Latest news with #FundamentalData
eNCA
15-07-2025
- Business
- eNCA
W. Virginia villagers take on AI-driven power plant boom
DAVIS - Al Tomson, mayor of a tiny town tucked away in an idyllic corner of the eastern United States, points to a spot on a map of his region. "The power plant would be there," says the former military man, who is fighting against the construction of the mysterious project on the outskirts of Davis, designed to power a vast data centre. Tomson, whose town is about a three-hour drive from Washington and is home to 600 people, says the plant is being "crammed down our throats" by the state government. This fight in the woods of rural West Virginia is the latest example of the war between the US tech sector -- and its rapidly rising need for energy to power the AI boom -- and the communities it affects. In a scramble to quickly bring more data centres online, US cloud computing giants are now getting directly involved in energy production. And while they are using some renewable energy options and trying to revive nuclear power, they are also turning to fossil fuels like gas, which in the United States is relatively cheap. In neighbouring Pennsylvania, a former coal plant will now run on gas to power a data centre. In Georgia, xAI, the Elon Musk-owned company behind the Grok chatbot, directly connected 35 methane turbines to its servers, all without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center NGO. Data centres' share of US electricity demand is expected to rise from current levels of around five percent to between 6.7 percent and 12 percent by 2028, according to government estimates. - Powerlessness - AFP | Ulysse BELLIER The US electrical grid is facing demand growth "that we haven't seen for more than a generation," says Todd Snitchler, head of the Electric Power Supply Association, which represents many producers. To respond, they are acting on all fronts. Across the country, the retirement of old power plants is being postponed and additional turbines are being added while waiting for new plants to be built. But AI's thirst for energy is such that more and more tech giants are building their own power plants off the grid -- even if it means doing so against residents' wishes. In Davis, the mayor and hundreds of his constituents have been fighting since April against Fundamental Data's power plant project. For Mayor Tomson, the firm is just a "shell company" laying the early groundwork on behalf of an unidentified major tech company. Fundamental Data did not respond to multiple requests for comment from AFP. In the mayor's office hangs a printed map showing that the gas turbines, with their toxic emissions, would be located about a mile from residents of this nature-blessed tourist town. But Tomson feels powerless. West Virginia recently adopted a law that, in order to attract billions of dollars in data centre investment, prohibits local officials from taking measures opposing them. - Global competition - AFP | Ulysse BELLIER The frustration of Davis residents boiled over during a particularly tense public meeting at the end of June. For five hours, about 300 people attended the meeting with regulators responsible for approving an initial air quality permit, which is likely to be granted. Afterwards, volunteers distributed "No data centre complex" signs to install in people's front yards. Some were already posted in shop windows. Davis's residents say they just want to keep their corner of the Appalachians free from pollution -- but there are powerful political and economic forces against them. "A failure to power the data centres needed to win the AI arms race... could result in adversary nations shaping digital norms and controlling digital infrastructure, thereby jeopardising US economic and national security," warned a recent US Department of Energy report. Some in Davis and West Virginia favour these projects, seeing them as an opportunity to re-industrialise an economically devastated region. The proposed plant would be built on the site of a former coal mine, for example. Since mining jobs left, "we need something here to keep our younger people," said Charles Davis, who lives in nearby Thomas. Jojo Pregley, however, wants nothing to do with it. "A lot of people are battling cancer here," she says, sitting on a bench in front of her house with her husband Pat, who spent 40 years working in the mines. "We don't want more pollution from data centres or whatever else." by Ulysse Bellier
The Star
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
West Virginia villagers take on AI-driven power plant boom
DAVIS, United States: Al Tomson, mayor of a tiny town tucked away in an idyllic corner of the eastern United States, points to a spot on a map of his region. "The power plant would be there," says the former military man, who is fighting against construction of the mysterious project on the outskirts of Davis, designed to power a vast data centre. Tomson, whose town is about a three-hour drive from Washington and is home to 600 people, says the plant is being "crammed down our throats" by the state government. This fight in the woods of rural West Virginia is the latest example of the war between the US tech sector – and its rapidly rising need for energy to power the AI boom – and the communities it affects. In a scramble to quickly bring more data centres online, US cloud computing giants are now getting directly involved in energy production. And while they are using some renewable energy options and trying to revive nuclear power, they are also turning to fossil fuels like gas, which in the United States is relatively cheap. In neighbouring Pennsylvania, a former coal plant will now run on gas to power a data centre. In Georgia, xAI, the Elon Musk-owned company behind the Grok chatbot, directly