Wyoming Data Center Intel

Recent Wyoming data center news

• 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.
• Jan 26, 2026

  EPA moves toward changing particulate matter standard as manufacturers urge action

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to revisit and ask the court to vacate the Biden-era annual PM2.5 standard of nine micrograms per cubic meter.

  • Main action: The EPA filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit asking the court to vacate the March 2024 PM2.5 annual standard (lowered from 12 µg/m3 to 9 µg/m3). The agency said the Biden EPA took a “regulatory shortcut” and failed to adequately consider compliance costs; EPA urged vacatur before the initial nonattainment determinations due on Feb. 7 and states’ implementation plans due in April.
  • Background and details: Industry groups including NAM and 15 trade associations (e.g., SMA, Aluminum Association, American Cement Association) have pressed the Trump administration to revert the standard; EPA previously estimated the 2024 rule could prevent 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, with monetized benefits of $22 billion to $46 billion and $590 million in estimated costs by 2032. A 2025 ACA report estimated 1 million metric tons of cement needed for AI data centers by 2028 and projects U.S. data centers rising from 5,426 to 6,000 by 2027.
• Jan 22, 2026

  Microsoft Commits to Full Electricity Cost Recovery in Data Center Communities

  Microsoft has announced a “Community-First AI Infrastructure” initiative committing to “paying its way” so AI data center growth does not raise residential utility rates.

  • Main announcement/action: Microsoft will ask utilities and state commissions to set bespoke large-load rates that recover full electricity and infrastructure costs so datacenter electricity costs are not passed to residential customers, will directly fund grid upgrades, pursue efficiency improvements (e.g., liquid cooling, Project Forge scheduler), and advocate for accelerated permitting and interconnection. The announcement was published in a Jan. 13, 2026 policy blog by Brad Smith and cites concrete examples including co-designing a 2016 Large Power Contract Service tariff with Black Hills Energy (Wyoming PSC), supporting We Energies’ March 2025 “Very Large Customer” tariff (Wisconsin), and contracting 7.9 GW of new supply in the MISO footprint.
  • Background and additional details: Microsoft frames the move amid mounting grid constraints (aging transmission, long permitting timelines, supply chain shortages) and contrasts its approach with an E3 study commissioned by Amazon that reports a projected $33,500/MW surplus in 2025 (~$3.4M per 100‑MW site) and $6.1M per 100‑MW by 2030. The article also notes regulatory momentum: FERC’s Dec. 18, 2025 order directing PJM to overhaul co-located large-load rules (tariff filing due Feb. 16, 2026) and a Jan. 15, 2026 PJM governors’ Statement of Principles calling for large-load cost-sharing and a reliability backstop auction by September 2026.
• Jan 20, 2026

  Fiber Broadband Report Notes Significant Progress on Fiber Deployment, Increased Costs

  The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) released its yearly fiber deployment report showing 60% of U.S. households are serviceable by fiber.

  • Report findings: 84.6m homes now have fiber access (60% of U.S. households), representing an 11% increase from 2024; 16% of households have access to multiple providers; rural locations now have nearly 50% fiber coverage with fastest growth in Arizona, Idaho, Maine, New Mexico, Wyoming (average 39% YoY).
  • Cost and deployment pressures: Growth is largely driven by private investment from ILECs and support from BEAD funding; labor and materials account for 55% of total project expenditures, “make ready” costs increased 150% in some cases shifting projects to aerial builds, and permitting represents ~10% of average project cost and causes delays that “domino effect” other cost components. The report noted no observed cost savings from provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as previously predicted by FBA leadership.
• Jan 9, 2026

  Trump’s AI push breathes life into an old pollution scourge

  The EPA under Administrator Lee Zeldin plans to loosen enforcement of a 2024 Biden-era coal ash rule, proposing regulatory changes and potentially granting a three-year cleanup extension to 11 power plants for 13 unlined coal ash dumps.

  • Main action: EPA plans to propose amendments to the 2024 coal ash rule and is considering a three-year extension (to Oct. 17, 2031) for a subset of plants; the proposal would apply to 11 plants and 13 unlined ash dumps (each spanning more than 40 acres), and the agency will accept comments through February 6, 2026. The agency says the extension aims to promote grid reliability amid rising demand from AI data centers.
  • Background and details: The 2024 rule had expanded oversight to legacy ash dumps after earlier exemptions; EPA and companies cite implementation challenges. Examples: NIPSCO/Schahfer previously expected to close by 2028 but EPA proposed extension to Oct. 2031; PacifiCorp stopped burning coal on Dec. 31 and will not use the extension (stop disposing ash by Sept. 30); several plants (Naughton, Baldwin) have reported groundwater exceedances of contaminants such as arsenic, lithium, fluoride and radium. EPA has not publicly confirmed compliance status for the 11 plants identified.
• Jan 9, 2026

  Meta Locks In Up to 6.6 GW of Nuclear Power Through Deals With Vistra, Oklo, and TerraPower

  Meta announced agreements with Vistra, Oklo, and TerraPower to secure up to 6.6 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035.

  • Main announcement and deal scope: Meta will underwrite a suite of nuclear deals that collectively target up to 6.6 GW by 2035, including a 20-year PPA with Vistra for 2,176 MW plus 433 MW of uprates (2,609 MW total) that begin deliveries in late 2026 and reach full 2,609 MW by 2034; an Oklo-backed Aurora campus up to 1.2 GW in Pike County, Ohio (pre-construction and site work beginning 2026, first phase online as early as 2030, full 1.2 GW by 2034); and TerraPower funding for two Natrium units (690 MWe) targeted as early as 2032 plus Meta rights to energy from up to six additional Natrium units (2.1 GW) targeted by 2035.
  • Background, implementation details, and context: Meta’s support includes prepayments and long-term PPAs to shift early-stage capital and risk onto Meta to help developers secure fuel, permits, and financing; Vistra’s three plants were acquired as part of a $3.4 billion Energy Harbor transaction (March 2024); PJM capacity prices signaled tight markets (clearing at $269.92/MW-day and hitting the $329/MW-day cap in subsequent auctions), underscoring the near-term need for firm capacity in the PJM region.
• Jan 9, 2026

  Meta Announces 6.6 GW Of Nuclear Energy Projects To Power AI Revolution

  Meta has announced agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to secure nuclear power for its Prometheus AI supercluster at a New Albany, Ohio data centre.

  • Main announcement: Meta will secure up to 6.6 GW of power by 2035 from agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to support the Prometheus supercluster (expected online sometime in 2026). Vistra signed 20-year power purchase agreements to provide more than 2,600 MW from Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry; TerraPower deals fund two projects that could begin generating by 2032 with rights to more projects targeted by 2035; Oklo’s advanced nuclear campus in Pike County, Ohio could come online as soon as 2030, and Meta may prepay for power to advance the Aurora powerhouse deployment.
  • Background and related details: Meta previously signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to buy Clinton plant power from 2027; rivals Google, Amazon and Microsoft have also struck nuclear-related deals (Google backing Kairos Power SMRs; Amazon/NextEra support to restart Duane Arnold; Microsoft with Three Mile Island/Crane restart plans).