1. Indiana — Microsoft agreement expands planned generation and transmission
10/18/2026 — NiSource's October 16 agreement with Microsoft calls for approximately 1,100 megawatts of additional capacity in its GenCo-owned portfolio for the company's northwest Indiana data-center campus. Microsoft is expected to begin a 20-year electric-service term in 2028 and fully fund the generation and transmission needed for its load.
The agreement connects data-center demand with substantial power-infrastructure work, rather than announcing an operating power plant. GenCo also contracted 600 megawatts of battery storage to be developed and built by an AGP Group affiliate; delivery remains subject to execution and applicable approvals, with more details expected on NiSource's third-quarter earnings call.
2. Waldorf, Maryland — Fire destroys 27 vehicles at Verizon property
10/18/2026 — A two-alarm fire early Sunday destroyed 27 vehicles and a parking-roof structure behind a Verizon-occupied building on Industrial Park Drive. Local reporting put damage at $3.8 million and said no injuries were reported; the origin and cause remained under investigation.
About 100 firefighters responded, bringing the fire under control in roughly an hour while crews remained longer at the scene. The losses create a fleet-replacement and site-recovery issue, but the available report does not establish customer-service interruptions or a timetable for returning the affected parking area to use.
3. Texas and Louisiana — Additional review opens for Texas Gateway pipeline
10/18/2026 — A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission notice published October 16 opens an additional environmental scoping period for Gulf South Pipeline's proposed Texas Gateway Project. The proposal includes approximately 155 miles of natural-gas pipelines, metering and compression facilities, with planned transportation capacity of about 1.8 billion cubic feet per day.
The project would connect Carthage-area supply with southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana demand, including LNG, industrial and utility customers; this is environmental review, not construction approval. Comments are due November 12 at 5 p.m. Eastern, and in-person sessions are scheduled October 26–29, giving communities an opportunity to identify impacts and alternatives before the environmental study is completed.
4. Granite City, Illinois — Switching-station and grid construction advances
10/18/2026 — Ameren Illinois reported Sunday that crews have begun grid upgrades around Granite City, including a switching station near U.S. Steel, two substation upgrades and a 69-kilovolt line. Keeley Construction crews are preparing the new station's foundations.
Work is expected to continue through November 2027. The upgrades are intended to provide more options for routing power and restoring service, reducing outage frequency and duration for industrial and other customers rather than adding a newly announced steelmaking project.
Image Notice: Any illustrative images accompanying this briefing are for illustration only and may not depict the actual facilities, projects, or events described.