Gas plans, PJM delay and nuclear PPAs shape data center power
Ameren files 10.6 GW of new gas, PJM pauses its 6.8 GW backstop, and Virginia bans data center NDAs as buyers sign nuclear and solar PPAs.
The big picture: Utilities and buyers are putting numbers on data center power supply this week, from Ameren Missouri's 10.6 GW of new gas and 2.8 GW of large-load commitments to Amazon's 20-year nuclear PPA and Meta's 144 MW solar deal. The rules on who pays, who permits and who discloses are still being settled: FERC only partly approved PJM's 6.8 GW backstop plan, New Jersey announced a $1.07 million penalty over unpermitted generators, and Virginia banned data center NDAs.
Power and grid
Ameren Missouri filed a 20-year plan with 10.6 GW of new gas and 2.8 GW of large-load demand by 2030. The Sept. 28 filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission also includes 3.6 GW of solar, 1.5 GW of wind, 2.4 GW of storage and 1.2 GW of nuclear, and Ameren says its large-load commitment is up from 1.5 GW in its 2025 expectations, with data centers a main driver. Utility Dive
PJM delayed its 6.8 GW backstop procurement a day after FERC only partly approved the plan on Sept. 29. Offers were set to open Sept. 30 through Oct. 21, FERC said the cost allocation, transmission owner exit rules and load-serving entity collateral requirements may be unjust and unreasonable, and PJM has not set a new timeline. Utility Dive
Amazon signed a 20-year PPA with Constellation tied to 190 MW of added capacity at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland. The source does not give pricing, the delivery timeline, or which Amazon facilities the power would serve. Data Center Dynamics
Policy
New Jersey announced a $1.07 million penalty on Sept. 22 over 62 gas generators at a Vineland AI data center. NJDEP says the generators ran without required permits; the operator, identified as DataOne, disputed the determination regarding the temporary generators but said it would apply for air permits. Data Center Knowledge
A bipartisan Senate permitting bill would set a 150-day window to sue after an agency decision. Released Tuesday by four senators, the bill would also limit NEPA review scope, encourage long-distance power lines and rewrite federal electricity law so AI data centers cannot drive up household power rates, but the Senate will not vote until after the early November midterms and it needs 60 votes. Heatmap
Virginia banned data center NDAs in an executive order signed Oct. 1, 2026. Gov. Abigail Spanberger's Data Center Accountability Framework also calls for a review of backup generator impacts (specifically diesel units), expedites noise regulations, creates a toolkit for local governments and sets up an AI task force. Data Center Dynamics
Carbon and disclosure
Meta signed a PPA for the 144 MW Starling Solar project in Texas while planning a 366 MW gas plant for El Paso. Meta will claim all environmental attributes from Starling, which can offset some of its gas-fired electricity in market-based accounting, and the project is scheduled to begin operations next year. Canary Media
One number
5% to 60%
That is the share of Ameren Missouri's resource mix that gas would reach by 2045, up from about 5% today, in a plan that retires coal. The plan was filed Sept. 28 and is not yet approved.
New this week
- The firm power gap: how AI data centers are actually getting electricity
- What “carbon neutral” should mean for a data center in 2026
- Your AI strategy has a carbon footprint. Here's how to measure and cut it.
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