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Key developments
Google commits $1.5B to Alabama expansion
Google announced Monday it will invest $1.5 billion in 2026 and 2027 to expand its Jackson County, Alabama data center campus at TVA’s retired Widows Creek coal plant site. The company said it will pay for 100% of its electricity use, cover directly driven infrastructure costs, contract more than 300 MW of new regional generation, and continue work with TVA and Kairos Power on up to 50 MW of advanced nuclear power. Google and partners also announced a $2 million Energy Impact Fund and a $550,000 STEM donation for Jackson County schools.
Why it matters
The project is a large hyperscale expansion tied directly to contested questions over TVA grid capacity, data center rate design, water use, and ratepayer protection.
Sources & driving stories
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
Chattanooga Times Free Press coverageWAFF
WAFF coverageTennessee local governments pause data center permits
McMinnville and Coffee County unanimously approved data center moratoria on June 9 while officials study grid capacity, water and stormwater impacts, environmental and health risks, noise, and zoning fit. Nashville’s council advanced a moratorium on first reading the same day, and Mayor Freddie O’Connell signed an executive order supporting expedited review of a temporary pause on large-scale data centers. In McMinnville, the pause directly affects a proposed 96,064-square-foot, 25 MW Hixson Data Center targeted for early 2028.
Why it matters
The actions show local governments moving faster than state legislatures to control data center siting amid resident pushback over power, water, pollution, and noise.
Sources & driving stories
TIMES FREE PRESS
Times Free Press coverageNASHVILLE BANNER
Nashville Banner coverageAmazon announces $10B Missouri data center campus
Amazon and Missouri officials announced a $10 billion data center campus in Montgomery County, southeast of New Florence near I-70 and Missouri 19. Planning documents put the site at about 1,000 acres, and officials said the project will create 400 full-time jobs; county commissioners approved a tax abatement framework in December 2025. Amazon scheduled a June 23 public open house on water use, sound, and project design, while a February lawsuit challenging county actions under open meetings and records laws has an Aug. 3 hearing.
Why it matters
The deal adds another major hyperscale campus to a rural market already hosting a separate Google project and facing legal and community scrutiny.
Sources & driving stories
KOMU 8
KOMU 8 coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
DataBank adds Red Oak financing
DataBank reported $1.45 billion in new financing, lifting the Red Oak, Texas campus capital stack to $2.65 billion for an eight-building plan whose first three facilities are fully leased and expected to deliver 180 MW.
WORTH NOTING
WESTMAP.AI models grid flexibility savings
University of Utah engineers said their WESTMAP.AI model estimates Western grid savings from $62 million annually with workload shifting alone to $590 million with spatial coordination plus onsite generation and storage.
WORTH NOTING
Virginia defers concrete reforms again
Virginia Mercury’s Ivy Main reported that House leaders and Gov. Abigail Spanberger replaced near-term data center tax and environmental reforms with a new commission, leaving the sales tax exemption intact for now.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will ratepayer-protection pledges become enforceable rules?
Google, TVA, Tennessee lawmakers, and Oregon regulators are all addressing who pays for grid upgrades, but today’s coverage shows a mix of voluntary pledges, proposed rate classes, and uneven state legislation.
OPEN QUESTION
Can rural counties evaluate hyperscale impacts fast enough?
Amazon’s Missouri project, Tennessee moratoria, Lexington’s regulatory process, and Onondaga County’s new study all point to local governments trying to assess power, water, tax, noise, and legal exposure after projects are already advancing.