The Great Lakes region is in the midst of a seismic energy shakeup, from skyrocketing data center demand and a nuclear energy boom, to expanding renewables and electrification. In 2026, the Great Lakes News Collaborative is exploring how shifting supply and demand affect the region and its waters.
This story is part of the Great Lakes News Collaborative‘s latest series on rising energy demand and the future of the Great Lakes
The collaborative’s five newsrooms — Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, Michigan Public and The Narwhal — are funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
The AI Boom Is Prolonging Indiana’s Fossil Fuel Era, With Hidden Costs for Water
Gas turbines and an old coal plant are expected to consume nearly 7 billion gallons of water annually in service of a new Amazon data center
Ohio Needs Power For Its Data Centers. Lawmakers Want to Redefine ‘Clean Energy’ to Get It
Legislators are considering classifying natural gas and some coal as “clean” energy sources while effectively banning solar and wind in a race to secure electricity for AI training
Trump has an energy ‘tiger team.’ Carney’s fast-tracking office ‘operates similarly,’ docs say
Canadian officials compared the Major Projects Office to the U.S. National Energy Dominance Council in providing ‘support to advance projects efficiently’
Senate Overturns Ban On Mining Near Boundary Waters Wilderness
Chilean company clears first of many hurdles to open underground mine.
Executive Order Puts Oldest Polluting Coal Plants Back in Action
Emergency orders are keeping obsolete coal plants running, raising costs and prolonging toxic pollution.
The Great Lakes Are Wasting a Massive Source of Clean Energy
Huge potential gains from using waste heat from sewers, data centers, and power plants.
Enbridge paid police to protect one pipeline. Now it wants to do it again in Wisconsin.
The Bad River Band is fighting to stop Line 5 and protect its watershed. Meanwhile, local sheriffs are already tallying the cost of riot gear.
Small modular reactors, big dreams: Ontario’s nuclear pitch
With the first SMR in North America being built at the Darlington nuclear site, the province is testing new ground to meet future power demand
A Nuclear Shift Buoyed by Billions, and the Waters of the Great Lakes
Restarting an aging reactor and building next-generation modular plants on the shores of the world’s largest freshwater system
Ohio EPA Considers ‘Lowering of Water Quality’ Necessary for Data Center Growth
A ‘one-size-fits-all’ permit would put surface waters and community health at risk to untreated wastewater, critics say
