Stargate Wisconsin Meets the Grid-and-Water Reality Check — June 15, 2026

Stargate Wisconsin Meets the Grid-and-Water Reality Check — June 15, 2026

OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage’s Port Washington Stargate plan puts Wisconsin’s grid, water and transmission constraints under the microscope, alongside FERC’s large-load interconnection fight and PJM’s urgent speed-to-power problem. IN THIS EPISODE 1. Data Center Cooling Water Discharge: Assessing Environmental Transparency and Information Gaps [https://repository.uclawsf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1664&context=hastings_environmental_law_journal] — UC Law Environmental Journal UC Law Environmental Journal UC Law Environmental Journal Volume 32 Number 2 Article 4 5-13-2026 # Data Center Cooling Water Discharge: Assessing Environmental Data Center Cooling Water Discharge: Assessing Environmental # Transparency and Information Gaps Transparency and Information Gaps Katherine Kim Follow this and additional works at: … 2. OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers Announce Stargate Data Center Site in Wisconsin - Vantage Data Centers [https://vantage-dc.com/news/openai-oracle-and-vantage-data-centers-announce-stargate-data-center-site-in-wisconsin] — Vantage Data Centers [Skip to content](#content) [](https://vantage-dc.com/) [Home](https://vantage-dc.com/) / OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers Announce Stargate Data Center Site in Wisconsin # OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers Announce Stargate Data Center Site in Wisconsin #### Vantage’s $15B+ investment… 3. FERC Large-Load Interconnection Preliminary Rulemaking: Key Takeaways for Data Center Developers, Other Large Load Projects, and Investors | Insights | Mayer Brown [https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2025/11/ferc-large-load-interconnection-preliminary-rulemaking-key-takeaways-for-data-center-developers-other-large-load-projects-and-investors] — Mayer Brown  # FERC Large-Load Interconnection Preliminary Rulemaking: Key Takeaways for Data Center Developers, Other Large Load Projects, and Investors In late October 2025, at the direction of the Secretary of the US Department of… 4. PJM’s Speed to Power Problem and How to Fix It - RMI [https://rmi.org/pjms-speed-to-power-problem-and-how-to-fix-it] — RMI   Learn how we are working to transform how we use and produce energy. # PJM’s Speed to Power Problem and How to Fix It Overlooked interconnection improvements are key to alleviating PJM’s cost and capacity crises. ### ### Why we… 5. Step Back — With OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage now pointing Stargate at Wisconsin, what are the under-the-hood site-selection advantages there — ATC/MISO deliverability, generation mix, tax and permitting posture, water, fiber — and which of those are genuinely scarce versus just press-release gloss? BACKGROUND SOURCES * OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers Announce Stargate Data Center Site in Wisconsin - Vantage Data Centers [https://vantage-dc.com/news/openai-oracle-and-vantage-data-centers-announce-stargate-data-center-site-in-wisconsin/] — Vantage Dc * OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers Announce Stargate Data Center Site in Wisconsin [https://www.digitalbridge.com/news/2025-10-22-openai-oracle-and-vantage-data-centers-announce-stargate-data-center-site-in-wisconsin] — Digitalbridge * Data center ‘extension cord’ draws landowners’ ire - E&E News by POLITICO [https://www.eenews.net/articles/data-center-extension-cord-draws-landowners-ire/] — Jeffrey Tomich * OpenAI, Oracle, and Vantage plan Stargate Wisconsin data center, expected to be 'close to a gigawatt' - DCD [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/openai-oracle-and-vantage-plan-stargate-wisconsin-data-center-expected-to-be-close-to-a-gigawatt/] — Datacenterdynamics * OpenAI Stargate: where the US sites stand [https://epochai.substack.com/p/openai-stargate-where-the-us-sites] — Elliot Stewart * OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers Announce Stargate Data Center Site in Wisconsin | Financial Post [https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/openai-oracle-and-vantage-data-centers-announce-stargate-data-center-site-in-wisconsin] — Financial Post 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].

