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Tag: power plants

  • Trump announces deal for data centers as Florida moves to rein them in

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    U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/TNS)

    U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/TNS)


    Andrew Harnik

    TNS

    Donald Trump announced new agreements with technology companies to bear the energy costs of data centers by building their own power plants during his State of the Union address, delivered as the Florida Legislature advances data center regulations against the president’s wishes.

    “Many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from AI data centers could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills,” Trump said. “We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs. They can build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no one’s prices will go up.”

    His administration has been pushing for months for data center regulation to be uniform across the country, but Florida is poised to defy him. Trump wrote in an executive order in December that his administration and Congress must act to create a “minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant State ones.”

    The Florida Legislature is eyeing new rules regulating AI data centers this session. It’s one of the few issues with bipartisan agreement. The Florida Senate is set to take up a bill Wednesday setting tariff and service requirements for data centers. A House committee advanced a companion bill Tuesday that has similar regulations, and also creates a five-mile boundary around schools and homes where companies can’t build data centers.

    It’s not immediately clear how those regulations might apply to Trump’s announced agreement. The House version of the Legislature’s data center bill prevents local governments from issuing permits for the construction of data centers “or support facilities,” within certain boundaries.

    Though House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, has publicly agreed with Trump’s stance to leave it up to the federal government, Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for state-level regulations

    Florida’s plans could put the state in Trump’s crosshairs. Under his December executive order, he threatened to limit federal grants to states that enforce laws that conflict with his policies.

    Claire Heddles

    Miami Herald

    Claire Heddles is the Miami Herald’s senior political correspondent. She previously covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C at NOTUS. She’s also worked as a public radio reporter covering local government and education in East Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida. 

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    Claire Heddles

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  • Microsoft’s Next Power Source for AI Data Centers Is Nuclear | Entrepreneur

    Microsoft’s Next Power Source for AI Data Centers Is Nuclear | Entrepreneur

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    Three Mile Island, the three-mile nuclear station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been closed since 2019. Now the island is set to reopen by 2028 to power Microsoft’s data centers, which are foundational to the tech giant’s AI and cloud computing businesses.

    Constellation Energy, the owner of the power unit, announced the 20-year deal on Friday, which involves Microsoft buying energy from the restored plant. Restarting the plant means a $1.6 billion investment to revive it, ensure everything is up to date, and obtain the necessary permits and licenses. The payoff is significant though — the plant could create 3,400 new jobs directly and indirectly, and add $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP.

    Microsoft’s decision to turn to nuclear power is a sign of the high amounts of power required for the AI boom. According to Bloomberg, AI has increased demand for carbon-free electricity — and Microsoft’s move to purchase nuclear energy for 20 years, the first agreement the tech giant has signed of its kind, is the latest move to meet that need.

    Three Mile Island. Credit: Getty Images

    Since the agreement was announced, opinions have been mixed about how to proceed. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro supports the deal and wants it “fast-tracked.” Residents of Perry County, Pennsylvania, however, are writing letters to the newspaper noting that the problem of nuclear waste or by-products should be addressed before the plant opens.

    Related: How Much Does It Cost to Develop and Train AI? Too Much.

    Dr. Michael Goff, acting assistant secretary of the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, stated that the restart was “an important milestone.”

    “Always-on, carbon-free nuclear energy plays an important role in the fight against climate change and meeting the country’s growing energy demands,” Goff said.

    Three Mile Island was once known as the site of the most serious accident in U.S. commercial operating history. In March 1979, part of the power plant melted down and released small amounts of radioactivity. The incident inspired greater regulations and led to less public confidence in nuclear power in the following decades, though there were no injuries, deaths, or long-term health effects observed from the accident.

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    Sherin Shibu

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