AI Data Centers Run Into the Water Ledger — May 18, 2026

Digital Realty expands as PJM and ERCOT queues bite — June 23, 2026

Digital Realty moved to deepen its Teraco control and disclosed 1,440 acres near Kansas City, while Carbon Direct maps the PJM and ERCOT queue bottleneck standing between AI data center demand and speed to power. IN THIS EPISODE 1. Digital Realty agreed to issue common stock to buy approximately 16% of the interests in its Teraco joint venture, increasing its interest in Africa’s leading data center platform to 77%. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1297996/000119312526276844/d50837d8k.htm] — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Digital Realty agreed to issue common stock to buy approximately 16% of the interests in its Teraco joint venture, increasing its interest in Africa’s leading data center platform to 77%. This is a material ownership consolidation in a named data center platform, using Digital Realty common stock as consideration. If completed, Digital Realty says its Teraco interest will rise to 77%, with… 2. Digital Realty disclosed that its operating partnership acquired approximately 1,440 acres of development land at Astra Enterprise Park near Kansas City. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1297996/000119312526276844/d50837d8k.htm] — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Digital Realty disclosed that its operating partnership acquired approximately 1,440 acres of development land at Astra Enterprise Park near Kansas City. This is a concrete site-control disclosure from Digital Realty in a new Kansas City-area development location, with consideration paid in cash and operating partnership units. Track Astra Enterprise Park as a newly disclosed Digital Realty… 3. AI Meets the Grid: Interconnection Queue Analysis in PJM and ERCOT | Carbon Direct [https://www.carbon-direct.com/research-and-reports/ai-meets-the-grid-interconnection-queue-analysis-in-pjm-and-ercot] — Carbon Direct Why Carbon Direct? [Log in](https://platform.carbondirect.io/) [Get started](../contact) [Get started](../contact) [Get started](../contact) white paper # AI Meets the Grid: Interconnection Queue Analysis in PJM and ERCOT Data centers requiring over 10 GW of power were announced in PJM and ERCOT in just six months. Getting that power online means navigating backlogged and slow… Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-data-center-daily/id1896355970] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2miCD1T5sntF7t77eRk8xv]. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com [data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com].

Stargate’s Site Blitz Runs Into FERC’s Grid Rule Clock — June 22, 2026

OpenAI Stargate’s five-site expansion keeps the AI infrastructure race focused on executable gigawatts, while FERC’s June deadline on DOE’s large-load interconnection plan could define how data centers connect, pay, and navigate federal-state boundaries. IN THIS EPISODE 1. OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites [https://openai.com/index/five-new-stargate-sites] — OpenAI # OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites | OpenAI [Skip to main content](https://openai.com/index/five-new-stargate-sites#main) [](https://openai.com/) * [Research](https://openai.com/research/index/) * Products * [Business](https://openai.com/business/) * [Developers](https://openai.com/api/) * [Company](https://openai.com/about/) * … 2. Step Back — Stargate just named five more AI data-center sites — so how do we tell which of these are real, executable gigawatts versus land-banked options or narrative management? What documents or market signals should we trust most: interconnection status, utility tariffs, substation work, turbine orders, water permits, financing commitments, or something else? BACKGROUND SOURCES * What the Michigan Stargate site says about today’s AI market | Latitude Media [https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/what-the-michigan-stargate-site-says-about-todays-ai-market/] — Scott Clavenna * The Rise of the Private Grid - by Tara Tan [https://thereview.strangevc.com/p/the-rise-of-the-private-grid] — Tara Tan * Stargate, the AI data center project, is operational in Abilene TX [https://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/2025/09/23/inside-stargate-ais-massive-texas-data-center-campus-with-5-more-sites-announced/] — Lana Ferguson 3. FERC Sets June Action on DOE’s Large Load Interconnection Plan Putting Federal-State Boundaries at the Center of What Comes Next - Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer [https://www.swlaw.com/publication/ferc-sets-june-action-on-does-large-load-interconnection-plan-putting-federal-state-boundaries-at-the-center-of-what-comes-next] — Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer [Skip to Main Content](#content) * [Media](https://www.swlaw.com/media/) * [All Publications](https://www.swlaw.com/publications/) ## Publication # FERC Sets June Action on DOE’s Large Load Interconnection Plan Putting Federal-State Boundaries at the Center of What Comes Next Apr 21, 2026 By [Ryan J. Regula](https://www.swlaw.com/people/ryan_regula/) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission… Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-data-center-daily/id1896355970] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2miCD1T5sntF7t77eRk8xv]. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com [data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com].

