The Power Connection Digest Issue #41

January 29, 2026

Peter Cook, Editor

We hope everyone is staying warm as this cold spell lingers in so much of the country. Hat tip to ERCOT for handling a difficult weekend!

There is a lot in today’s Power Connection Digest, so I’ll keep my intro remarks brief. Just a note to say how excited that in the last week we have been able to welcome sponsors VoltaGrid (Platinum), Liberty Power Innovations (Platinum), Conduit Power (Platinum), Beatty & Wozniak (Gold), Pioneer Energy (Gold), Liberty Energy (Gold), and ComAp (Silver) for the 2nd Annual Permian Power Connection Conference! Lots more sponsor conversations are on-going, so keep an eye out for more announcements! Let us know if you would like to be a part of the conference! And check out the conference website to see our growing list of confirmed speakers as well.

And now, the news…

The Coming War Over Power: Data Centers vs Everyone Else

This is not about choosing sides between data centers and everyone else. It is about recognizing that power is now the central organizing constraint of development. In the next phase of infrastructure growth, the scarce resource is not land, capital, or demand. It is permission to draw electrons at scale, on time, without breaking the system.

Why Data Centers are Becoming Power Plants—and How Texas Keeps Winning Them

The AI data center construction boom that fueled unprecedented investment into large warehouse-laden compounds across the U.S. may be slowing slightly as companies seek to solve both power and labor issues surrounding the projects.

Pacifico Energy Secures 7.65-GW Permit for GW Ranch in Texas, the Largest Permitted Data Center Power Campus in the U.S.

GW Ranch combines large-scale natural gas generation and battery and solar capacity in order to provide highly reliable energy to customers directly, without adding strain to the Texas grid.

Holt Cat sees up to 25% jump in generator demand as Texas data centers multiply

Backup power demand rises with Texas data center boom.

ERCOT promises data centers, crypto mines a new fast track to get on Texas electric grid

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it hopes to have criteria announced by the end of the month for which energy-intensive projects could be considered for "Batch Zero," the first group to go through its revised planning process.

AI Developers will take a Portfolio Approach to Developing Electricity Supplies

Our friend Gabe Collins provides insights on Permian power approaches in this LinkedIn post.

Platinum Sponsors Are Lining Up For The 2nd Permian Power Connection Conference In Midland June 8-9, 2026

VoltaGrid, ProPWR, Liberty Power Innovations, Conduit, and FO Permian are among the early Platinum Sponsor sign-ups for the premier Permian Power event of 2026.

Energy Secretary Prepared to Unleash Backup Generation Ahead of Last Weekend’s Winter Storm Fern

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright asked the nation’s grid operators to maintain communication with DOE during the storm and be prepared to make backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities available as needed.

Arctic Blast Forces US Bitcoin Miners to Cut Operations as Power Costs Surge

The arctic blast sweeping across large parts of the US is beginning to surface as a meaningful operational test for Bitcoin miners, as soaring electricity prices push some operators to curtail or temporarily shut down energy-intensive activity.

Power plant outages surge in Eastern US amid restricted gas supplies and frigid weather

PJM's outages are higher than the grid planned, Mul said, adding that there is less flexibility in the PJM system than a few years ago because of power plant retirements and a surge in demand from data centers.

Data Centers Are Driving a US Gas Boom

Gas projects in the US pipeline explicitly linked to data centers increased by almost 25 times over the past two years, according to new research from Global Energy Monitor.

Trump, tech giants seek to change data center narrative amid growing scrutiny

While the Trump administration has been broadly supportive of data centers, including through efforts to fast-track their construction, going forward, that support may have limitations.

Opinion: A faster way to power AI ambitions: Make your own electricity

Letting AI data centers and other large customers use new, off-grid power providers is not a bet against regulation, regulators, or the regulated grid. It is simply an acknowledgement that a regulatory system built for a 20th century monopoly grid cannot power a 21st century AI economy.

Appalachian Gas Is Key to Lowering Emissions and Prices Amid Rising Power Demand

Increasingly low emissions from Appalachian natural gas along with renewable energy, electricity storage and existing nuclear taken together hold strong promise to reduce both U.S. consumer prices and emissions in much of the eastern U.S.

US grid rules for faster data centers favor on-site gas plants

New rules by the PJM power network will fast-track combined data center and power generation projects, favoring new gas plants over renewables due to size requirements.

How Utilities Can Prepare for the AI-Driven Energy Surge

For utilities, the rapid growth presents unprecedented challenges, from staffing shortfalls and regulatory hurdles to grid limitations and technical problems. Here’s how utilities can successfully navigate the moment and meet the energy demands of tomorrow.

Data Centers Plan to Reduce Reliance on Grid Finds Bloom Energy’s 2026 Power Report

As more gigawatt-scale data centers come online, developers are taking power into their own hands; one-third of data centers to be fully off-grid by 2030

What the Data Center Boom Is Actually Selecting For Now

The era of growth at any cost is giving way to growth with infrastructure discipline. Power, water, transmission, and governance are moving from background assumptions to front page constraints.

Behind-the meter generation is scaling up to meet “hyperscale” demand

Pacifico’s Kevin Pratt says projects like the GW Ranch 7 GW microgrid point to where energy development is heading.

Data Centers are Unplugging from the Grid

Data centers are quietly rewriting how power gets built and where capacity goes. Good post by Fernando Garcia.

What's the biggest mistake cities make when approving data centers?

Projects get approved based on projected jobs, tax revenue, and investment headlines before anyone fully understands power timing, water constraints, transmission upgrades, or who actually pays when systems get stressed.

Compass Mining Energizes New 10 MW Bitcoin Mining Site in West Texas

The site just outside Odessa will be operated by Compass Mining and will host around 3,000 customer Bitcoin mining machines. Named Texas 8, the facility comes online as Compass Mining continues to meet rising demand for dependable, industrial-grade hosting.

TikTok attributes recent glitches to a power outage at a US data center

TikTok users reported widespread issues with the app, like problems loading comments or unexpected behavior from the For You page algorithm. They claim the glitches are related to a power outage. I think TikTok’s problems go deeper. They might be related to providing a platform for millions of people to waste their time.

The Power Behind the Next Phase of U.S. Growth

The problem isn't generating that power. It's delivering it.

Build Power at the Pace of Innovation - Let the Markets Lead

We cannot rebuild manufacturing, lead in AI, or outpace China if our energy systems cost too much and cannot scale quickly.

How Aerospace Firm Boom Became an In-Demand Energy Provider

American aerospace firm Boom Supersonic announced its first energy contract in the data centre sector in December and already has US$1.25bn in orders.

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