Utilities & Rates

At least 17 Alabama cities have implemented temporary bans on new data center development, with some acting preemptively before companies express interest. Most moratoria are clustered in central Alabama, where cities cite concerns about responsible development and resource constraints like water availability.

al.com · Jefferson Co., AL

Gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville said Alabama can build data centers without raising power bills, with counties and cities receiving monthly checks for schools and police. He also stated that data center placement is a local decision, not determined by the governor.

Tuscaloosa Thread · Alabama

Georgia's Public Service Commission held a meeting in Savannah on Tuesday, departing from its typical Atlanta location to hear from coastal residents about data centers. Public commenters voiced concerns about an OpenAI data center planned for Effingham County and Georgia Power's contract with the company, calling for greater transparency.

grist.org · Chatham Co., GA

A Senate Democrat blocked a House-passed bill that would have required states to hold hearings on data center electricity costs, arguing Congress needed stronger legislation mandating tech companies pay for grid upgrades rather than relying on voluntary measures.

Newsradio WFLA Orlando

Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced Thursday he is co-sponsoring the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require states to consider establishing standards ensuring that large electricity users like data centers, rather than families or small businesses, pay for related infrastructure costs. The House passed companion legislation Wednesday.

1819news.com · Alabama

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, a candidate in Alabama's 2026 governor's race, pledged that data centers can be built without raising power costs statewide, citing the Ratepayer Protection Act he cosponsored to require large power users to pay full infrastructure costs. Counties and cities hosting such facilities would receive monthly payments for schools and law enforcement.

Yellowhammer News · Alabama

The U.S. House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require large power consumers like data centers to pay the full cost of infrastructure serving them. Senator Tuberville cosponsored the Senate version, saying it ensures Alabama residents won't bear costs for data center development.

Yellowhammer News · Alabama

A proposed federal bill would require state utility regulators, including those in Alabama, to consider standards that require large data centers to cover costs for power infrastructure built to serve them, rather than passing those costs to households and small businesses. The House passed a companion version of the measure 417-3, and the Senate version must also pass before reaching the president.

Wiregrass Daily News · Alabama

Sen. Tommy Tuberville is cosponsoring the Ratepayer Protection Act, which aims to prevent data centers from shifting energy and infrastructure costs to consumers. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support and backing from Alabama's entire congressional delegation.

AL.com · Alabama

Fort Pierce's planning board delayed a decision on a proposal to rezone 200 acres near I-95 and Midway Road for a data center and commercial development, requesting further research while residents expressed mixed views on the project.

WPBF · Florida

Republican Byron Donalds proposes new regulations requiring data centers to use private power and water sources, while Democrat David Jolly proposes a one-year moratorium on data center construction with potential for a permanent ban. Donalds has received campaign contributions from data center industries, which opponents have criticized.

Miami Herald · Florida

A Florida non-profit argues that Duke Energy's proposal to serve data centers could create a multi-billion-dollar cost burden for other ratepayers. The utility filed a plan with state regulators to comply with a new data center protection law requiring disclosure that such costs won't fall on customers.

WFTV · Florida · also at Yahoo, WFTV

CleanSpark's subsidiary plans to raise $2.227 billion through senior secured notes to complete its 175-megawatt Georgia AI data center facility leased to Meta's subsidiary Anviran LLC. The 20-year lease is expected to generate approximately $6.6 billion in contracted payments with annual rent increases.

TradingView · Georgia · also at Stocktwits

The Georgia Public Service Commission held its first administrative meeting outside Atlanta in nearly two decades in Savannah, where residents expressed concerns about rapid data center development during a two-hour town hall. The PSC established new requirements for large-load contracts, including the OpenAI project in Effingham County, which calls for a 25-year term and 3.2 gigawatts of demand with customer bill increases.

Coastal Courier · Fulton Co., GA

Headline onlymarketscreener.com · Georgia

CleanSpark plans to raise $2.227 billion through a secured debt offering to fund construction of its Sandersville, Georgia, AI data center. The senior secured notes, due in 2031, will cover remaining construction costs and fund debt-service reserves for the project backed by a 20-year lease with an unnamed technology company.

TheEnergyMag · Georgia

Louisiana is competing for a new U.S. Space Force academy following a presidential executive order, with state leaders and regional development groups coordinating the bid to complement SpaceX's planned facility. Louisiana Innovation secured $15 million in total funding to expand labs connecting manufacturers with advanced technologies in energy, aerospace, agribusiness and other sectors. State regulators agreed to expedite review of Cleco Power's plan to supply electricity to Applied Digital's $3.6 billion data center project in Rapides Parish, potentially reaching 430 megawatts by 2028.

Baton Rouge Business Report · Louisiana

Louisiana utility regulators have approved an expedited review of Cleco Power's plan to supply electricity to Applied Digital's $3.6 billion data center in Rapides Parish, bypassing the administrative law judge recommendation stage while still requiring an evidentiary hearing before commissioners decide the application's merits.

The Center Square · Rapides Parish, LA · also at New Orleans CityBusiness, KTBS 3

Entergy Arkansas voluntarily dismissed its federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block news organizations from publishing financial information related to Google's planned West Memphis data center, after a federal judge denied the company's request for a restraining order citing First Amendment concerns.

KVOM 101.7 · Shelby Co., TN · also at Deltaplex News

Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Water Development Board to enforce state water-use reporting requirements for major water users, including data centers, and coordinate with ERCOT to gather information on data center water consumption. Failure to complete the required water-use survey can result in legal consequences and permit disqualification.

waterworld.com

A bipartisan bill from U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor will receive a House vote before the midterm recess. The Ratepayers Protection Act requires utility regulators to ensure large-load customers, such as data centers, cover their own increased power costs rather than passing expenses to other consumers.

