"The North American Electric Reliability Corporation published a report on Tuesday that found expected power consumption this winter is set to grow by 20 gigawatts compared to winter 2024 - most of which is not driven by residential demand. "The biggest one is data center growth in many parts of North America," Mark Olson, manager of reliability assessment at NERC, told Business Insider of the increase in power demand."
"Olson said that the biggest energy demand growth areas are Texas, some Southeastern states, as well as the Mid-Atlantic area, where the " data center alley" is located. According to the report, while these regions have adequate resources under normal conditions, severe winter storms could unleash a polar vortex, triggering energy shortfalls. "Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years, particularly in areas where data center development is occurring," the report says."
Expected power consumption this winter will increase by 20 gigawatts compared to winter 2024, driven largely by non-residential demand such as data center expansion. Data centers operate around the clock, altering daily load shapes and lengthening peak demand periods. The sharpest demand growth is concentrated in Texas, parts of the Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic "data center alley." These regions typically have adequate resources under normal conditions, but severe winter storms and polar vortices could produce energy shortfalls. Other regional demand drivers include industrial electrification in the Southwest and semiconductor manufacturing in the Northwest, and AI center growth has sparked resident backlash.
Read at Business Insider
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