"It would certainly help if tech companies would pay their own way. There's no doubt that that is good policy. But it wouldn't bring down prices primarily because the main reason that electricity prices have risen over the last five years or so is not data centers, but the rising cost of building the grid and maintaining it, wildfires and hurricanes that have forced us rebuild the grid in many cases."
Tech giants including Amazon, Google, and OpenAI are constructing data centers nationwide to support artificial intelligence growth, requiring enormous energy supplies. President Trump proposed that tech companies build their own power plants with expedited permits, and several executives committed to this approach. However, energy experts express skepticism about the effectiveness of this solution. Michael Thomas, CEO of Cleanview, notes that while tech companies paying for their own power infrastructure is sound policy, it won't substantially reduce electricity prices. Rising grid maintenance costs, wildfires, and hurricanes—not data centers—are the primary drivers of increased electricity rates over the past five years. Data centers contribute to bill increases in specific regions like the mid-Atlantic but don't account for the 25-30% rate increases experienced across most of the country.
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