January 15, 2026

Top news (3 developments)

1. Large US gas generation M&A aimed at capacity-constrained markets: Vistra to acquire Cogentrix for $4B, adds 5.5 GW across PJM, ISO New England and ERCOT (5,496 MW), with closing expected mid-to-late 2026 and a $2.25bn senior secured notes issuance to help fund the deal.

2. A new 200MW data centre campus co-located with storage in Texas: CyrusOne and Eolian to build 200MW Fort Worth data campus (DFW7). The site is next to an existing 100MW battery energy storage system (Chisholm Grid BESS); Eolian plans to modernise that early utility-scale BESS to supply initial phases.

3. Hyperscaler community/cost signalling on power + water: Microsoft unveils Community-First AI Infrastructure strategy for data centers, including a pledge not to raise local residential power/water bills, a 40% water-use reduction target by 2030, publishing regional water-use data, and stating it has contracted with MISO to add 7.9 GW of generation.

Key deals & projects

North America (US)

• Fort Worth, Texas (data centre + BESS adjacency): CyrusOne and Eolian to build 200MW Fort Worth data campus

  • Scale: 200MW campus (DFW7).
  • Power strategy: sited beside 100MW Chisholm Grid BESS; Eolian to modernise the BESS for initial phases.
  • Timeline context: Eolian identified the opportunity in 2023; CyrusOne broke ground in April 2025.

• Van Buren Township, Michigan (community opposition + utilities pressure points): Protest planned over Panattoni 800,000‑sqft Van Buren data center

  • Facility: proposed 800,000 sq ft data center.
  • Utilities: estimated cooling water use 2–3.6 million gallons/day; potential electrical demand ~1 GW.
  • Permitting/community: protest planned; developer expected at Planning Commission Feb. 11; petition opposing has 1,300+ signatures.

• Municipal fiber build funding (indirect tailwind for edge/backhaul): New York announces $36M municipal broadband funding round

  • Funding: $36m via ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program for open-access, publicly controlled broadband.
  • Prior programme delivery: $268m committed, funding 2,300+ miles of fiber and 68 wireless hubs, serving 96,000+ homes/businesses.
  • Process/timing: applications open through Apr. 30; reviews start Feb. 2; projects must complete by Dec. 31, 2026.

Europe (UK)

• Cambois / Northumberland enabling infrastructure narrative: Council approves plan to extend Northumberland Line further
  • Corporate plan (2026–2030) references the £10bn QTS data centre at Cambois.
  • States the project is expected to unlock £110m in additional funding; full council approval recommended for March.

Asia-Pacific (Malaysia / Intra-Asia)

• Johor (power secured for AI-ready campus): TM Nxera secures 280MW power for AI-ready data centre

  • Power: multi-year supply agreement with Tenaga Nasional for 280MW.
  • Campus: Iskandar Puteri, Johor; Tier 3, LEED-designed, with advanced liquid cooling.
  • Timeline: first-phase commercial operations targeted in 2026.
  • Connectivity: via TM and Singtel Group’s Digital InfraCo subsea cables.

• Subsea capacity build-out (regional connectivity backbone): NTT DATA group to build Intra-Asia submarine communication cable

  • Consortium created Intra-Asia Marine Networks (I-AM NW) (NTT DATA, Sumitomo, JA Mitsui Leasing).
  • Route links Japan–Malaysia–Singapore with additional links to Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan.
  • Technical: SDM and WSS technologies; up to 16 fiber pairs (32 cores); ~320 Tbps.

Power, grid & interconnection highlights

• Gas generation consolidation in constrained US ISOs: Vistra to acquire Cogentrix for $4B, adds 5.5 GW

  • Adds 5,496 MW of modern natural gas capacity across PJM / ISO-NE / ERCOT.
  • Financing includes $2.25bn senior secured notes; approvals required include FERC, DOJ HSR, and state approvals.

• Onsite/grid-tied dispatchable capacity pitch to data centres: Enchanted Rock hires Regis Malloy to lead data center practice

  • Company positioning: grid-tied onsite generation for dispatchable, “lower-emission” capacity, backup power, and integrated O&M.
  • Explicit problem framing: data centres facing power, interconnection, and reliability constraints.

• Power availability driving market selection (US): Power constraints push data centers toward emerging US markets

  • Notes constraints in major hubs pushing activity toward secondary/tertiary markets (examples cited: Pennsylvania, Carolinas, Central Washington, New Jersey, Massachusetts) offering incentives, faster approvals, and power availability.
  • Illustrative capex momentum referenced: OpenAI’s Stargate (~$100bn) and Vantage Frontier (~$25bn+).

Policy & regulation

United States (environmental permitting + emissions)

• Clean Water Act Section 401 scope proposed to be narrowed: EPA proposes curbing states’ Clean Water Act powers

  • EPA proposal would narrow states’/tribes’ authority to review/condition projects under Section 401, aiming to limit delays for federally regulated projects including pipelines and data centers.
  • Includes submission requirements and review deadlines; EPA targets a final rule in spring after public comments.

• NOx rule rollback for new gas turbines; carve-out relevant to data centres: Trump EPA finalizes weaker NOx rules for gas plants

  • Final rule weakens NOx emissions requirements for new gas-burning turbines, including a carve-out allowing temporary turbines used at data centers to emit more NOx.

• Digital trade barriers flagged as a risk to US infrastructure-led exports: House Hearing Warns Trade Barriers Threaten US Tech Infrastructure

  • Hearing focus: foreign digital trade barriers, data localization, and IP enforcement issues as threats to the fiber networks and data centres supporting US AI/digital exports.

Technology, design & operations signals (what’s changing inside the box)

• Higher-voltage DC distribution debate is accelerating: Higher-voltage DC proposed to meet AI data centre power demands

  • Proposal context: racks scaling to ~1MW, facilities approaching 1GW.
  • Claimed upside: 3%–5% efficiency gains by removing conversions; copper savings cited at ~200 kg per 1MW rack.
  • Enablers mentioned: 13.8kV AC-to-800VDC converters and solid-state DC breakers.

• Liquid cooling positioning continues to broaden beyond hyperscale: Overview of Data Centers and AI-Ready Infrastructure Types

  • Focus on liquid cooling distribution and AI liquid cold plates, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable power sourcing.

• Environmental compliance/retrofit execution at operating data centres: A-Gas Achieves Major Data Center Environmental Recovery Milestone

  • On-site recovery of 73,000+ lbs of R410A from five buildings (222 cooling units) at a global technology provider’s data center.
  • Estimated impact: 70,226 tons CO2e prevented; included EPA documentation and refrigerant buyback payment.

2-line close

Grid capacity, emissions rules, and water/permitting politics are increasingly shaping where and how data centres get built.

At the same time, the stack is shifting toward new power distribution and cooling approaches as rack densities rise.