FERC’s Large-Load Clock Meets Hyperscale’s Capacity Surge — June 14, 2026

FERC’s large-load interconnection docket has a June 2026 action marker, as state regulators press jurisdictional limits and Synergy Research shows hyperscale capacity nearly tripling since 2018. The buildout story is shifting from abstract AI demand to queues, tariffs, water and siting. IN THIS EPISODE 1. FERC to Act on Large Load Interconnection Docket by June 2026 [https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-act-large-load-interconnection-docket-june-2026] — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission # FERC to Act on Large Load Interconnection Docket by June 2026 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Skip to main content](https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-act-large-load-interconnection-docket-june-2026#main-content) [FERC Federal Energy Regulatory… 2. [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… 3. Step Back — With DOE now pushing FERC toward a large-load interconnection rule by mid-2026, what is the actual jurisdictional hook here — and how much of the data-center queue problem can FERC change before it runs into state siting authority, retail-service rules, and utility-by-utility dealmaking? BACKGROUND SOURCES * FERC to Act on Large Load Interconnection Docket by June 2026 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-act-large-load-interconnection-docket-june-2026] — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission * 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/] — Swlaw * DOE directs FERC to accelerate interconnection of data centers | White & Case LLP [https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/doe-directs-ferc-accelerate-interconnection-data-centers] — White & Case LLP * DOE large load interconnection proposal sparks federal-state jurisdiction concerns | Utility Dive [https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-large-load-interconnection-ferc-naruc/806278/] — Ethan Howland * FERC Sets June Deadline to Rewrite Large-Load Grid Rules for AI-Era Power Demand [https://www.powermag.com/ferc-sets-june-deadline-to-rewrite-large-load-grid-rules-for-ai-era-power-demand/] — Sonal C. Patel * Faster Interconnections for Large Loads Are Coming: What to Know | Insights & Events | Bradley [https://www.bradley.com/insights/publications/2026/03/faster-interconnections-for-large-loads-are-coming-what-to-know] — Tonya L. Meier * States are already working on solutions to large-load challenges | Utility Dive [https://www.utilitydive.com/news/states-ferc-large-load-tariff-doe-christie/816672/] — Mark Christie 4. 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… 5. Data centers and water - Project Finance NewsWire [https://www.projectfinance.law/publications/data-centers-and-water] — Project Finance NewsWire  # Data centers and water **July 14, 2025** | By [Rachel Rosenfeld](https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-us/people/1016333) in Washington, DC, [Scott Burton](https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-us/people/1017946) in Los Angeles and Washington, DC and [Kayce Kasten… 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].

ERCOT’s AI Load Wave Hits the Cost-Allocation Wall — June 12, 2026

ERCOT’s data-center queue has ballooned to 519 large-load requests in two years, sharpening fights at FERC and in Congress over who pays for AI-driven grid upgrades as Meta locks in new power and capacity deals. IN THIS EPISODE 1. Texas grid slammed by 519 power-hungry AI data center requests in just two years [https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/texas-data-centers-electricity-impact-power-grid/] — The Cool Down Texas grid slammed by 519 power-hungry AI data center requests in just two years Photo Credit: iStock Proposed AI data centers are poised to put a new kind of pressure on Texas' power system as their electricity needs climb, The Texas Tribune reported. That potential demand is arriving as the grid has come under intense scrutiny in recent years. ### What's happening? According to The… 2. ‘Buckle up’: FERC, lawmakers grapple with data center costs - E&E News by POLITICO [https://www.eenews.net/articles/buckle-up-ferc-lawmakers-grapple-with-data-center-costs/] — POLITICO ‘Buckle up’: FERC, lawmakers grapple with data center costs - E&E News by POLITICO - Skip to primary navigation - Skip to main content - Skip to footer # ‘Buckle up’: FERC, lawmakers grapple with data center costs Speakers at POLITICO’s Energy Summit pressed for more government action to ensure utility ratepayers don’t bear the costs of an energy-intensive AI boom. Federal Energy Regulatory… 3. RWE secures Meta PPA on 298-MW Texas solar project [https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2026/06/rwe-secures-meta-ppa-on-298-mw-texas-solar-project/] — Solar Power World # RWE secures Meta PPA on 298-MW Texas solar project Author: Billy Ludt Published: 2026-06-11T16:52:58+00:00 Source: solarpowerworldonline.com (solarpowerworldonline.com) Language: en ## Story RWE secures Meta PPA on 298-MW Texas solar project RWE and Meta have arranged a long-term corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) for the electricity generated by the 298-MWAC Rabbit’s Foot Solar… 4. Reliance, Meta Partner to Build AI-Enabled Data Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat [https://telecomtalk.info/reliance-meta-ai-datacentre-in-gujarat-jamnagar/1008451/] — TelecomTalk Reliance, Meta Partner to Build AI-Enabled Data Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat × ### Highlights - Reliance and Meta have partnered to develop a 168 MW AI-enabled data centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat. - The facility will be Meta's first built-to-suit data centre in India. - Reliance will provide end-to-end services, from design and construction to operations and utility management. Live #### Hardik… 5. NVIDIA's First Co-Packaged Optics Switch Lands at Lambda, Cutting 3kW Per Rack and Freeing Power for 3,137 Extra GPUs [https://wccftech.com/nvidia-first-co-packaged-optics-switch-lands-at-lambda-cutting-3kw-per-rack/] — Wccftech # NVIDIA's First Co-Packaged Optics Switch Lands at Lambda, Cutting 3kW Per Rack and Freeing Power for 3,137 Extra GPUs Author: Hassan Mujtaba Published: 2026-06-11T09:05:13+00:00 Source: wccftech.com (wccftech.com) Language: en ## Story NVIDIA's First Co-Packaged Optics Switch Lands at Lambda, Cutting 3kW Per Rack and Freeing Power for 3,137 Extra GPUs # NVIDIA’s First Co-Packaged Optics… 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].

