Data centers strain grids as states race to hit clean-energy targets

Nevada’s largest utility warns that proposed data centers could triple Las Vegas’s electricity load and likely require fossil-fuel generation, threatening the state’s goal of 50% renewable power by 2030. The expansion is part of a broader national trend where data-center demand challenges utilities’ ability to sustain long-term decarbonization, with North Carolina revising plans to keep coal and add gas plants and NextEra Energy dropping a zero-emissions target due to power demand. Some centers, like Las Vegas Switch, operate on their own renewable setups, but many rely on gas-fired generation or diesel backups, fueling regulatory and legislative debate over mandatory clean-energy funding and load responsibility for data centers. Regulators plan a forthcoming report to outline how to balance growth with climate goals.