Naureen S. Malik of Bloomberg reports that the big tech companies building the data centers driving the need for new electricity infrastructure must pay more for the power upgrades. Malik writes:
Technology giants developing big artificial intelligence data centers in Texas will need to pay more for electricity infrastructure upgrades to prevent those costs from burdening households and other businesses, according to the state grid operator’s chief.
Affordable power is “at the core” of the conversation that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid operator, is having with firms vying to build artificial intelligence facilities that would consume as much electricity as some cities, Chief Executive Officer Pablo Vegas said.
The state needs to figure out how to allocate the cost of building high-voltage transmission lines because the new big users, like data centers, are primarily driving the need for that infrastructure, he said. Rules for co-locating data centers with power plants also need to be reviewed, he said. […]
One key question is whether data centers, which typically use electricity steadily around the clock, can tap on-site back up generation during times of grid stress, Vegas said. Data centers usually have enough back-up power to cover 100% or 125% of their needs, meaning permitting rules could be adjusted to turn them into tools to help the grid, he said on a panel earlier.
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