Mon, Sep 28

NEWS: Utilities are tweaking their large-load forecasts. Here are some of the latest numbers:

  • NV Energy has reported nearly 17 GW of large-load service requests by 2036, the vast majority from data centers—that’s over 2x the total peak demand faced by the company’s utilities last year. But roughly half have inked cost-allocation agreements.

  • PPL is forecasting over 18 GW in large-load demand by 2034-2047 (a figure that only covers executed agreements). Meanwhile, its electric subsidiary has proposed a new rider to directly charge data centers for certain transmission costs.

  • AEP said it has signed deals representing more than 22 GW of new large loads by 2031 (most of which is slated for the company’s Ohio footprint). That’s a 44% jump from last year’s forecast for the same period.

  • The throughline: As utilities’ large-load forecasts spark criticism for overinflating demand, companies are tweaking their predictions to reflect done deals—and cut out the noise from speculative (and unlikely) projects.

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