Tech giants fight plan to make them pay more for electric grid upgrades
Negotiations between Big Tech and an Ohio power utility could set a national precedent as communities grapple with the energy demands of the data center boom.
A regulatory dispute in Ohio may help answer one of the toughest questions hanging over the nation’s power grid: Who will pay for the huge upgrades needed to meet soaring energy demand from the data centers powering the modern internet and artificial intelligence revolution?
Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta are fighting a proposal by an Ohio power company to significantly increase the upfront energy costs they’ll pay for their data centers, a move the companies dubbed “unfair” and “discriminatory” in documents filed with Ohio’s Public Utility Commission last month. American Electric Power Ohio said in filings that the tariff increase was needed to prevent new infrastructure costs from being passed on to other customers such as households and businesses if the tech industry should fail to follow through on its ambitious, energy-intensive plans.
The case could set a national precedent that helps determine whether and how other states force tech firms to be accountable for the costs of their growing energy consumption.
https://wapo.st/4ekuvKt
These are usually very power intensive, so it seems only fair.