connected 35 methane turbines to its servers, all without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law centre NGO. Data centres' share of US electricity demand is expected to rise from current levels of around five% to between 6.7% and 12% by 2028, according to government estimates. Powerlessness The US electrical grid is facing demand growth "that we haven't seen for more than a generation", says Todd Snitchler, head of the Electric Power Supply Association, which represents many producers. To respond, they are acting on all fronts. Across the country, the retirement of old power plants is being postponed and additional turbines are being added while waiting for new plants to be built. But AI's thirst for energy is such that more and more tech giants are building their own power plants off the grid – even if it means doing so against residents' wishes. In Davis, the mayor and hundreds of his constituents have been fighting since April against Fundamental Data's power plant project. For Mayor Tomson, the firm is just a "shell company" laying the early groundwork on behalf of an unidentified major tech company. Fundamental Data did not respond to multiple requests for comment from AFP. In the mayor's office hangs a printed map showing that the gas turbines, with their toxic emissions, would be located about a mile from residents of this nature-blessed tourist town. But Tomson feels powerless. West Virginia recently adopted a law that, in order to attract billions of dollars in data centre investment, prohibits local officials from taking measures opposing them. Global competition The frustration of Davis residents boiled over during a particularly tense public meeting at the end of June. For five hours, about 300 people attended the meeting with regulators responsible for approving an initial air quality permit, which is likely to be granted. Afterward, volunteers distributed "No data centre complex" signs to install in people's front yards. Some were already posted in shop windows. Davis's residents say they just want to keep their corner of the Appalachians free from pollution – but there are powerful political and economic forces against them. "A failure to power the data centres needed to win the AI arms race... could result in adversary nations shaping digital norms and controlling digital infrastructure, thereby jeopardising US economic and national security," warned a recent US Department of Energy report. Some in Davis and West Virginia favour these projects, seeing them as an opportunity to re-industrialise an economically devastated region. The proposed plant would be built on the site of a former coal mine, for example. Since mining jobs left, "we need something here to keep our younger people," said Charles Davis, who lives in nearby Thomas. Jojo Pregley, however, wants nothing to do with it. "A lot of people are battling cancer here," she says, sitting on a bench in front of her house with her husband Pat, who spent 40 years working in the mines. "We don't want more pollution from data centres or whatever else." – AFP
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
In the scramble for more data centres, US tech giants are getting directly involved in energy production
And while they are using some renewable energy options and trying to revive nuclear power, they are also turning to fossil fuels like gas, which in the US is relatively cheap. In neighbouring Pennsylvania, a former coal plant will now run on gas to power a data centre. In Georgia, xAI, the Elon Musk-owned company behind the Grok chatbot, directly connected 35 methane turbines to its servers, all without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law Centre NGO. Data centres' share of US electricity demand is expected to rise from current levels of around 5% to between 6.7% and 12% by 2028, according to government estimates. The US electrical grid is facing demand growth 'that we haven't seen for more than a generation', says Todd Snitchler, head of the Electric Power Supply Association, which represents many producers. To respond, they are acting on all fronts. Across the US, the retirement of old power plants is being postponed, and additional turbines are being added, while waiting for new plants to be built. But AI's thirst for energy is such that more and more tech giants are building their own power plants off the grid - even if it means doing so against residents' wishes. In Davis, the mayor and hundreds of his constituents have been fighting since April against Fundamental Data's power plant project. For Tomson, the firm is just a 'shell company' laying the early groundwork on behalf of an unidentified major tech company. Fundamental Data did not respond to multiple requests for comment from AFP. In the mayor's office hangs a printed map showing that the gas turbines, with their toxic emissions, would be located about 1.5km from residents of this nature-blessed tourist town. But Tomson feels powerless. West Virginia recently adopted a law that, in order to attract billions of dollars in data centre investment, prohibits local officials from taking measures opposing them. The frustration of Davis residents boiled over during a particularly tense public meeting at the end of June. For five hours, about 300 people attended the meeting with regulators responsible for approving an initial air quality permit, which is likely to be granted. Afterwards, volunteers distributed 'No data centre complex' signs to install in people's front yards. Some were already posted in shop windows. Davis' residents say they just want to keep their corner of the Appalachians free from pollution - but there are powerful political and economic forces against them. 'A failure to power the data centres needed to win the AI arms race ... could result in adversary nations shaping digital norms and controlling digital infrastructure, thereby jeopardising US economic and national security,' warned a recent US Department of Energy report. Some in Davis and West Virginia favour these projects, seeing them as an opportunity to re-industrialise an economically devastated region. The proposed plant would be built on the site of a former coal mine, for example. Since mining jobs left, 'we need something here to keep our younger people,' said Charles Davis, who lives in nearby Thomas. Jojo Pregley, however, wants nothing to do with it. 'A lot of people are battling cancer here,' she says, sitting on a bench in front of her house with her husband Pat, who spent 40 years working in the mines. 'We don't want more pollution from data centres or whatever else.' -Agence France-Presse
