All articles tagged with #grid upgrades
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill unveiled a four‑point plan requiring data centers to pay for the electricity they use, report their energy and water consumption, fund grid upgrades to handle larger loads, and secure community development agreements that address noise and pollution, while ensuring union-wage jobs; a separate measure would mandate public biannual reporting of energy and water use.
At a White House roundtable, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, OpenAI, Amazon, and xAI signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, committing to fund new generation resources and grid upgrades to support AI data centers, negotiate separate rate structures with utilities, and provide backup power to local grids when needed, all aimed at preventing electricity-cost spikes as data-center energy demand grows.
Microsoft says it will fund energy and grid upgrades near its AI data centers to prevent higher local electricity bills, while investing in water replenishment, schools, libraries, and AI-skills training in host communities, and it will not seek property tax abatements.
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced $3.5 billion in awards under its Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program to support 58 projects in 44 states, making it the largest-ever investment in America's grid. The funding aims to expand and strengthen the nation's electric system, mitigate climate change risks, unlock stranded renewables projects, and improve the flexibility, efficiency, and reliability of the aging power system. The awards include grants for smart grid projects in individual cities and a $464 million investment in five transmission projects across seven Midwest states. The program emphasizes community engagement and benefits, aligning with President Biden's Justice40 initiative.