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Key developments
FERC orders faster grid access for large loads
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members unanimously directed that AI data centers and other large power users receive timely, orderly access to the national transmission system, constructconnect.com reported. The order, sought by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, requires large users to pay the full cost of grid upgrades needed for their connections; NRDC reported the action also requires 60-day plans covering cost-impact disclosure, low-cost transmission upgrades, and ways data centers can reduce load during grid stress. Utilities, states, and regional grid operators raised concerns that the federal approach could reduce regional control over interconnection queues.
Why it matters
The order moves data center interconnection from ad hoc bottleneck management toward a federal process while trying to shield residential ratepayers from upgrade costs.
Sources & driving stories
CONSTRUCTCONNECT.COM
constructconnect.com coverageNRDC
NRDC coverageOpenAI reportedly pursuing 10 GW Ohio lease
Yahoo’s Talha Qureshi, citing Reuters, reported that OpenAI is in talks to lease a 10-gigawatt data center campus across Department of Energy land in southern Ohio and private parcels. The proposed SB Energy-led development is estimated to cost at least $500 billion including chips, labor, power, and other inputs, with a first phase expected in 2028. OpenAI would reportedly control the equipment under a 20-year lease, while Nvidia would supply hardware and provide a financial guarantee tied to the lease.
Why it matters
A 10 GW campus would be among the largest data center projects ever attempted and would test whether federal land, private capital, chip supply, and grid infrastructure can align at AI scale.
Sources & driving stories
YAHOO · Talha Qureshi
Yahoo coverageChevron lands 20-year Microsoft power deal
Yahoo’s Vahid Karaahmetovic reported that Chevron signed a 20-year agreement to supply natural gas power for Microsoft’s Project Kilby AI data center in Reeves County, West Texas. The project is expected to draw nearly 2.7 GW and span more than 2,000 acres, with Chevron and Joulent planning an onsite power-generation complex using Permian gas, GE Vernova turbines, and Caterpillar turbines. Chevron expects a final investment decision after permits later this year, initial power delivery in late 2028, and full buildout into the 2030s.
Why it matters
The deal shows hyperscale AI developers increasingly pairing data center campuses with dedicated fuel and generation agreements rather than relying only on standard utility service.
Sources & driving stories
YAHOO · Vahid Karaahmetovic
Yahoo coverageYAHOO · Bailey Pemberton
Yahoo coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
State and local restrictions widen
MultiState reported new or proposed limits in Texas, Arizona, Illinois, and Virginia, while GovTech and Tribune Chronicle reported additional New Jersey bans and an Ohio statewide ban campaign that missed the November ballot.
WORTH NOTING
Wisconsin hyperscale proposal goes quiet
Wisconsin Watch’s Tom Kertscher reported that an up to $2 billion, 500-acre Grant County data center appears inactive after local opposition, moratoriums, and unanswered developer follow-ups.
WORTH NOTING
Rate-bill evidence remains weak
New Jersey State Policy Lab published a 2014–2024 analysis of 22,834 household units and 2,277 data centers that found no robust, statistically significant local residential bill increase from data center openings so far.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will cost-allocation rules keep pace?
FERC, governors, and local governments are all moving to make large loads pay for grid impacts, but the details of tariffs, deposits, upgrade timing, and failed-project risk remain unresolved.
OPEN QUESTION
Can 2028 megaproject timelines hold?
The Ohio and West Texas projects depend on permits, turbines, transformers, interconnection capacity, and skilled labor at a time when large planned data center capacity is already showing construction delays.