Int'l Business Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
W. Virginia Villagers Take On AI-driven Power Plant Boom
Al Tomson, mayor of a tiny town tucked away in an idyllic corner of the eastern United States, points to a spot on a map of his region. "The power plant would be there," says the former military man, who is fighting against construction of the mysterious project on the outskirts of Davis, designed to power a vast data center. Tomson, whose town is about a three-hour drive from Washington and is home to 600 people, says the plant is being "crammed down our throats" by the state government. This fight in the woods of rural West Virginia is the latest example of the war between the US tech sector -- and its rapidly rising need for energy to power the AI boom -- and the communities it affects. In a scramble to quickly bring more data centers online, US cloud computing giants are now getting directly involved in energy production. And while they are using some renewable energy options and trying to revive nuclear power, they are also turning to fossil fuels like gas, which in the United States is relatively cheap. In neighboring Pennsylvania, a former coal plant will now run on gas to power a data center. In Georgia, xAI, the Elon Musk-owned company behind the Grok chatbot, directly connected 35 methane turbines to its servers, all without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center NGO. Data centers' share of US electricity demand is expected to rise from current levels of around five percent to between 6.7 percent and 12 percent by 2028, according to government estimates. The US electrical grid is facing demand growth "that we haven't seen for more than a generation," says Todd Snitchler, head of the Electric Power Supply Association, which represents many producers. To respond, they are acting on all fronts. Across the country, the retirement of old power plants is being postponed and additional turbines are being added while waiting for new plants to be built. But AI's thirst for energy is such that more and more tech giants are building their own power plants off the grid -- even if it means doing so against residents' wishes. In Davis, the mayor and hundreds of his constituents have been fighting since April against Fundamental Data's power plant project. For Mayor Tomson, the firm is just a "shell company" laying the early groundwork on behalf of an unidentified major tech company. Fundamental Data did not respond to multiple requests for comment from AFP. In the mayor's office hangs a printed map showing that the gas turbines, with their toxic emissions, would be located about a mile from residents of this nature-blessed tourist town. But Tomson feels powerless. West Virginia recently adopted a law that, in order to attract billions of dollars in data center investment, prohibits local officials from taking measures opposing them. The frustration of Davis residents boiled over during a particularly tense public meeting at the end of June. For five hours, about 300 people attended the meeting with regulators responsible for approving an initial air quality permit, which is likely to be granted. Afterward, volunteers distributed "No data center complex" signs to install in people's front yards. Some were already posted in shop windows. Davis's residents say they just want to keep their corner of the Appalachians free from pollution -- but there are powerful political and economic forces against them. "A failure to power the data centers needed to win the AI arms race... could result in adversary nations shaping digital norms and controlling digital infrastructure, thereby jeopardizing US economic and national security," warned a recent US Department of Energy report. Some in Davis and West Virginia favor these projects, seeing them as an opportunity to re-industrialize an economically devastated region. The proposed plant would be built on the site of a former coal mine, for example. Since mining jobs left, "we need something here to keep our younger people," said Charles Davis, who lives in nearby Thomas. Jojo Pregley, however, wants nothing to do with it. "A lot of people are battling cancer here," she says, sitting on a bench in front of her house with her husband Pat, who spent 40 years working in the mines. "We don't want more pollution from data centers or whatever else." Mount Storm coal-fired power plant, West Virginia, June 30, 2025 AFP Al Tomson, mayor of Davis, West Virginia, chats with his constituents before a public meeting on June 30, 2025 in Canaan Valley AFP
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
West Virginia: Stop trying to make data centers happen
