How high are the data center stakes?
The Edison Electric Institute — a Washington, D.C., based trade association of for-profit electric companies — is running paid advertising on Facebook supporting the current proposal in Howell Township to turn over 1,000 acres of farmland into a high-tech data center.
The ad, touting what it says is a “$1 Billion Boost for Livingston County,” has recently hit some Facebook feeds. It claims a “new data center could mean 1,000+ jobs, millions for our schools and services, all at zero cost to you, the taxpayer.” The ad goes on to urge the viewer to show their support “to keep Livingston County strong and competitive!”
The ad is being run under the name of We Stand for Energy, an effort sponsored by the Edison Electric Institute with the goal of “(m)eeting America’s growing need for electricity, today and tomorrow,” which “will require smart energy solutions that ensure electricity remains reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean.”
On its website, We Stand for Energy said it believes energy policies must: help support and create local jobs; keep local communities and economy group; spur development of new, innovative technologies; use a diverse supply of domestic energy sources; provide a secure energy future for everyone; protect consumers and ensure everyone is treated fairly.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers used about 4.4% of all the electricity in the U.S. in 2023, and are expected to consume as much as 12% by 2028.
Reporting from a year ago said that developers claim that “with the advent of artificial intelligence, data centers are growing so large that finding enough power to drive them and enough suitable land to house them will become increasingly difficult,” and that data centers could “increasingly demand a gigawatt or more of power — one billion watts — or about twice the residential electricity consumption of the Pittsburgh area last year.”