States Make Data Centers Pay as AI Capacity Keeps Scaling — June 11, 2026

Texas ERCOT and Ohio lawmakers are pushing data centers toward paying more of their grid, tax, water and local-cost burden, while Meta’s 168 MW Reliance deal shows AI capacity demand still scaling globally. IN THIS EPISODE 1. Ohio lawmakers introduce sweeping new data center legislation - Route Fifty [https://www.route-fifty.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/06/ohio-lawmakers-introduce-sweeping-new-data-center-legislation/414089/] — Route Fifty Ohio lawmakers introduce sweeping new data center legislation - Route Fifty Skip to Content - Exercise Your Privacy Rights --- --- --- --- --- --- --- By Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal By Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal | June 10, 2026 12:00 PM ET ## It’s a significant revision of state policy, touching on tax breaks, nondisclosure agreements, water use and testing, utility… 2. Abbott wants data centers fully funding electric needs [https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/governor-abbott-directs-public-utility-commission-to-require-data-centers-to-fully-fund-electric-needs/] — KXAN Abbott wants data centers fully funding electric needs AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Gov. Greg Abbott called for immediate action that would ensure Texans do not pay the price of connecting data centers to the state’s electric grid. “The rapid scale of data center development requires… 3. Meta taps RIL for AI data centre capacity - The Times of India [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/meta-taps-ril-for-ai-data-centre-capacity/articleshow/131647108.cms] — The Times of India Meta taps RIL for AI data centre capacity - The Times of India Edition IN English Sign In - News - Business News - International Business News - Meta taps RIL for AI data centre capacity Trending # Meta taps RIL for AI data centre capacity Comments Share AA +Text Size - Small - Medium - Large . NEW DELHI: Meta has signed its first artificial intelligence data centre deal in India,… 4. Brattle Experts Examine the Potential Impacts of Large Loads on Transmission Investment Needs and Electricity Prices in Iowa and Wisconsin - Brattle [https://www.brattle.com/insights-events/publications/brattle-experts-examine-the-potential-impacts-of-large-loads-on-transmission-investment-needs-and-electricity-prices-in-iowa-and-wisconsin/] — Brattle Brattle Experts Examine the Potential Impacts of Large Loads on Transmission Investment Needs and Electricity Prices in Iowa and Wisconsin - Brattle In a recent white paper commissioned by Alliant Energy, Brattle energy experts identify system conditions, ratemaking approaches, and contractual structures that utilities can leverage to address electricity affordability concerns related to demand… 5. DEQ meeting about data center discharge water into Lake Anna tributaries turns contentious [https://www.whsv.com/2026/06/10/deq-meeting-about-data-center-discharge-water-into-lake-anna-tributaries-turns-contentious/] — WHSV DEQ meeting about data center discharge water into Lake Anna tributaries turns contentious Share Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google LOUISA, Va. (WWBT) - Amazon Web Services is seeking permission from the Department of Environmental Quality to release treated water from its data centers into Louisa County’s natural water sources. The requested Virginia Pollutant Discharge… 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].

