Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 5, 2026

Texas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a pause on new data center approvals through the state's grid interconnection process, citing concerns that surging electricity demand could threaten grid reliability.

In a letter Monday to the Public Utility Commission of Texas and grid operator ERCOT, Abbott directed the agencies to audit all planned data centers seeking grid connections before any further projects move forward. ERCOT is currently reviewing about 474 gigawatts of proposed new electricity demand, more than five times the state's record peak load, with roughly 90% of that demand coming from data centers. Under the directive, developers will need to provide additional information on power demand, water use, tax incentives, ownership structures and plans to mitigate local impacts, and Abbott said any project that doesn't comply with the audit process must be denied.

Home - TRRI

The Future of Texas Depends on Getting This Right Texas is growing faster across its entire economy than any other state in the nation. Strategic 765kV transmission investment is how we: Keep the lights on Hold down costs Support the jobs and tax base that make Texas communities strong. Get Our Updates The Latest 80+…

TRRITexans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment

The move follows New York's own moratorium on large-scale data centers last month and comes amid rising political pushback in Texas; Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick recently joined calls to deny permits for new transmission lines opposed by rural landowners. ERCOT said it would postpone a related transmission planning study to implement Abbott's directive, and the PUC said it would work with the grid operator to carry out the requirements.

Virginia

Virginia's State Corporation Commission ordered Dominion Energy to develop a tariff shifting more transmission infrastructure costs onto data centers and other large-load customers, rather than spreading them across all ratepayers.

SCC orders Dominion to develop tariff to assign more transmission costs to data centers • Virginia Mercury

More of the cost to build the high-voltage transmission lines that serve as power highways across the state could soon be covered by data centers, after a recent decision by state regulators. The State Corporation Commission has ordered Dominion Energy to develop a policy to directly assign the cost of transmission infrastructure to data centers […]

Virginia MercuryShannon Heckt

The order came out of Dominion's latest rate case for its rider T1, which covers transmission line and substation costs; the company itself argued data centers and similar large users should shoulder more of the infrastructure expense tied specifically to their facilities. Gov. Abigail Spanberger's administration intervened in the case, with Deputy Chief Energy Officer Louise White testifying that any network or substation upgrades triggered solely by a large-load customer should be billed directly to that customer rather than subsidized by residential families. The commission acknowledged the new tariff may not cover every instance where transmission reliability issues stem directly from large-load additions.

Dominion had sought to recover $1.5 billion through the case, translating to roughly a $0.94 monthly increase for the average customer, down from an initially requested $2.90 after the company recalculated costs to place more of the burden on data centers under a new high-load GS-5 rate class.

Little Rock, Arkansas

An 18-month moratorium on large-scale data centers in Little Rock, Arkansas, including a proposed Google facility, failed Tuesday night when the city Board of Directors deadlocked 4-4, falling short of the six votes needed to pass.

Little Rock data center moratorium falls short in 4-4 vote of city Board of Directors | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

A proposal to halt permitting in the city of Little Rock for 18 months for any large-scale data centers, including a proposed Google facility, fell short on Tuesday night.

Arkansas OnlineJoseph Flaherty

The measure, sponsored by City Director Kathy Webb, would have applied only to "hyperscale" facilities exceeding 250,000 square feet or requiring more than 75 megawatts of power, and would have required the city to compile and publicly post records related to proposed data centers, including tax incentive and utility capacity documents, within 60 days. City Attorney Tom Carpenter warned that approving a moratorium could expose the city to a lawsuit from Google, which could seek damages if the regulation affected its property's use or value. Webb, Andrea Lewis, Virgil Miller Jr. and Vice Mayor B.J. Wyrick voted in favor; Capi Peck, Joan Adcock, Lance Hines and Dean Kumpuris voted against, with Antwan Phillips and Ken Richardson absent.

Google’s $1 billion Port of Little Rock data center buildings to cover 1.43 million square feet | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Google’s $1 billion data center project at the Port of Little Rock will consist of five industrial buildings totaling 1.43 million square feet, two office buildings and an electrical substation, according to documents submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District.

Arkansas OnlineLucas Dufalla

Google's planned facility at the Port of Little Rock is expected to require an estimated 100,000 megawatts of electricity and consume 1 million gallons of water daily, though the company has said no final decision to build has been made and it doesn't expect to break ground in 2026.

Cheyenne, Wyoming

A petition drive against Microsoft's planned data center annexation in Cheyenne, Wyoming is closing in on the 3,000 signatures needed to force a referendum vote, with the deadline set for August 7.

The petition targets Ordinance No. 4687, which annexed 3,460 acres of land for the Microsoft project. If organizers collect signatures from 10% of registered city voters, the annexation could go before voters in the November general election. As of Tuesday, the petition had reached 2,100 signatures, up 400 in just three days, with volunteer M. Lee Hasenauer describing growing urgency among signers. Petition volunteer Edward Steinhauer said the goal is simply to give Cheyenne residents a direct vote on the issue.

