Further reports warning about Data Centres/ AI's insatiable, &...

Further reports warning about Data Centres/ AI's insatiable, & "frightening", need for much more power from the grid.

(As renewables are unable to provide cheap, reliable baseload power, thishuge future increase in power demand reinforces the necessity for a longer use of thermal coal power for many more decades. Bodes well for WHC, as it will increase, eventually, thermal prices).

Yahoo Finance(& Utility Dive) B. Martucci wrote 20.6.24

• "Electricity demand from data centers could more than double over the next decade, threatening U.S. grid reliability and increasing operational risks for other businesses, the [USA] Conference Board said ina May 30 report.

  • Due to limited grid and transformer capacity and long permitting and interconnection timelines for new generation and transmission projects, expected data center load growth could slow the pace of the United States’ transition to a net-zero electricity system, the report said...

    • Dive Insight:

      Global energy consumption from data centers, including those devoted to AI and cryptocurrency mining, could jump from 460 TWh in 2022 to more than 1,000 TWh in 2026, according to anInternational Energy Agency projectioncited by Heil and Pollard.

      In the United States, data centers’ electricity consumption could double to more than 9% of total U.S. generation by 2030, the Electric Power Research Institutesaid in May.

      Some models expect even more dramatic growth over the next five to six years, said Josh Claman, CEO of Accelsius, a provider of computer chip cooling technology".

    Data center, AI load growth could threaten grid reliability: Conference Board (yahoo.com)