Mason County, WV Data Center: 3 Bldgs, 984 NatGas, Diesel Engines
In January, MDN reported that Fidelis New Energy and 8090 Industries together had launched a new company, American Intelligence & Power Corporation (AIPCorp), to develop the Monarch Compute Campus in Mason County, West Virginia (see Huge New Data Center Coming to Mason County, WV with 2 GW Gas Power). This 2,380-acre microgrid project provides behind-the-meter power for AI and hyperscale data centers, bypassing standard grid delays. In March, AIPCorp announced it had sold itself to Nscale Global Holdings Limited, one of the fastest-growing hyperscalers in the world (see Mason County, WV Data Center Project (Gas Powered) Sold to Nscale). The new owners filed an application (on April 20, just coming to light now) for a construction permit. The application reveals some important new details about the project. Read More “Mason County, WV Data Center: 3 Bldgs, 984 NatGas, Diesel Engines”
Data centers are driving significant growth in natural gas demand in the Midwest, leading to several pipeline expansion projects. East Daley Analytics is tracking 24 GW of potential power generation capacity from Midwest data centers, which could create over 5 Bcf/d of new gas demand in a high-case scenario. The region’s appeal stems from ample land, water resources, and low-cost electricity, with Illinois and Wisconsin showing the largest potential growth (if the Democrat machine in those states doesn’t block it). To meet this demand, over 3.2 Bcf/d of pipeline expansions are planned for six different pipelines. While some of the pipelines flow molecules from other regions, they ALL flow at least some Marcellus/Utica molecules. We have the list of pipelines looking to expand below. 
Although Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (J.S.) has just hired a lapdog to attack the PJM Interconnection grid as part of his campaign for president (see 
New York’s electric grid faces its lowest reliability margins in recent history this summer, with only 417 MW available under baseline conditions, according to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). This critical situation stems from extreme weather, an aging generation fleet, and a lack of new dispatchable resources. NYISO’s annual Summer Reliability Assessment (copy below) says an extended heat wave of three days or more, with temperatures around 95 degrees, could result in a capacity deficit of -1,679 MW, increasing to -3,370 MW at 98 degrees, potentially leading to blackouts. NYISO can implement emergency measures like purchasing energy or voluntary curtailment to mitigate shortfalls, but the overall margin for error is extremely narrow. 
In March, Hull Street Energy (HSE) entered an agreement to acquire two peaking power plants from Rockland Capital, LP, significantly expanding its Milepost Power portfolio (see 
In February 2024, members of the South Carolina Public Service Commission approved a proposed project to build a 1,020-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant in the state’s Lowcountry, in Colleton County (see 
In March, the Trump administration announced “South Mon,” a $17 billion natural gas-fueled facility in southwestern Pennsylvania intended to expand domestic energy production (see 
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking public comment on an Individual Stormwater Permit for a 5.8-mile natural gas pipeline in Indiana County. Serving the proposed Homer City Generation LP 4.5 GW power plant and data center, the 30-inch pipeline will traverse Black Lick, Burrell, and Center Townships, involving several stream and wetland crossings. The DEP will host a public hearing on May 12 from 5 to 7 PM at the Indiana Theater regarding Homer City Generation’s proposed 5.8-mile natural gas pipeline in Center Township. In response to this new project, local anti-fossil fuel groups are actively mobilizing. So-called “Concerned Residents of Western PA” (CROW) is holding a preparation meeting this afternoon to help “citizens” draft their public comments and build speaking confidence. 
PowerTransitions, an independent power producer specializing in redeveloping legacy power facilities, has agreed to acquire five New York gas-fired power plants — Batavia, Hillburn, Massena, Shoemaker, and Sterling — totaling 323 megawatts (MW) from Alliance Energy Group affiliates. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal marks PowerTransitions’ entry into the New York market, bringing its total portfolio to approximately 550 MW across seven stations spanning multiple NYISO zones. PowerTransitions says the acquired sites offer “brownfield redevelopment potential” for new power generation and battery storage. Frankly, this one is a head-scratcher for us. 
Here we go again with SSDD (same stuff, different day). We’re referring to the bullying talk coming from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his threats to pull the Keystone State out of the PJM grid, the largest electric grid in the U.S., covering all or parts of 13 states plus the D.C. swamp. Shapiro first made this same threat more than a year ago, in January 2025 (see 
On Monday, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to channel federal funding toward domestic energy projects, specifically targeting liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum, coal power, and grid infrastructure. Empowering the Energy Department to bypass regulatory and financial hurdles, the move aims to curb rising electricity and gasoline costs ahead of the midterm elections while meeting surging power demands from the AI industry. 
AI data centers are in the news every single day. We don’t think it’s melodramatic to say that AI is changing the world right now. We also believe it’s accurate to say that everyone (yes, you reading this) will use AI at some level (if you don’t already) within the next year or two. AI, or artificial intelligence, requires, in the aggregate, millions of computers. All of those computers need a place to live (i.e., data centers). And those data centers need electricity to run. Tapping into the local electric grid is not a good option because it takes the grid years to plan, build, and add new sources of power. “Hyperscalers” (massive cloud service providers like Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft’s Azure, or Google’s Cloud, offering scalable, on-demand computing, storage, and networking resources) need to build data centers to house the computers that power AI today. Not years from now. This is a conundrum. A Pittsburgh battery company has partnered with a Houston, Texas, turbine maker to provide a natural gas-based solution ready in months, not years. 