As data centers boom, CPS Energy works on $1.3 billion plan for transmission needs across Texas
As it works to keep up with booming demand from the rapid growth of data centers across Texas , CPS Energy is estimating it will spend $1.3 billion on transmission and generation projects over the next five years. The city-owned utility’s costs for the projects, which will serve the statewide grid, will be reimbursed by ratepayers across Texas through grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas .
and planning a new switching station on San Antonio’s West Side, which has become a hotspot for data centers built by companies such as Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Valero Energy Corp. and even the federal government’s Natural Security Agency. Two other stations have already been approved on the South and East sides of the city. The switchyards help manage the flow of electricity and can be used to reroute power in case of an emergency.
has reported it anticipates power load could hit 152 gigawatts by the end of the decade, in large part from data centers and population growth. Even experts who say those estimates are overblown agree that record growth is still coming and calls for proactive planning. Texas is second only to Virginia among states with the largest anticipated data center growth, Ball said. “So when you look at it relatively, we’re seeing a doubling or more of electric consumption in our region,” she said.
’s well-known transmission chokepoints: the problematic circuit is known as the Spruce-Pawnee line. It’s a 345,000-volt “ring” around San Antonio. Within that ring are multiple power plants but they alone can’t serve peak demand. Outages or an imbalanced amount of power north or south of the circuit can stress it out.
ERCOT Electric Power Research Institute Inc. Valero Energy Corp. Microsoft Corp. AI Amazon.Com Inc. Energy Forward Alliance Natural Security Agency Spruce Elaina Ball Richard Medina Rudy Garza Ball Texas West Side San Antonio South U.S. East Virginia South San Antonio Pawnee Winter Storm Uri Castroville Data
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