Aterio flags nuclear power, construction gains and grid delays across U.S. data centers

Aterio’s November 2026 update says October brought bigger data center campuses, more on-site power plans and construction progress across several states. The report also highlights a transmission setback in Wisconsin that shows how grid access can still slow gigawatt-scale projects.

Why it matters: - U.S. data center growth is now tied as much to power delivery as to land and construction. - New campus plans are increasingly pairing large-scale compute with nuclear, natural gas or major utility connections. - Delays in transmission approvals can stall energization even when buildings are going up.

What happened: - Aterio released its November 2026 U.S. Datacenter Monthly update covering developments observed in October 2026. - The report tracks active, under-construction and announced data center projects across the United States. - October activity included nuclear-backed proposals, construction milestones, utility approvals and project delays in Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.

The details: - Valar Atomics is proposing Project Beehive near Wellington, Utah, across more than 9,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land. - The Utah proposal includes about 9.6 gigawatts of on-site nuclear generation. - The Project Beehive application remains under BLM review, with construction potentially starting in late 2026 and full buildout targeted for 2032. - QTS Data Centers has air permit filings for four 300-megawatt buildings in Midland, Texas, totaling about 1.2 gigawatts. - The QTS campus would use on-site natural gas generation, with phased activation targeted between late 2029 and September 2030. - Aerotropolis Industrial Development submitted a site plan for about 2.83 million square feet of data center space across 11 buildings in Aurora, Colorado. - No end user has been disclosed for the Aurora project. - Amazon is exploring a 15-building data center campus across about 890 acres in Montgomery County, Missouri. - The Missouri project remains in early planning, with land acquisition pending. - Microsoft’s Mount Pleasant campus in Wisconsin has been revised from nine planned buildings to seven. - Three Microsoft buildings are under construction in Wisconsin. - Satellite imagery shows vertical construction on Building 1 at Microsoft’s Wisconsin 2 campus. - Satellite imagery also shows foundation work and grading on Buildings 2 and 3. - xAI has begun grading the second 500-megawatt building at its planned 1-gigawatt campus in Brownsville, Texas. - xAI’s Building 1 is under structural construction, and roof installation is underway. - xAI is targeting activation for the Brownsville campus in the second quarter of 2028. - Soluna has begun construction at Project Dorothy 3A in Whitney, Texas. - Project Dorothy 3A is a joint venture between Soluna and Applied Digital, which holds 51% ownership. - Phase 1 of Project Dorothy 3A includes about 75 megawatts of gross capacity and 50 megawatts of critical IT load across a 397-acre site. - ChronoScale is the intended tenant for Project Dorothy 3A. - GPU deliveries for the project are expected in February and March 2027. - The broader Project Dorothy campus is marketed at up to 300 megawatts. - Digital Realty has grading underway at the first phase of its Astra North campus in De Soto, Kansas. - The first phase covers 281 acres. - Building 1 at Astra North has 105 megawatts approved, with completion targeted for April 2029. - Building 2 at Astra North would add 495 megawatts and remains under site plan review. - Evergy power service for Astra North is targeted for September 2028, with ramp-up to 600 megawatts by 2031. - The broader Astra North development spans 1,440 acres and targets 2 gigawatts. - ERCOT recommended conditional Public Utility Commission approval for a net metering arrangement linking Amazon’s proposed 1,200-megawatt AWS campus in Somervell County, Texas, with the 2,400-megawatt Comanche Peak nuclear plant. - Proposed energization for the Amazon campus begins at 100 megawatts in the fourth quarter of 2027. - The Amazon campus would scale to 800 megawatts by the fourth quarter of 2029 and 1,200 megawatts by the fourth quarter of 2031. - Wisconsin regulators returned the transmission line application for Project Lighthouse in Port Washington as incomplete. - Project Lighthouse is developed by Vantage Data Centers and backed by Oracle’s 1.3-gigawatt project. - Buildings are under construction at Project Lighthouse, but the campus cannot be energized until the transmission line is approved and built.

Between the lines: - The report shows a split between announced capacity and actual readiness. - Satellite imagery confirms that physical construction can advance faster than power infrastructure approvals. - Nuclear power is emerging as a major option for very large campuses, but those projects still face long timelines and regulatory review. - Natural gas generation and dedicated utility connections remain the more immediate fallback for some developers.

What's next: - Project Beehive still needs BLM review before construction can start. - QTS, Amazon and ERCOT-linked projects now depend on permitting, utility approvals and phased energization schedules. - Microsoft, xAI, Soluna and Digital Realty will need to convert construction progress into operating capacity. - Project Lighthouse’s timeline depends on a complete transmission application and eventual grid buildout.

The bottom line: - October’s data center update points to a new reality for the sector: power strategy is now a core part of project design, not just a back-end utility issue. - The winners will be the campuses that secure electricity, permits and construction progress at the same pace.