December 11, 2024

We begin with our weekly NetZero Insider roundup from this past week with news that broke just yesterday: Google announced a “strategic partnership” with renewable energy developer Intersect Power and clean energy investor TPG Rise Climate to develop industrial parks with data centers and co-located clean energy.

Of course, data centers and load growth have dominated the weekly energy news cycles, and that’s no different this week. A new report released by the Virginia General Assembly says that even meeting half of the projected demand from new data centers in Virginia over the next 15 years will prove difficult, with the state requiring up to double its current generating capacity, 40% more transmission capacity and 150% more electricity imports. 

Meta and Amazon Web Services continue to search for ways to meet their data centers’ growing power demand, requesting proposals for nuclear reactor construction and announcing new efficiency measures. And Entergy Louisiana confirmed that a new $10 billion data center being built by Meta is the motive behind its recent filing to build three new gas plants at a combined 2.3 GW. 

Finally, our K Kaufmann attended the Department of Energy’s Deploy 2024 conference in D.C., which featured speeches by John Podesta, David Crane and outgoing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. 

Here’s what else we had this past week: 

• Calif. Report Examines Deep Potential for Wave Energy 

• DOE Environmental Justice Pilot Paves Way for Implementation 

• ISO-NE Stakeholders Respond to Potential Long-term Transmission RFP 

• Mass. Gov. Healey Preaches Collaboration at Energy Conference 

• NC Town Sues Duke Energy over Alleged Climate Deception 

• New Jersey Plans for 2025 Community Solar Solicitation 

See you next week!