Data Centers That Don’t Exist Yet Are Already Haunting the Grid

U.S. power utilities are being overwhelmed by requests for electricity from data centers — many of which may never be built — raising fears that “phantom demand” is distorting grid planning and investment decisions
• Developers have submitted interconnection requests totaling nearly 400 gigawatts (GW) — more than half of the U.S. grid’s peak summer demand — fueling concern among utilities and regulators