Data center electricity demand forces utilities to delay clean energy plans

Summary

Utilities across the U.S. are struggling to balance the surging electricity demand from AI data centers with their clean energy goals. In North Carolina, the largest utility is delaying coal plant retirements and building more natural gas plants, while legislators removed an interim carbon emissions reduction target. Nevada's largest utility reports it needs three times the electricity required to power Las Vegas just for proposed data centers, and likely cannot meet that demand without fossil fuels. The article highlights the tension between the rapid growth of energy-intensive data centers and state-level commitments to transition away from fossil fuels.