Data centers

Virginia’s new energy plan: Make the AI boom work for — not against — us

Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s just-released blueprint doubles down on the state’s landmark climate law while aiming to solve the data center growth problem.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 5 October 2026

Woman sits at table showing signed order as people clap behind. Banner: Protecting Virginia: Holding data centers accountable — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs an executive order on data center accountability on Sept. 18, 2026, in Richmond, Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Affordability

Here's why your energy bills are going up

Politicians talk about the energy affordability crisis but don't always grapple with the root causes — or the solutions. Here’s the lowdown.

By Julian Spector . 5 October 2026
Corporate procurement

Despite big Texas solar purchase agreement, Meta still uses lots of gas

The new solar project is less than half the size of a gas plant planned for Meta’s El Paso data center.

By Lauren Nutall, Inside Climate News . 1 October 2026
Electrification

The Senate wants to pass a permitting reform bill. So what’s the holdup?

A bipartisan group of senators has a plan to speed up energy permits to meet rising demand, but data center backlash and environmental rollbacks are sticking points.

By Austin Corona, Grist . 28 September 2026
Virtual power plants

Should we get excited about California’s latest virtual power plant?

Google and PG&E will enlist Silicon Valley homes with batteries and other devices to help the grid. But they’re ignoring the data center elephant in the room.

By Jeff St. John . 23 September 2026
Fossil fuels

Duke Energy wants to build a new gas plant. Regulators said not so fast.

The 255-MW plant in North Carolina was meant to help meet data center demand. Regulators took the rare step of rejecting the permit amid a growing national backlash.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 21 September 2026
Green steel

Google backs Swedish green-steel project to tackle rising emissions

The tech giant intends to buy certificates from Stegra’s hydrogen-fueled steel mill to support the scale-up of cleaner construction materials for data centers.

By Maria Gallucci . 17 September 2026
Batteries

xAI has quietly built a massive battery at its Memphis data center hub

Company and utility execs called it the nation’s biggest battery, but details are scant. A July satellite image shows 720 Tesla Megapacks at the controversial site.

By Julian Spector . 11 September 2026
Fossil fuels

Virginia kept its climate law. Dominion sees a loophole.

To power data centers, the state's largest utility is proposing a massive 3-gigawatt gas plant that tests the limits of the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 9 September 2026
Data centers

Questionable data center forecasts are driving up Ohio power bills

Critics question sky-high electricity demand predictions for Ohio, which rely on ambitious data center plans and put upward pressure on utility bills.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 9 September 2026
Fossil fuels

America's big but uncertain gas boom

Data centers are driving plans to build tons of dirty gas plants. Experts say it’s nearly impossible to distinguish pie-in-the-sky proposals from realistic ones.

By Dan McCarthy . 28 August 2026