electric rates

Soaring bills during summer heat and a pending rate case fueled a petition circulating online.

Energy regulators and industry experts warn that the state’s delays to major projects amid backlash from residents could create rolling blackouts and strangle growth of other industries that need power.

The state's power grid operator had already planned on auditing several data center proposals, but Abbott's directive reworks the timeline and adds new requirements.

Oklahomans are reporting sticker shock at the mailbox when opening their electric bills this summer. While artificial intelligence and the data centers needed to support them have become major subjects of public discourse, state lawmakers and regulators say they are only one part of a much larger explanation.

Oklahoma passed a law last year allowing energy-hungry facilities to build their own power. But as data center announcements sprout up across Oklahoma, most include plans to work with local utilities.

Critics say the governor must call legislators to Austin to pass state laws regulating data centers.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas reported that peak energy demand could quadruple by 2032, but cautioned that its estimate is likely too high and must be revised.

Texans from Waco to Harlingen are raising concerns over how much energy and water data centers are poised to use. Local officials, some enticed by a tax boon, say they have little power to stop the rush.

Federal data show electricity consumption is up in the U.S. after more than a decade of little growth, partly because of data centers and other energy-hungry facilities. Average electricity prices are following the trend nationwide.

The Unified Government and the BPU are in discussions with three proposed data center projects code-named Project Red Wolf, Project Yardbird and Project Linda. Officials insist the projects won't increase utility bills for other ratepayers, but similar promises elsewhere have been proven false.