Broadcom’s AI Commitments Hit Real-World Data Center Gates — June 10, 2026

Broadcom disclosed roughly $164.6 billion of firm obligations that include a new custom AI accelerator contract, plus a $29 billion lease backstop for AI racks. Meanwhile, Memphis and New York are turning water, land and permitting into harder gates for data center growth. IN THIS EPISODE 1. Broadcom disclosed a long-term custom AI accelerator contract inside firm remaining performance obligations of approximately $164.6 billion. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1730168/000173016826000054/avgo-20260503.htm] — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Broadcom disclosed a long-term custom AI accelerator contract inside firm remaining performance obligations of approximately $164.6 billion. For AI compute suppliers and capacity planners, the filing attaches disclosed scale and a revenue-recognition window to custom accelerator demand beyond current-period shipments. Broadcom has firm multi-year obligations that include a custom AI accelerator… 2. Broadcom arranged an investor-partner structure for AI racks based on its custom AI accelerators and agreed to backstop the customer’s lease obligations, with maximum exposure of $29 billion. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1730168/000173016826000054/avgo-20260503.htm] — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Broadcom arranged an investor-partner structure for AI racks based on its custom AI accelerators and agreed to backstop the customer’s lease obligations, with maximum exposure of $29 billion. This puts Broadcom in the financing and risk stack for AI compute capacity, not just the silicon supply chain. The AI rack model disclosed in the filing uses lease obligations and an investor partner;… 3. Step Back — As FERC and the RTOs start carving out faster, conditional paths for massive data center loads, where is the line between legitimate flexible service and queue-jumping that shifts transmission risk onto other customers? BACKGROUND SOURCES * FERC approves SPP non-firm, large load transmission service | Utility Dive [https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-spp-chills-large-load-transmission-service/822211/] — Ethan Howland * Large Energy Users Want Power. Here’s How to Protect Other Ratepayers from the Costs. - RMI [https://rmi.org/resources/large-energy-users-want-power-heres-how-to-protect-other-ratepayers-from-the-costs/] — Rmi * From Rejection to National Rulemaking: The Federal Regulatory Framework for Data Center Power Is Taking Shape - Davis Graham [https://davisgraham.com/news-events/from-rejection-to-national-rulemaking-the-federal-regulatory-framework-for-data-center-power-is-taking-shape/] — Caroline Schorsch * FERC Grapples With Surging Reliability and Interconnection Demands From Data Centers [https://www.orrick.com/en/Insights/2025/11/FERC-Grapples-With-Surging-Reliability-and-Interconnection-Demands-From-Data-Centers] — Orrick * FERC Directs Nation’s Largest Grid Operator to Create New Rules to Embrace Innovation and Protect Consumers | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-directs-nations-largest-grid-operator-create-new-rules-embrace-innovation-and] — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission * The Emerging Regulatory Framework to Power Data Centers [https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/news-and-insights/ferc-regulation-data-centers.html] — Pillsburylaw 4. City could take back land if xAI doesn't finish greywater facility [https://wreg.com/news/local/xai-memphis/city-officials-feel-positive-that-xais-water-recycling-facility-progressing-but-say-they-could-take-land-back/] — WREG City could take back land if xAI doesn't finish greywater facility xAI’s Colossus supercomputer site in southwest Memphis MEMPHIS, Tenn. — City leaders feel “pretty positive” that xAI — now part of SpaceX — will finish construction that stalled on a greywater recycling facility to cool their supercomputer in southwest Memphis. But if they don’t, the city’s chief legal officer says they have… 5. New York may temporarily freeze new large data centers - TechInformed [https://techinformed.com/new-york-may-temporarily-freeze-new-large-data-centers/] — TechInformed New York may temporarily freeze new large data centers - TechInformed Listen Text-to-speech not supported in this browser # New York may temporarily freeze new large data centers The bill would pause new DEC approvals for 20 MW-plus data centers and shift more infrastructure, energy and water costs onto large facilities --- New York lawmakers have passed the Responsible 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].