data centers

The energy landscape in the U.S. is undergoing a seismic shift, owing in part to the exponential growth of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications and data centers, according to McKinsey & Company. This rise in energy demand is further exacerbated by the country’s increasing seasonal cooling and heating needs due to extreme weather. To offset […]

Federal regulation of customer loads located next to existing power generating facilities, referred to as “co-located loads,” have become a significant area of interest for the electric industry. Large industrial loads have taken an interest in this configuration because it promises a faster, streamlined pathway to interconnecting to the grid and meeting their power supply […]

As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption skyrockets—and especially generative AI (genAI)—the underlying infrastructure powering these technologies faces unprecedented demands. Data centers, the nerve centers of AI operations, rely heavily on electricity, and their growth is reshaping how we think about energy. The current power consumption by data centers already accounts for about 3% of the world’s […]

Nuclear power plants are still being dismantled, and the business of decommissioning remains strong, but the need for more baseload power and emissions-free generation has some companies ready to restart idled

Utilities recognizing the need to produce more electricity, in part to satisfy demand from data centers, may keep coal-fired units in operation longer than anticipated. A lessening of environmental regulations under the incoming Trump administration also means power generators are rethinking plans to retire their fossil fuel-burning facilities. Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Co., is […]

Vistra is pursuing deals with data center developers in Texas and the PJM region to address the industry’s energy needs at multiple sites, executives revealed during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 7. The Texas-based competitive generator has entered discussions with some of the largest, unnamed data center operators to increase output at its […]

As an energy professional in Georgia with a front row seat to the construction of Plant Vogtle, I found the October 23 Washington Post editorial endorsing nuclear energy as a tool for combating climate change astonishing. Georgia is the first state to build nuclear power in 30 years and the editorial board profoundly mischaracterized what […]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected an amended interconnection agreement that would have supported expanded co-located load at an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center connected to the 2,520–MWe Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, citing grid reliability and cost fairness concerns. FERC on Nov. 1 voted 2–1, with Commissioners Mark Christie and […]

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched an ambitious new initiative alongside power companies, grid operators, and several tech giants to establish five to 10 “flexibility hubs” that will demonstrate how data centers can be leveraged as flexible grid resources starting in the first half of 2025. EPRI’s three-year Data Center Flexible Load Initiative […]

Dominion Energy has sold a 50% noncontrolling interest in its 2.6-GW Coastal Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project to infrastructure investment group Stonepeak. The Richmond, Virginia–headquartered utility in an Oct. 25 financial filing said it received proceeds of $2.6 billion for the sale. The amount represents “reimbursement of approximately 50% of project-to-date capital investment.” […]