What's Happening in Energy highlights the most interesting findings from public utility commission filings.

Hey there, it's Nat. 

This week’s WHiE covers:

• A newly noted data center in Texas
• Generator deliveries to a behind-the-meter data center in Ohio
• Brand-new gas-fired generation plans in Iowa and South Carolina
• And a new docket of the week – a big Arizona data center

Let's get into it.

What's Happening in Energy — June 19
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Data Centers // Google // Texas // New asset

Platon Investments LLC has filed an air permit for a data center in Vernon, Texas in Wilbarger County. The facility manager has a Google email address, and the physical address listed is Google’s Mayes County, Oklahoma data center.

Of note, Platon Investments is also pursuing a wastewater treatment approval nearby.

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Data Centers // Rowan Digital // Texas // Backup generation

Rowan Digital’s 300 megawatt Stampede data center has applied for backup generation air permits in Bell County, Texas.

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Data Centers // EdgeConneX // Ohio // Deliveries

EdgeConneX is now taking delivery of Wärtsilä 50G reciprocating engine generators at its 216MW PowerConneX New Albany 2 data center. Halcyon has the oversize load permit to prove it.

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Data Centers // Google // Minnesota // Integrated Resource Plans

Minnesota Power responded to an intervention in its integrated resource plan: Clean Energy Organizations requested confirmation that the utility is not requesting approval of new resources to serve a Google data center in Hermantown. The response contains a useful detail: up to 10% of Google’s demand is available for demand response.

Minnesota Power is seeking approval of the following additional resources that are consistent with the resource characteristics and analysis identified in the Growth Plan. Minnesota Power does not request approval of new natural gas generation infrastructure beyond what has been identified in the IRP Base Plan to serve existing customers.

• 300 MW of wind generation

• 400 MW of battery storage

Electric service agreement between Minnesota Power and Google: 26-159. The email address of the customer representative for Harmony Group LLC, Google’s subsidiary, listed in the petition indicates that the ESA is for Project Loon.

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Data Centers // Vantage // Texas // Permits 

Vantage Data Centers is seeking a Federal Operating Permit for its TX11 facility in San Antonio. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has scheduled the notice and comment hearing for August 17, 2026.

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Data Centers // Enbridge Gas // Wyoming and Utah

Enbridge Gas filed its 2026-2027 Integrated Resource Plan in Utah and Wyoming. It says it has received 17 separate data center power requests, both grid and onsite. Details below including a note on likelihood, gas load, and timelines.

Enbridge Gas Utah has received seventeen separate inquiries related to either data center electric generation or onsite electric generation for an unknown purpose. To date, the Company has signed three agreements for this type of facility. Two agreements from last year are already in service, and the third agreement has an expected in-service date for the fourth quarter of 2026.

It is unlikely that all seventeen will be built. In some cases, prospective customers have declined to pursue contracting after learning the estimated costs, which can be significant. If all seventeen inquiries were to be built, the total estimated load would be approximately 4 Bcf/day. Project timelines have generally ranged from 18 to 24 months. Therefore, if a customer were to sign an agreement today, the facility would not be constructed until 2027–2028.

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Gas power // Dominion and Santee Cooper // South Carolina // New plant

Santee Cooper and Dominion South Carolina received approval for the 2,180MW Canadys combined cycle gas plant. Although large loads featured prominently in the discussions, utility witnesses argued that the resources are needed regardless of specific large load growth.

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Gas power // Cedar Falls Utilities // Iowa // New plant

Cedar Falls Utilities has initiated the approval process for a dual-fuel reciprocating engine generation plant in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Note that this is about as early in the filing record as can be: a request for approval of a date on which to hold an informational meeting in advance of applying for a generating certificate.

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Large loads // Southwest Power Pool // Cost allocation

SPP released the results of a survey on preferences for transmission projects and network upgrades related to large loads. Quote: “71% of respondents support applying a large load cost allocation policy to new large loads in the 2024-2026 ITPs [Integrated Transmission Plans].” A majority of respondents (67%) preferred defining large loads using “both a single-site threshold and aggregation criteria.”

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Large loads + Data Centers // CAISO // California // Standards

CAISO has a straw proposal for technical requirements for ‘computational large loads’. First: frequency ride-through. If frequency rises to between 61.2 and 61.8Hz, or drops between 58.8 and 57.0 Hz, large loads must continue to run for 299 seconds before tripping.

If voltage drops to between 0.9 and 0.7 per unit, the large load must run for 6.0 seconds. Read on for more.

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New Dockets of the Week

• In Arizona, BrightNight applied for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility from the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee to construct the Eagle Eye Energy Center and its associated gen-tie (docket profile). Eagle Eye will have up to 700 MW of nameplate capacity alongside a hybrid 400 MW PV + 400 MW BESS facility. The high net summer output of the gas plant is 600 MW. Check out the map below.
  
  

Halcyon angle: We included Eagle Eye in the latest release of our Gas Power Plant Tracker (GPPT). Learn more about the tracker here.

Public Comment Excerpt(s) of the Week

• A group of Texas legislators filed an amicus brief in support of a motion from “American Stewards of Liberty” to defer the determinations of need for the 765 kV lines that would bring power into the Permian Basin. It’s not a public comment but it certainly adds to the chorus of public comments against the lines. The legislators question the need for the projects versus their suggested alternative: new dispatchable generation in the Permian.
  
  “But siting dispatchable generation in and around the Permian Basin-closer to demand-could help achieve Texas's energy reliability needs with fewer land-use impacts and lower costs to ratepayers. Adding approximately 4 to 5 GW of natural gas generation in West Texas, combined with strategic generation siting in other ERCOT regions, could reduce or eliminate the need for the 765-kV transmission lines.”
  

Most clicked item from last week’s WHiE

• Agreement filed at the FERC between QTS and ITC Midwest to accelerate construction of transmission line by four months. Read Shanu Mathew’s time-to-power take.
• Fermi America’s amended permit for its 6-GW data center in West Texas called Project Matador. Note: We accidentally included the wrong link for this one last week, so be sure to check this one out!