Wyoming's Power Play: Regulating Energy Supply for AI and Data Centers
The state of Wyoming is grappling with how to regulate power supply for artificial intelligence and data centers, which are expected to demand massive amounts of electricity. To meet this demand, developers have proposed building standalone power plants that would serve these growing industries.
Anschutz Corporation subsidiaries plan to build 3,200 megawatts of natural gas-powered electrical generation and 1,000 megawatts of solar power, equivalent to 33% of Wyoming's total generating capacity. This includes some of the power for one or two data centers in southern Wyoming.
The idea is to add new electricity quickly while keeping existing customers' monthly bills stable by separating their services. Proponents say this is an attractive solution because traditional utilities like Rocky Mountain Power are slow to take on large load customers that require double or triple what a typical town or oil refinery pulls from the grid.