A giant data center has been proposed to be located between Thomas and Davis, West Virginia, near tourist destinations like Blackwater Falls State Park. (Lori Kersey | West Virginia Watch) When people refer to West Virginia as 'Almost Heaven,' we think of the beautiful, quiet scenic areas like Black Water Falls, Canaan Valley and Dolly Sods, all in Tucker County. However, our lawmakers just see money signs — and not very many of them. Gov. Patrick Morrisey recently signed into law House Bill 2014 — one of his key priorities — which created the state's microgrid program to encourage data centers to come to the Mountain State. Residents in Tucker County are already fighting a proposed data center. A Virginia company, Fundamental Data, has applied for an air permit from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for the 'Ridgeline Facility.' It includes an off-the-grid natural gas power plant between Thomas and Davis, which will likely power the giant data center proposed for a site just a mile away from the county's most heavily populated and tourist-attracting areas. A microgrid is a small power plant that is usually attached to a larger national grid, but runs independently to power things like a college campus, hospital complex or, in this case, a data center. West Virginia's new law allows 'high impact data centers' to curtail local zoning ordinances, meaning their microgrids don't have to attach to existing utilities. HB 2014, as requested by Morrisey, originally included provisions that would have required electric utilities with coal fired plants to operate at a higher capacity — 69% compared to 40% — and hold a 45-day supply of coal on hand at all times, while most only stockpile a 30-day supply. Lawmakers saw this bill as an opportunity to boost the state's coal industry, but power companies said it would be difficult to meet those standards. Not only that, but meeting those standards would have raised electricity rates for customers. The bill was amended dozens of times and passed without those standards, and Morrisey signed it into law. Now residents of Tucker County are worried about a proposed data center taking away from the serene beauty of their home. As someone who grew up in Poca just across the river from the coal-powered John E. Amos Power Plant, I understand why you wouldn't want a new one to pop up near your home. It's never quiet — you can hear the beep beep beep of equipment backing up all night and the banging of construction, and when the towers release steam, it sounds like the end of the world (at least it did when I first heard it as a child). And coal definitely keeps the lights on at the plant 24/7. In Virginia, which has the largest data center market in the world, there are local noise and lighting ordinances to protect residents. West Virginia residents won't have the same protections. My dad said during the 1970s, before air pollution was taken more seriously, ash from the John Amos plant would be all over the place in the mornings. Sometime in the 1990s, everyone on our street noticed spots on their cars that messed up the paint. My dad said the air pollution commission ran some tests on the spots that indicated they came from the power plant. It only happened that one time, dad said, but it was worrisome then and it's something to think about now as the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations. For instance, the Department of Justice has been told to block states from enforcing their own regulations on coal — because President Donald Trump wants to revive 'beautiful, clean coal.' Not only are power plants loud, but data centers are as well. They create noise pollution, typically a low humming sound, which is the cooling system that must run constantly to keep the temperatures down. Many data centers also use a diesel powered back-up system in case they lose power, and those must be tested monthly. These generators can run between 85 and 100 dBA — 85 dBA is when hearing can be harmed. So why are we putting up with this noise? It must be because it'll bring lots of jobs to the state, right? Not likely. Data centers are just buildings full of computers, and are largely automated. You ever wonder where the stuff you save on the cloud is stored, where the computers that make AI art are or where bitcoin is mined? In a data center. Some facilities employ only 50 people. Most data center jobs come from the construction of the facilities, and are often contracted from out-of-state. Aside from data centers not bringing jobs, they could cost ratepayers more money. Virginia has proposed two transmission lines for their data centers, and the lines could cost West Virginians more than $440 million, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis The two transmission lines, both of which cut through West Virginia, were proposed to help with growing demand for electricity from data centers. PJM's transmission cost allocation methodology charges all ratepayers for the transmission infrastructure because it assumes that the 'regional transmission costs could not be attributed to a single new user or class of users.' However the most recent Regional Transmission Expansion Plan processes shows that's not the case. While West Virginia is trying to use Virginia as an example on data centers, the state isn't doing it the same way with regulations and protections. 'What you're going to get if you do it this way is the worst players, the ones that didn't need to be in Northern Virginia,' said Julie Bolthouse, director of land use at Piedmont Environmental Council in Virginia. '… the players that are wanting that lack of regulations because they didn't want to abide by rules and didn't want to or need to protect communities, which is worse for West Virginia and the communities. What West Virginia is doing is not what Virginia is doing.' If lawmakers are serious about bringing data centers to the state, then they need to be serious about the consequences and set better regulations to protect residents who want to enjoy wild, wonderful West Virginia without noise cancelling headphones. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
