A debate over data center energy use

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

DATA CENTERS

• Political leaders and environmental and consumer advocates want grid operator PJM to require new data centers to stop using electricity when demand on the grid is highest, but a data center trade group says such a policy would be ​“discriminatory.” (Canary Media)

• Electricity costs in the mid-Atlantic and elsewhere are already being driven up by the prospect of a surge in data center construction, but experts say it is hard to tell how many of the planned projects will actually end up being built. (Associated Press)

• Pennsylvania and Delaware are among the states where local residents are reacting to the increase in data center proposals by pushing to change municipal environmental, procedural, and zoning rules. (Stateline)

ELECTRIFICATION

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to delay implementation of a law requiring all-electric construction in most new buildings could put the mandate on hold until at least fall 2026. (Canary Media)

OFFSHORE WIND

• As the Trump administration’s campaign against offshore wind has stifled development, Nova Scotia is looking to the northeast U.S. for potential customers as it plans a major wind farm off its coast. (Maine Public)

• Utility Rhode Island Energy confirms that it has ended negotiations to buy power from the planned SouthCoast Wind development due, in part, to the uncertain future of the industry. (Rhode Island Current)

CLIMATE

• Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is the sole representative of the U.S. government at global climate summit COP30, in part, he says, because the Trump administration threw up obstacles for officials wishing to attend. (E&E News)

• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s decision to pull his state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative could signal a wider willingness among Democrats to sideline climate policies. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR

• New Jersey state lawmakers consider a bill that would create an incentive program to encourage the construction of 1.2 gigawatts of nuclear power. (E&E News)

SOLAR

• Maryland utility regulators make the rare move of recommending a planned 3-megawatt solar development be denied a permit because of concerns about glare from the panels. (Baltimore Sun)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Consumers and members of the electric vehicle industry say Maryland’s plan to levy a $150-per-port fee on commercial charging stations could slow the adoption of EVs in the state. (Maryland Matters)

NATURAL GAS

• The first public landfill in New Jersey to convert methane emissions into natural gas is producing more fuel than projected. (NJ.com)