The backlash about data centers might just be about electricity

The growing backlash against AI data centers is often described by technology companies as a culture war driven by anxiety about affordability, corporate power, and the future of work. The central argument here is that electricity is a more immediate fault line. In Virginia’s Loudoun County, where many facilities draw power from Dominion Energy’s grid, residents worry that data centers will require costly transmission upgrades, strain supply, and prompt more fossil-fuel generation or use of diesel backup generators. Protests have already helped push the state to require data centers to pay the full cost of new grid connections. An average facility in the area can demand 54 megawatts - more than Denver’s airport.

Many new AI facilities are planned for places without enough grid capacity, so companies bring their own power, often using natural-gas turbines. AI sites can start at 300 megawatts, while proposed campuses may reach 6,000 megawatts, comparable to Chicago’s electricity use. Onsite generation may ease pressure on the grid, but it brings pollution and gives nearby communities less say over infrastructure with major local effects. Better taxes, jobs, and consultation may help, but cannot erase the physical footprint. Opposition also reflects concerns about jobs, corporate power, and AI risks, yet electricity may be the industry’s binding constraint. Developers may therefore seek sparsely populated regions, overseas sites, or even space.