Enthusiasm Melts
Senator Bernie Sanders has called for a national moratorium on new data center construction, urging Congress to slow AI expansion and involve more people in decisions about AI’s future.
- Main action and scope:Sen. Bernie Sanders publicly advocated a national moratorium on data center construction; more than 200 environmental organizations (via a letter) also called for a moratorium citing impacts on water resources, electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions; Data Center Watch reports $64 billion in data center plans have been blocked or delayed by local activism in the last two years.
- Background and additional details: Federal debate is split—Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, and Richard Blumenthal are investigating links between data center power usage and rising consumer bills and have sent letters to major hyperscalers (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, CoreWeave, Digital Realty, Equinix); the Trump administration and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright have pushed for accelerated permitting and less state regulation; a Carnegie Mellon University study projects data center and crypto growth could raise average U.S. electricity costs ~8% by 2030 (with regional spikes, e.g., >25% in Virginia).
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US Coal Plants Closing Fast Amid Renewables Surge and Regulations
US coal-fired power plants are closing rapidly due to cheaper renewables, natural gas, and stricter regulations; closures and conversions are reshaping local economies and generation mix.
- Main announcement/action: The article documents accelerated retirements and early shutdowns (e.g., Brayton Point Power Station closed three years early) with coal’s share of U.S. electricity at about 13% in 2025 (down from 51% two decades ago). It notes specific operational shifts such as TransAlta pivoting its last Washington coal plant to natural gas under an agreement with Puget Sound Energy, and that the nation’s newest large coal plant is offline until 2027 per IEEFA. The piece also reports 15 coal plants delayed retirements due to rising demand from data centers/AI and cites projections of coal falling to ~5% by 2030 (S&P Global) and 7% by 2035 (EIA outlook).
- Background and details: The article references international and policy context: South Korea announced a coal phase-out by 2040, pressuring exporters like Australia; West Virginia regulators (PSC) have stated they won’t approve shutdowns to protect grid reliability. It cites job and economic figures reported in analyses tied to Project 2025 (e.g., Pennsylvania could face up to 37,700 job losses by 2030 in some scenarios), and highlights reliability concerns as AI-driven data center demand strains the grid.
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What to Do With Remaining BEAD Funds, a.k.a 'Non-Deployment'?
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice prioritizing lowest-cost bids, voiding previously approved state plans, and rescinding authorization for non-deployment activities.
- Main action and effects: NTIA’s June 6 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice requires states to resubmit plans within 90 days, eliminates scoring criteria for labor practices, climate resilience, and affordability, and replaces multi-criteria evaluation with a single metric—total BEAD cost per location; NTIA now estimates roughly $21 billion in BEAD “savings” across 56 states and territories.
- Background and specifics: States had planned to use non-deployment funds for workforce development, digital literacy, telehealth, device subsidies, and community anchor institution connections (examples: Louisiana $510 million, Florida ~$200 million); litigation risk and Congressional pushback (bipartisan letters, proposed RECAPTURE Act) are active, and NTIA has promised guidance in early 2026. The draft White House executive order would link eligibility for remaining funds to state AI regulatory frameworks, adding a legal and political dimension.
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Springdale residents, environmental groups gather to oppose data center; more events planned
TribLIVE’s homepage lists a roundup of local, regional and national headlines, including a story that Springdale residents and environmental groups are organizing to oppose a proposed data center and plan additional events.
- Main announcement: TribLIVE highlights that Springdale residents and environmental groups have gathered to oppose a data center project and have more events planned to organize opposition; the story is listed in the Valley News Dispatch section with related local coverage.
- Other concrete details on the page:Greensburg Pension Commission returned $62K to a former chief; an editorial references a $3 million moonlighting failure in Pittsburgh; a wire story notes Paramount challenging a $72 billion Netflix offer for Warner Bros; the roundup also includes a sustainability piece on holiday shopping emissions and a story on Expiring Obamacare subsidies affecting Pennie enrollment.
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Solving the power puzzle: Strategies for data centers facing supply constraints
Schneider Electric offers consulting, procurement, and AI-ready data center solutions to help operators secure reliable power and source renewables at scale.
- Main announcement/action: Schneider Electric is promoting its consulting teams and procurement teams to help data center operators secure reliable power, negotiate power procurement agreements (PPAs), and integrate renewables, BESS, and fuel cells into supply strategies; the article directs readers to Schneider Electric’s AI-ready data center solutions page.
- Background and concrete details: The article cites Accenture predictions that U.S. data center power share will grow from ~6% today to >7% by 2028 and to at least 16% (possibly >20%) by 2033; it notes constrained markets (Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, Atlanta) where data centers may wait five to seven years for grid connections, and gives project examples including Data Center Alley possibly using coal-fired plants in West Virginia and the 360-megawatt Stargate data center developers planning to build a natural gas plant in Abilene, Texas.
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The Five Types of Electro-Industrial States
Rocky Mountain Institute presents a typology classifying US states into five electro-industrial archetypes.
- Main announcement/action: RMI authors classify states into five archetypes — Momentum Hubs (Arizona, California), Fast‑Track Builders (Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Idaho), Policy Champions (New York, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania), Open‑Door Starters (Vermont, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Iowa), and Early‑Stage Starters (Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maine, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas). The typology is based on policy reliability, regulatory ease, economic capacity, physical infrastructure (power and interconnection), and market momentum.
- Background and details: The analysis highlights that market momentum and policy reliability should operate in tandem; low regulatory burdens accelerate short-term investment but may strain local housing and infrastructure without accompanying policy ambition. The authors reference the report GREASE Lightning as a policy playbook for designing investment-led, state-driven electro-industrial strategies.
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Large Energy Users Want Power. Here’s How to Protect Other Ratepayers from the Costs.
RMI (Perez, Wang, Shwisberg) published a review of 65 state-level large load tariffs and identified five common safeguard provisions intended to protect other ratepayers from cost shifting.
- Main announcement/action: RMI authors analyzed 65 state-level tariffs using data from Halcyon’s Large Load Tariff Tracker and identified five safeguard provisions—Minimum Contract Term, Minimum Monthly Billing Demand, Collateral Requirements, Exit Fees, and Capacity Reassignment—with concrete examples such as Kentucky Power’s 20-year minimum contract for new loads ≥150 MW and 22 of 65 tariffs specifying Load Ramp Periods (usually 4–5 years).
- Background and details: The review found 37 of 65 tariffs include collateral requirements (common range 12–24× the customer’s largest monthly bill or dollar-per-MW approaches), Dominion Energy’s GS-5 requires $1.5 million collateral per MW (reducible up to 70% for strong credit), 31 tariffs include exit fees, and 12 include capacity reassignment; the data source and linked tariff filings are provided for verification.