Signee Zachary Austin said he wants assurances the project won't harm local wildlife or residents before he'd support it moving forward. Registered voters can sign the petition through Aug. 7 at U.S. Post Office locations on Converse Avenue and Capitol Avenue.

Strisker Keyword Searching

Finding the right keywords shouldn’t feel like digging through endless text—Strisker’s Keywords Searching tool cuts through the clutter for you. It tracks the essential keywords and terms across thousands of documents, highlighting information that matter most to you at a glance.

Start Your Free Trial

Effingham County, Georgia

Effingham County, Georgia commissioners plan a dedicated public forum in August on OpenAI's $20 billion Project Camellia data center, while also weighing a temporary moratorium on future data center development, after a packed and tense commission meeting Tuesday night.

Project Camelia

Commissioner Beth Helmly proposed setting aside a full day, tentatively Aug. 22 or 29, for residents to hear a detailed project presentation, ask questions and discuss a possible moratorium and ordinance review, and suggested holding it on a Saturday and livestreaming it for wider access. Chairman Damon Rahn pushed back on social media claims of secret deals with OpenAI, saying no commissioners have signed NDAs and the county has entered no agreements with the company, with County Manager Tim Callanan noting the county's only action so far has been issuing a routine zoning verification letter. Rahn also defended the Industrial Development Authority against calls to remove its members, saying it operates as its own constitutional entity that can't be dissolved over policy disagreements.

The meeting drew heavy security, including a metal detector and sheriff's deputies, amid reports that several county officials have received threats and had personal information shared online since the project was announced.

Fayetteville, North Carolina

A packed public forum before Fayetteville, North Carolina's City Council on Aug. 3 turned into a wave of opposition to proposed data centers, with residents calling for a moratorium and arguing proposed zoning safeguards don't go far enough.

Data center concerns dominate Fayetteville City Council public forum

Opposition to proposed data centers filled a Fayetteville public forum as residents demanded a moratorium.

The Fayetteville Observer, The Fayetteville Observer

The council had already approved a hearing on UDO amendments that would add noise restrictions, setbacks and buffers and formally define data centers before its July recess, but speakers like Janet Menzak and Lorena Murray said those changes leave out requirements for wastewater filtration and clean energy sourcing. Murray specifically urged the council to pass a moratorium so the community could study the issue further. Several other speakers, including Fern Cobbh and Joshua Reed, framed the fight as part of a larger pattern of council members not listening to residents. An attempt by Council member Shaun McMillan to extend the forum so all 50 registered speakers could be heard failed in a 5-5 vote.

The council is set to hold a formal public hearing on the data center UDOs at its Aug. 10 meeting. Cumberland County, which passed its own six-month data center moratorium in June, is separately hosting community input sessions Aug. 6 in Stedman and Aug. 11 in Hope Mills to collect resident feedback on water, noise, land use and environmental impacts.

Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Developer Brian O'Neill has released an economic impact study projecting $424 million in new local tax revenue over 20 years if his proposed data center at 900 Conshohocken Road in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania, is approved, ahead of an Aug. 6 zoning hearing board meeting.

The project would convert a vacant 1.95 million-square-foot former mill site into a data center, with O'Neill saying most of the projected revenue would flow directly to Colonial School District classrooms and that blocking the project would leave that revenue at zero. The study was prepared by 4ward Planning on behalf of 900 Conshohocken Road, LLC, the entity O'Neill formed to seek approval for the project, though it was released publicly as an independent economic and fiscal impact analysis. The project is currently moving through Plymouth Township's special exception process, with the next hearing set for 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at Colonial Middle School.

Cascade County, Montana

Roughly 250 Cascade County, Montana residents signed a petition asking commissioners to pause new hyperscale data center development, presented at a July 28 commission meeting by members of the Golden Triangle Resource Council.

Montana group urges Cascade County to pause data centers over water, power, and land fears

Montana is seeing similar local responses in Yellowstone, Silver Bow, and Missoula counties.

Yahoo News CanadaJames Nanzo

The petition calls on commissioners to pursue a county moratorium until formal regulations are in place, ask the Montana Public Service Commission to evaluate consumer protections tied to data centers, and make the same request of Gov. Greg Gianforte through his Energy Task Force. The issue traces back to a now-abandoned TAC Data Centers proposal near Great Falls, which would have required up to 600 megawatts of electricity, more than northcentral Montana had readily available at the time.

Golden Triangle Resource Council member Steve Grout said the petition is meant to push the county to protect residents' finances and natural resources before a hyperscale project actually arrives. The group is asking county officials to hold a public discussion specifically on the energy and water demands data centers would bring.

📱 Social Buzz

👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?

We're exploring a new branch of topics centered around Data Centers and want to make it even more useful for you.

✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!

-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.