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Enbridge and Meta Announce 1.6 GWh Wyoming Solar and Energy Storage Facility to Serve Data Center Needs

William Attardi on May 30, 2026

Independent power producer and renewable energy developer Enbridge has announced that Meta will purchase power delivered by the first phase of its Cowboy Project utility-scale solar and energy storage facility.  The plan for the $1.2 billion site located near Cheyenne, Wyoming includes 365 MW of solar generation capacity and a 200 MW, 1,600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) supplied and serviced by Tesla. The Cowboy Project expands the existing renewable energy partnership between Enbridge and Meta, which now totals approximately 1.6 GW of contracted capacity across North America, and includes a 600 MW solar projectand two wind projects in Texas. Enbridge and Meta announce 1.6 GWh Wyoming solar and energy storage facility to serve data center needs – Energy Storage

Canada-U.S. Oil Pipeline Close to Reaching Commitment Requirement

William Attardi on May 5, 2026

The Alberta-to-Wyoming pipeline, proposed by Canadian ‌pipeline company South Bow Corp and its U.S. partner Bridger Pipeline, could increase Canada’s crude exports to the U.S. by more than 12 per cent if it goes ahead, bringing much-needed pipeline takeaway capacity to Canada. While the new proposal takes ​a different route through the U.S. than the canceled Keystone XL, South Bow’s portion would revive about 150 km (93 miles) on the Canadian side that has already been built and ​is sitting idle. That pipe would then connect to Bridger’s proposed pipeline in Montana and extend about 645 miles to Guernsey, Wyoming. Canada-U.S. oil pipeline close to reaching requirement

Cheyenne to Host Massive AI Data Center Using More Electricity than All Wyoming Homes Combined

William Attardi on August 29, 2025

An artificial intelligence data center that would use more electricity than every home in Wyoming combined before expanding to as much as five times that size will be built soon near Cheyenne, according to the city’s mayor. With cool weather — good for keeping computer temperatures down — and an abundance of inexpensive electricity from a top energy-producing state, Wyoming’s capital has become a hub of computing power. The city has been home to Microsoft data centers since 2012. An $800 million data center announced last year by Facebook parent company Meta Platforms is nearing completion. The latest data center, a joint effort between regional energy infrastructure company Tallgrass and AI data center developer Crusoe, would begin at 1.8 gigawatts of electricity and be scalable to 10 gigawatts. A gigawatt can power as many as 1 million homes. But that’s more homes than Wyoming has people. The least populated state, Wyoming, has about 590,000 people. But this proposed data center is so big, it would have its own dedicated energy from gas generation and renewable sources.  Cheyenne to host massive AI data center using more electricity than all Wyoming homes combined | AP News

Wyoming’s First New Coal Mine in Decades to Extract Rare Earths

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

The developer of what would be the first new coal mine in Wyoming in decades is launching a potentially half-billion-dollar effort to extract rare earth metals from the fossil fuel that is crucial for tech products and military hardware. The only operating U.S. rare earths mine is at Mountain Pass in California. Nearly all of the nation’s supply comes from China, the source of nearly 90% of the world’s supply. Wyoming’s First New Coal Mine in Decades to Extract Rare Earths – electrifiED

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”