Top 3 this week
1. Google’s Wyoming power plan pairs up to 590 MW of grid service with roughly 2.1 GW of private-microgrid resources. 2. Newport Township documents reveal a $35 billion campus plan with 15 data centers and on-site gas generation. 3. Raleigh and San Francisco approve development pauses; California’s new laws tighten grid-cost and permitting requirements.
Data center deals & projects
Newport’s $35 Billion Campus Brings Its Own Generation: Documents outline a $35 billion, 15-data-center campus supported by on-site natural gas generation; township zoning permits have been issued. The plan puts dedicated power supply inside the campus development strategy—not on a separate to-do list. citizensvoice.com
“Billion-dollar campuses and major power agreements move forward while cities pause approvals and regulators sharpen who-pays rules.”
Brookfield Adds Nearly 10 GW Of Development Pipeline: Brookfield’s investment in American Real Estate Partners and its PowerHouse Data Centers platform adds a nearly 10-GW development pipeline. The deal connects campus development with Brookfield’s energy, storage and financing capabilities, bringing more of the power-to-compute chain under one investment umbrella. datacenterfrontier.com
Project Hercules Moves Toward Construction: AVAIO Digital Partners’ Appomattox County project has secured permits and finalized a performance agreement, with construction expected to start by year-end on more than 400 acres. Those milestones move the campus closer to execution while nearby jurisdictions navigate different zoning processes. cardinalnews.org
Colovore Files $430 Million Fort Worth Plans: Colovore filed plans for a $430 million, 156,500-square-foot data center in Fort Worth, with construction scheduled from December 2026 through December 2028. The filing gives the proposed campus a defined budget and delivery window for execution planning. baxtel.com
Power coming online
Google’s Wyoming Deal Combines Grid Service And Microgrid: Black Hills signed agreements through 2048 covering up to 590 MW of grid-connected service and management of approximately 2.1 GW of third-party resources through a private microgrid for Google. Its planned $1.8 billion investment in 564 MW of gas generation during 2027–2029 ties the campus to a substantial utility generation buildout. stocktitan.net
Google Signs 3,590-MW Constellation Power Contract: Google’s 3,590-MW Constellation agreement includes a two-decade pact for 890 MW from nuclear facilities undergoing upgrades, with first upgraded-plant deliveries scheduled for 2028. The transaction is set to catalyze more than $4.3 billion in Constellation investment, connecting data-center demand to increased output from existing reactors. timesofindia.indiatimes.com
LS Power Raises $6 Billion For Energy Assets: LS Power raised $6 billion for Equity Partners IV, exceeding its $4 billion target, primarily to acquire operating gas, renewable and battery-storage assets. Planned demand-response infrastructure investments also target load flexibility, putting capital behind both power supply and ways to manage grid stress. bisnow.com
Roadblocks & policy
DOE Presses PJM On Who Pays: DOE urged PJM to revise its reliability backstop procurement plan to prevent data-center and other large-load costs from shifting to existing customers, and called for a filing by Oct. 29. Cost allocation remains a live regulatory issue for the infrastructure needed to serve new load. utilitydive.com
California Tightens Grid-Cost And Approval Rules: California enacted seven laws that eliminate fast-track environmental approvals, require water-supply assessments regardless of facility size and assign data centers their grid costs through special utility tariffs. Most take effect January 1, 2027, making permitting and utility-cost obligations central to project economics. legal500.com
Raleigh Approves Six-Month Data Center Pause: Raleigh’s City Council voted 7–1 to pause approvals for data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet while officials study impacts and develop regulations. The six-month moratorium puts a clear local timing constraint on qualifying projects. abc11.com
San Francisco Approves 45-Day Approval Freeze: San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors approved a 45-day moratorium on new data-center approvals while officials study impacts and develop longer-term rules. With an extension possible, the initial pause may not define the full permitting delay. sfexaminer.com
Milwaukee Pause Advances, With A Zoning Exception: A Common Council committee unanimously endorsed a proposed one-year data-center moratorium, sending it to the full council. Developers could still pursue site-specific Detailed Planned Development zoning changes, leaving a potential approval route rather than an absolute ban. urbanmilwaukee.com
Eight Counties Oppose Virginia Transmission Proposal: Campbell County joined seven other counties opposing Valley Link’s proposed $1 billion Joshua Falls to Yeat transmission line, which the developer says would support Northern Virginia data centers and other growth. Siting authority rests with the State Corporation Commission, so the resolutions signal local opposition—not a project veto. cardinalnews.org
What it means for hiring
This week’s deals point toward demand for leaders who can connect generation development, utility service agreements and campus delivery. New cost-allocation rules and local pauses also put a premium on regulatory, interconnection and permitting experience. The hiring signal: power strategy and development execution need to work together.
This brief is compiled automatically from public reporting each week; follow the links for full details. Hiring for grid or data-center power roles? Talk to GridTal.