AI Capex Becomes a Data Center Power Cycle — June 19, 2026

Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta and Amazon’s AI capex is now a site-selection and power-underwriting problem, while Stargate’s “pay your own way” pledge exposes the enforceable grid question: who funds capacity, upgrades and backup when AI load lands? IN THIS EPISODE 1. AI Infrastructure Capex in 2026: What Hyperscaler Spending Means ... [https://build.inc/insights/ai-infrastructure-capex-2026] — Build Product Use Cases Company # AI Infrastructure Capex in 2026: What Hyperscaler Spending Means for Developers AI infrastructure capex is becoming a real estate development cycle, not just a chip-buying cycle. This post explains how hyperscaler spending changes site selection, power strategy and underwriting for institutional developers. by Build Team • May 8, 2026 • 5 min read # AI… 2. Step Back — When OpenAI says Stargate will “pay its own way” for power, what would that have to mean in enforceable grid terms — take-or-pay contracts, upgrade deposits, curtailment rights, capacity obligations — and where could costs still leak back to ratepayers or the market? BACKGROUND SOURCES * OpenAI Pledges To Foot Bill For Generating New Power For Stargate Data Centers [https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/data-center-power/openai-pledges-to-foot-bill-for-new-power-needed-for-stargate-data-centers-132853] — Dan Rabb, Data Centers * OpenAI Pledges To Foot Bill For Generating New Power For Stargate Data Centers [https://web-prod.bisnow.net/national/news/data-center-power/openai-pledges-to-foot-bill-for-new-power-needed-for-stargate-data-centers-132853] — Dan Rabb, Data Centers * OpenAI Stopped Waiting for the Texas Grid. It's Building Three of Its Own. [https://infrastructureresearch.substack.com/p/openai-stopped-waiting-for-the-texas] — Yair Titelboim * The Megawatt Is Not the Asset - by Alex Lanin [https://lanin.substack.com/p/the-megawatt-is-not-the-asset] — Alex Lanin * An outdated FERC policy is undermining the White House’s ratepayer protection pledge | Utility Dive [https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-transmission-policy-white-house-ratepayer-protection-peskoe/815438/] — Ari Peskoe Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-data-center-daily/id1896355970] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2miCD1T5sntF7t77eRk8xv]. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com [data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com].

Hyperscale Capex Runs Into the State-Regulator Wall — June 18, 2026

Synergy Research Group pegs hyperscale capex at $142 billion in Q3, while NARUC’s FERC comments draw a hard state-jurisdiction line around large-load interconnection. The buildout is scaling faster than the permitting and cost-allocation machinery around it. IN THIS EPISODE 1. [PDF] Interconnection of Large Loads to the Interstate Transmission ... [https://pubs.naruc.org/pub/25031BF3-C5E4-85FA-243B-A3D2E5DC82A0] — National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Interconnection of Large Loads to the ) Docket No. RM26-4-000 Interstate Transmission System ) INITIAL COMMENTS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REGULATORY UTILITY COMMISSIONERS The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (“NARUC”), respectfully submits these comments responding to the Federal Energy Regulatory… 2. Step Back — We usually count data center water risk as “gallons in,” but for AI-scale campuses with hybrid or liquid cooling, what actually comes out the other side — heat, chemicals, blowdown — and how well do today’s permits make that visible? BACKGROUND SOURCES * What’s in the water? What we know and don’t know about data center water discharge in Virginia • Virginia Mercury [https://virginiamercury.com/2026/06/01/whats-in-the-water-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-data-center-water-discharge-in-virginia/] — Shannon Heckt * Water, air, and backup power: Permitting pinch points for AI facilities | Nixon Peabody LLP [https://www.nixonpeabody.com/insights/alerts/2026/02/18/water-air-and-backup-power-permitting-pinch-points-for-ai-facilities] — Nixon Peabody LLP * Water-Related Permits for Data Centers | US EPA [https://www.epa.gov/watersense/water-related-permits-data-centers] — US EPA * Ohio EPA reviewing draft permit to authorize limited increase in data center wastewater discharge | News, Sports, Jobs - Marietta Times [https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/local-news/2026/03/ohio-epa-reviewing-draft-permit-to-authorize-limited-increase-in-data-center-wastewater-discharge/] — News, Sports, Jobs - Marietta Times * How Water and Wastewater Capacity Now Decide AI Data Center Sites [https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/infrastructure/breaking-points-the-ai-boom-is-colliding-with-water-infrastructure] — Datacenterknowledge * Regulating data center water use in California [https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/archive/2026/02/Regulating-Data-Center-Water-Use-in-CA_Report_CLEE-2026.pdf] — Berkeley * State Regulation of Data Centers: Emerging Trends and Potential Legal Complexities [https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/20260223-state-regulation-of-data-centers-emerging-trends-and-potential-legal-complexities] — Wilmerhale 3. Hyperscale Spending Spree is Driving Dramatic Growth in Data Center Capacity | Synergy Research Group [https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/hyperscale-spending-spree-is-driving-dramatic-growth-in-data-center-capacity] — Synergy Research Group ## Hyperscale Spending Spree is Driving Dramatic Growth in Data Center Capacity RENO, NV, December 19, 2025 New Q3 data from Synergy Research Group shows that the number of large data centers operated by hyperscale providers has climbed to 1,297 worldwide, nearly tripling since early 2018. Over the same period, total operational capacity has increased more than fourfold as average data center… Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-data-center-daily/id1896355970] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2miCD1T5sntF7t77eRk8xv]. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com [data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com].

Large-load queues meet FERC’s jurisdiction fight — June 17, 2026

PJM interconnection data shows 877 active load, generation and transmission requests totaling 102.79 GW, while a DOE-prompted FERC large-load proceeding raises the core question for data centers: who controls and pays for grid entry at hyperscale? IN THIS EPISODE 1. Latest Active PJM Interconnection Queue Requests with daily data updates — Interconnection.fyi [https://www.interconnection.fyi?market=PJM&status=Active] — Interconnection.fyi [Interconnection.fyi Tracking U.S. ISO & utility interconnection queues](/) [Email Alerts](https://interconnectionfyi.substack.com?ref=interconnection.fyi&utm_source=interconnection.fyi&utm_medium=referral) [Data Centers](/data-center) [GridTracker](/about-gridtracker)[Data center projects](/data-center)[Distribution grid (DG)… 2. DOE Directs FERC to Take Action on Large Load Interconnection | HUB | K&L Gates [https://www.klgates.com/DOE-Directs-FERC-to-Take-Action-on-Large-Load-Interconnection-10-30-2025] — K&L Gates   # DOE Directs FERC to Take Action on Large Load Interconnection      On 23 October 2025, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris… Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-data-center-daily/id1896355970] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2miCD1T5sntF7t77eRk8xv]. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com [data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com].