Florida Politics · Hillsborough Co., FL

Former Georgia Public Service Commission member Tricia Pridemore has joined data center company DC BLOX as executive vice president of energy, regulatory and policy. The move has prompted concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as the commission regulates utilities and their contracts with data centers.

Georgia Recorder · Georgia · also at newsfromthestates.com

The Georgia Public Service Commission held a meeting in Savannah to address coastal residents' concerns about a recently announced OpenAI data center in Effingham County and rising power bills. Commissioners discussed Georgia Power's OpenAI contract and heard public comments, with many attendees calling for increased transparency around the deal.

WABE · Chatham Co., GA

Tricia Pridemore, former Georgia Public Service Commissioner, has joined Atlanta-based data center developer DC BLOX as executive vice president of energy, regulatory, and policy. She will serve as the company's chief liaison to energy providers, lawmakers and regulatory bodies while leading energy strategy and power purchase agreement negotiations.

Atlanta News First · Fulton Co., GA

The Georgia Public Service Commission held a town hall in Savannah where residents raised concerns about a proposed OpenAI data center in Effingham County. Georgia Power defended the project, stating OpenAI will pay for required infrastructure and the additional revenue will help lower costs for other customers.

WJCL · Chatham Co., GA

Headline onlysavannahnow.com · Chatham Co., GA

Arkansas legislators questioned Google and Entergy representatives about funding for a new power plant being built to serve a Google data center in West Memphis, following disputes over how costs will be split between the companies and ratepayers. The dispute centers on whether Google will fully cover construction costs or only a portion, with ratepayers now paying through a new utility charge added in June.

KATV · Shelby Co., TN

Arkansas lawmakers questioned Entergy officials Tuesday about data center projects and the utility's decision to charge ratepayers for a solar and battery storage facility serving Google's West Memphis facility. Republican Senator Mark Johnson criticized Entergy's lawsuit against the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette over reporting on power agreements and expressed concern about a new rider adding $22.81 to his power bill.

Magnolia Reporter · Shelby Co., TN

Arkansas lawmakers questioned Entergy on data center projects Tuesday, with concerns raised about passing costs for a solar and battery facility to ratepayers through a new rate rider approved under the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025. Republican Sen. Mark Johnson also criticized Entergy's unsuccessful lawsuit against the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette over reporting on Google power agreements.

Arkansas Advocate · Shelby Co., TN

Google is building a data center campus at West Memphis and engaging with residents, a company official told the Arkansas Legislature's Joint Energy Committee. The state has two hyperscale data centers under construction and plans for four more, with Google's West Memphis facility expected to demand 600 megawatts of power.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · Shelby Co., TN

Communities across the country are blocking AI data centers through local moratoriums, zoning rejections, and ballot measures, with over 500 local measures passed nationwide. New York became the first state to pass a statewide moratorium in 2026, and federal legislation for a nationwide moratorium now has 14 House cosponsors.

Food & Water Watch

The Georgia Public Service Commission held its first administrative meeting outside Atlanta in nearly 20 years in Savannah, hosting a town hall where residents expressed concerns about rapid data center development, particularly OpenAI's planned 1,400-acre Effingham County campus. The PSC announced new requirements for large-load contracts, including long-term agreements and upfront infrastructure payments, with the OpenAI deal calling for a 25-year term and 3.2 gigawatts of demand.

Statesboro Herald · Chatham Co., GA

The Georgia Public Service Commission held a town hall in Savannah on Tuesday to address concerns about OpenAI's planned 1,400-acre data center in Effingham County, focusing on regulatory oversight, power demands, and customer protections. The PSC established new requirements for large-load contracts, including 25-year terms, minimum bills, and provisions preventing cost shifts to residential customers if the contract ends early.

Effingham Herald · Fulton Co., GA

Residents at a Georgia Public Service Commission forum in Savannah expressed environmental, health, and cost concerns about Georgia Power's role in supplying electricity to a proposed OpenAI data center in Effingham County, with critics questioning whether projected bill savings justify potential community impacts.

WTOC · Chatham Co., GA · also at WTOC

Georgia hosts more than 200 data centers, but a report by Greenlink Analytics and Science for Georgia predicts growth will "decelerate sharply after 2030," with annual growth dropping from 8-22% through 2030 to just 1-7% thereafter. Analysts warn that if utilities build infrastructure for demand that never materializes, ratepayers could face billions in stranded assets.

WABE · Fulton Co., GA

Canceled data center projects leave utilities with infrastructure costs often passed to ratepayers, while the reassignment of capacity can take months or years. A 2026 survey found nearly one in five data center interconnection requests never materialize, creating a structural planning problem for utilities.

datacenterknowledge · Georgia

OpenAI is advancing plans for a massive data center campus in Effingham County, Georgia, prompting state regulators and environmental advocates to urge residents to push for stronger regulations governing water use, electricity, noise, air quality, and community benefits. The project, contracted for 3.2 gigawatts of power from 2028 through 2032, includes a promised $80 million in community benefits.

Effingham Herald · Effingham Co., GA

Effingham County residents gathered Monday to discuss Project Camellia, a proposed $20 billion OpenAI data center campus near Rincon that would require 3.2 gigawatts of electricity—comparable to powering over 2 million homes. The project, spanning 1,400 acres and promising up to 1,000 permanent jobs, is under review by the Georgia Public Service Commission due to its scale.

WJCL · Effingham Co., GA

American Press · Louisiana

The House is expected to vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would speed construction of AI data centers and prioritize their grid connection, according to reports. Over 200 advocacy organizations have opposed the bill, arguing it fails to protect ratepayers from increased electricity rates and water consumption.

Food & Water Watch