East ValleyTuesday, November 3
SRP's board weighed a pause on new data centers as demand for power surges
The Good Day Queen Creek team
If SRP powers your home, the utility's board spent Monday weighing a pause on new data centers. Members consulted utility staff on ways to curb new data center interconnection agreements, amid concerns that residential customers could end up subsidizing the AI boom's energy bill.
Director-at-large Krista O'Brien said she's heard SRP plans to grow by 4,700 megawatts by 2035, with 3,000 of those going to data centers. Chief legal executive Michael O'Connor said that seemed plausible, but that a moratorium is unlikely to pass because state law says SRP must serve any eligible customer.
Data centers could take 3,000 of SRP's 4,700 planned megawatts
Source: KJZZ
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Planned growth by 2035 | 4,700 MW |
| Data centers' share of it | 3,000 MW |
- Collateral: costs for 80% of a data center's peak demand, up front
- Some infrastructure bills to data centers: nine figures, said John Tucker
- Tucker says data centers pay more than it costs SRP to serve them
- SRP's territory includes parts of Mesa, Tempe and Chandler
SRP collects costs for 80% of a data center's peak demand up front
80%Share of peak demand costs collected up front
Source: KJZZ
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Share of peak demand costs collected up front | 80% |
Meanwhile, 12News reports a great horned owl rescued from a power line was released at a Mesa park by the SRP worker who saved her.