electricity

To help meet growing electricity demand, Oklahoma's largest utilities are investing in battery energy storage systems. The facilities store extra energy and discharge it when the grid needs it.

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.

As more and more data center developers submit proposals to build in Texas, questions about how they will impact Texas' grid and contribute to drought conditions across the state are widespread.

A plan to build a network of 765 kV transmission lines to bolster the state's power grid has come under intense opposition from landowners in its path and others.

Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties. That puts Texas Republicans in a tough spot, as the White House has encouraged states to let the centers flourish.

Texas leads the nation in utilities shutting off electricity and natural gas services to customers who can't afford their energy bills, according to a report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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.

The boom in data centers, many to support artificial intelligence, could strain the Texas power grid and increase energy costs.

A renewable energy building boom is changing the landscape — and the economic fortunes — on Colorado’s Eastern Plains