Wyoming Data Center News

Mar 27, 2026

In Colorado, labor and environmental groups split over data center regulations

State Sen. Cathy Kipp has sponsored an environmental regulations bill that would require large data center developers to invest in new clean energy and grid upgrades (a BYONCE “bring your own new clean energy” approach), pay prevailing wages, and participate in apprenticeship programs; an industry-backed competing bill would instead offer a 20-year sales tax break if developers follow more moderate environmental rules. This article reports on introduced legislation and committee hearings and does not announce a final law or concluded deal.

Main action: Sen. Cathy Kipp (D-Fort Collins) is sponsoring a bill to require large data centers to finance clean energy and grid upgrades (BYONCE), pay prevailing wages, and participate in apprenticeship programs as conditions for development; the bill faced extensive testimony and labor opposition during its first committee hearing.
Background & context: Labor unions warned the bill could push jobs to neighboring states (e.g., Wyoming) and some unions back a rival, industry-supported bill (HB26-1030) offering a 20-year sales tax break; lawmakers are negotiating amendments and have rescheduled the competing bill’s committee hearing while talks continue. The article references investment context (2013–2024 global private investment into data centers/AI ~$1.6 trillion) and projected construction employment effects (~6% boost in non-residential construction jobs over the next decade per BLS).

Mar 27, 2026

A Faster Path to Power: What Natrium’s NRC Approval Means for AI Infrastructure

TerraPower has received NRC approval to begin nuclear-related construction at the Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 in Wyoming.

Main announcement: The NRC granted a construction permit allowing TerraPower (through its subsidiary US SFR Owner) to begin nuclear-related construction at Kemmerer; the NRC completed its final safety evaluation roughly 18 months after application (submitted March 2024, accepted May 2024, safety evaluation finished December 2025). The permit is not an operating license—TerraPower still must obtain a separate operating license before generation.
Background and details: The project is a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor (Natrium) coupled to molten-salt thermal storage to boost output to 500 MWe for >5.5 hours; it is a flagship DOE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program demonstration with up to $2 billion (DOE support, 50/50 cost-share) and uses a risk-informed NEI 18-04 licensing approach endorsed by NRC Regulatory Guide 1.233.

Mar 24, 2026

The Northwest Hasn’t Learned the Lessons of WPPSS (“Whoops”)

Laura Feinstein (Sightline Institute) argues that leaders should avoid building new gas-fired power plants in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and instead prioritize data center flexibility, demand response, energy efficiency, and transmission expansion to address near-term resource adequacy concerns.

Main action and evidence: The piece urges policymakers and regulators to require utilities and large electricity users to exhaust large-load flexibility and demand-side measures before approving fossil fuel infrastructure; cites a September 2025 E3 Phase 1 analysis that reported an 8.7 GW shortfall by 2030 (commonly rounded to 9 GW), which shrinks to roughly 5.6 GW when already planned resources (e.g., Carriger solar, PacifiCorp conversions) are counted. The article highlights alternatives with concrete figures: a Duke University estimate that 3.8 GW could be gained if data centers reduced power about one week per year, and a Sylvan Energy Analytics review showing data-center curtailment can eliminate the gap in multiple scenarios.
Background and concrete details: The article documents utilities’ recent actions and legislative context: PSE has contracted for six new gas turbines (filing redacted), Grant PUD approved a (temporary) 12 MW natural gas plant, PSE’s voluntary demand response currently reduces <2% of peak demand and Washington law requires ramping to 10% savings starting 2027; it notes the U.S. Department of Energy used the E3 report to justify keeping a coal plant online past Dec 31, 2025. The author characterizes the piece as an opinion/analysis urging precaution and policy alternatives rather than announcing a new transaction or partnership.

Mar 17, 2026

US Data Centre Pipeline Hits 241 GW, Growth Slows in Q4: Wood Mackenzie

Wood Mackenzie reported that the disclosed U.S. data centre pipeline reached 241 GW by end-2025, while Q4 additions slowed to about 25 GW.

Main finding: The disclosed U.S. data centre pipeline reached 241 GW by end-2025; Q4 2025 additions were ~25 GW (about half of Q3). Large-load capacity tied to construction or electricity supply agreements is ~183 GW (≈22% of U.S. peak demand in 2025), and developers shifted to executing existing projects due to load queue constraints and speculative mega-project activity in the U.S. South and Southwest.
Additional details: The report projects major developers will increase capital spending by about $94 billion versus 2025 (growth expected to slow in 2026). Oracle Corporation has taken on significant debt for its “Stargate” campuses (many relying on on-site generation). ERCOT and PJM account for 72% of large-load commitments; Texas leads planned capacity and on-site generation, while New Mexico, Indiana, and Wyoming saw the fastest Q4 project growth. The report also notes proposed grid/interconnection rule changes in ERCOT and Southwest Power Pool that could require new generation contracts or introduce non-firm transmission/curtailment risks.

Mar 12, 2026

Why Nuclear Power is Most Viable Option for Data Centers

Ryan Mallory (CEO, Flexential) argues that SMRs will enable on-site, self-generated nuclear power for data centers.

