The Data Center Daily

ERCOT Wants Earlier Data Center Power Cuts; xAI Keeps Gas Permit

Thursday, November 12, 2026 · 7 min

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ERCOT wants authority to curtail data centers before grid emergencies, putting operating flexibility at the center of Texas reliability policy. Mississippi regulators upheld xAI’s Southaven gas-plant permit, keeping its power buildout moving while separate litigation continues.

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ERCOT wants authority to curtail data centers before grid emergencies, putting operating flexibility at the center of Texas reliability policy. Mississippi regulators upheld xAI’s Southaven gas-plant permit, keeping its power buildout moving while separate litigation continues.

In this episode

  1. Texas grid seeks power controls for data centers — Briefs
    “Pablo Vegas plans to seek authority from the Texas Legislature to require data centers to trim load earlier, including at level one conditions or even ahead of the first sign of scarcity. As he put it, "The practical realities of curtailing large amounts of customers like data…”
  2. MDEQ Permit Board doubles down on unlawfully flawed permit for xAI’s massive Colossus Gas Plant - Southern Environmental Law Center — Southern Environmental Law Center
    “JACKSON, Miss. — On Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Permit Board doubled down on the faulty air permit it issued to xAI for its Colossus Gas Plant in Southaven, Mississippi. The Board’s ruling, which came after an evidentiary hearing in Jackson,…”
  3. What the midterms mean for data center developers in PJM | Latitude Media — Latitude Media
    “PJM’s Interim Resource Adequacy Service proposal, or IRAS, included a pathway for large loads to connect to the grid if they agreed to curtail during grid emergencies. Under that framework, bringing the capacity needed to serve them would have allowed customers to avoid…”
  4. Inside Equinix CH5: 10 Photos of Our New Air-Cooled Chicago-Area Data Center - Interconnections - The Equinix Blog — Equinix
    “Equinix has opened CH5, its sixth data center in the Chicago metro area, backed by an initial US$215 million investment and designed to provide more than 190,000 square feet of colocation space at full buildout. - CH5 features advanced air-cooling technology that requires no…”