digital infrastructure power consumption

Massive 10-Gigawatt AI Datacenter in Ohio

The rapid expansion of hyperscale data infrastructure in Ohio driven by a public–private partnership between American Electric Power and SoftBank Group is poised to fundamentally reshape the state’s electricity market. While the development of a 10-gigawatt data center complex represents economic growth and technological investment, it also introduces unprecedented pressure on the state’s already strained energy supply, with direct implications for electricity pricing. To understand the scale, consider that Ohio’s peak electricity demand was approximately 9.4 GW in 2023.… Read More »

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Market Alert: Natural Gas Prices

Market Alert: Natural Gas Prices Up 8% Today Natural gas prices have surged by 12% today, driven by tightening supply and rising seasonal demand. If your business is on a variable or index-based plan, you may see higher energy costs reflected in upcoming billing cycles. What This Means for You: Now is a critical time to review your energy strategy. Locking in a fixed-rate contract prior to winter could help shield your business from ongoing market volatility. Take Action:… Read More »

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PJM Capacity Auction Set to Make Electricity Prices Rise for 2026

Electricity bills are set to increase once more following the latest PJM Capacity Auction for 2026, which showed a 22% jump in capacity charges. This adds to the steady rise in electricity costs across the 13 state PJM region—including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois—where rates have already nearly doubled since 2020. In July 2024, PJM held its Base Residual Auction (BRA) for the year 2025/2026, revealing a dramatic surge in capacity prices—9 to 10… Read More »

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Another Rise in Utility Expenses for Consumers Due to Surging AI and Crypto Data Center Demand

As highlighted in our February overview of the U.S. energy landscape, electricity demand continues to climb—and with it, energy costs. One of the primary drivers behind this increase is the explosive growth of AI and cryptocurrency data centers, which are placing immense pressure on the power grid. Natural gas—responsible for generating 40–50% of the nation’s electricity—is experiencing a surge in demand as utilities scramble to meet this new load. TCO Energy Corp reports a dramatic rise in natural gas… Read More »

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The US is facing unprecedented load growth. Here’s how we ensure resource adequacy

Adding sufficient resources fast enough to reliably meet the growth will require an array of demand- and supply-side resources as well as stronger transmission interconnection planning. The U.S. electric system is under more pressure than ever before. In order to meet the challenges of unprecedented growth in electricity demand from data centers, re-shoring and other uses, the U.S. electricity grid will have to expand more than five times faster than in the previous two decades. All regions of the… Read More »

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US electricity demand will grow 50% by 2050, electrical manufacturer study finds

Data centers and transportation electrification will drive U.S. electricity demand about 2% higher each year for the next quarter century, according to a new analysis completed for NEMA. Driven by data centers and transportation electrification, U.S. electricity demand will increase 2% annually and 50% by 2050, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association said in a study published Monday. Improvements to energy efficiency will mute some potential demand gains, leaving the electrical manufacturing group’s projections “somewhere in the middle” compared with other recent studies, NEMA… Read More »

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State Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards and Goals

Introduction Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) require that a specified percentage of the electricity utilities sell comes from renewable resources. States have created these standards to diversify their energy resources, promote domestic energy production and encourage economic development. Renewable energy policies help drive the nation’s $269 billion market as of 2022, for wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. These policies can play an integral role in state efforts to diversify their energy mix, promote economic development and reduce emissions.… Read More »

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AEP expects electric sales to jump 8.6% annually over 3 years

American Electric Power is in the early permitting phase for small modular reactors in Indiana and Virginia as data centers and industrial facilities drive demand for power. Dive Brief: American Electric Power expects the weather-normalized retail electric load across its 11-state service area will grow about 8.6% a year, on average, over the next three years, driven by new data centers and industrial facilities, company officials said during a quarterly earnings conference call on Thursday. AEP’s load growth estimate… Read More »

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How Natural Gas is Enabling the Renewable Energy Boom

How Natural Gas is Enabling the Renewable Energy Boom Solar and wind energy, while rapidly growing, are intermittent and require backup power sources to maintain grid reliability. Natural gas is currently the most viable option for providing this backup due to its flexibility and affordability. The transition to a fully decarbonized grid will require significant advancements in energy storage technologies or alternative baseload power sources. Solar and wind are rolling out rapidly in the U.S. They account for about 19… Read More »

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