Main announcement/action: Ryan Mallory asserts that SMRs can power data centers on-site and remove dependence on grid interconnection, enabling facilities to run continuously while controlled fission reactions operate adjacent to server racks; he cites expected SMR outputs of 50–300 MW, lead times of about 5–7 years for SMRs versus 10–12 years and ~$10 billion capital for a conventional 1.2-GW plant.
Background and details: The commentary notes interconnection wait times of around five years, U.S. data center demand rising from 176 TWh (2023) to a potential 580 TWh by 2028 (up to 12% of national demand); examples include Oklo’s Aurora at Idaho National Laboratory and TerraPower’s Natrium in Wyoming, mentions the cancelled NuScale-UAMPS project (2023) due to cost overruns, and cites nearly $9 billion committed to SMR-related development plus $50–$75 million potential early-site permitting costs.

Mar 5, 2026

U.S. Issues First Commercial Construction Permit for a Nuclear Reactor in Years

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a construction permit for a TerraPower subsidiary to build a sodium-cooled commercial reactor in western Wyoming.

Main announcement: The NRC issued its first construction permit for a commercial reactor in eight years, allowing TerraPower to begin construction within weeks on an up-to $4 billion plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming; completion is targeted for 2030 and the reactor is rated 345 megawatts (up to 500 MW peak).
Background and details: The permit is the NRC’s first for a non-light-water commercial reactor in more than 40 years; the plant will be sited beside a coal-fired plant being converted to natural gas, will use molten sodium as a coolant, and TerraPower says it is lining up sources of highly enriched uranium domestically and in South Africa. In January, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a first step toward modernizing the fuel cycle and invited states to express interest by April 1.

Mar 3, 2026

Climate research is global — risks and responsibilities should also be distributed

The US National Science Foundation has sought proposals to privatize NCAR’s Mesa Laboratory and announced the transfer of NCAR’s supercomputing centre to a third party.

Main announcement: The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has sought proposals for privatizing NCAR’s Mesa Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, and has announced the transfer of NCAR’s supercomputing centre in Cheyenne, Wyoming to an unnamed third party.
Background/details: The actions are reported as part of broader plans by the administration of US President Donald Trump to dismantle NCAR; the report is published in Nature (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00680-z) and references an earlier DOI link https://doi.org/qsk2 (2025).

Mar 2, 2026

The Real Barriers to Power Sector Carbon Capture

POWER (Sonal Patel) reports that despite technical maturity, post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) for power generation continues to face decisive hurdles that are determining which projects reach final investment decision (FID).

Main finding: The article summarizes that while capture technology is approaching technical readiness, integration complexity, financing structures, and community acceptance are the decisive barriers to FID; the piece cites the Global CCS Institute (October 2025) data showing 77 commercial CCS facilities in operation, 734 projects in development, and projected global capacity growth from 64 Mtpa today to ~337 Mtpa by 2030. It also highlights specific operational projects including China Huaneng Longdong (1.5 Mtpa, commissioned 2025) and Petra Nova (1.4 Mtpa), and notes ~11 announced natural gas plants linked to data centers in the U.S. and Canada (including planned generation for Meta’s Hyperion AI campus and a JV by Chevron/GE Vernova/Engine No. 1).
Details and context: The article is reporting and analysis (not a new single-company announcement); it documents concrete project and market facts: design capture rates (95%) and proven test capture >99.9%, Ares Management’s $600 billion AUM cited, reported developer price expectations shifting from $100/MWh to about $150/MWh, mention of generic offsets at $20/tonne versus potential carbon removal prices of hundreds of dollars per tonne, and practical financing requirements such as Class VI injection approvals, bulletproof off-take agreements, and lump-sum turnkey EPCs. Permitting, supply-chain lead times, and EPC risk allocation are flagged as decisive pre-FID needs.

Feb 21, 2026

Invenergy Inks Supply Deal for Three New Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants in Arizona

Invenergy has announced an agreement with a subsidiary of Tallgrass to provide natural gas infrastructure supporting development of up to three new natural gas-fired power plants in Arizona (Maricopa and Yuma counties), announced February 20.

Main announcement:Invenergy signed an agreement (announced February 20) with a subsidiary of Tallgrass to supply the natural gas infrastructure needed for development of up to three new natural gas-fired power plants in Maricopa and Yuma counties, Arizona; plant names and exact locations were not disclosed.
Background and details:Tallgrass operates more than 10,000 miles of pipelines and will provide long-term gas supply; Arizona demand is expected to increase by more than 40% over the next five years (drivers cited: population growth, manufacturing, electrification, AI and data centers). Invenergy is also developing the 475-MW Hashknife Solar Energy Center (expected online next year) and Invenergy/affiliates have developed more than 220 projects totaling >36 GW of generation capacity.

Jan 27, 2026

SpaceX Doesn’t Want BEAD Payments Tied to Subscriber Milestones

SpaceX asked state broadband offices to sign a contract rider that would pay 50% of BEAD awards upon certification of service readiness and disburse the remainder in equal quarterly installments over 10 years.

Main announcement: SpaceX requested states accept a contract rider requiring 50% up front upon certification that it can provide service to awarded locations, with the remaining 50% paid in equal quarterly installments over 10 years; the rider also specified a $80/month low-cost service option, exemptions for customers with obstructed sky views from tests, and limits on default penalties to clawbacks of disbursed funds.
Background and context:NTIA has told states not to sign the rider pending further guidance; the BEAD program was updated under the Trump administration (program total $42.45 billion), SpaceX has been awarded more than 464,000 locations and $636 million (not all NTIA-approved), and most states prefer subscriber-milestone payments rather than equal installments.

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