Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a broad set of proposals Wednesday aimed at regulating the growth of data centers – months after declaring his state the “epicenter” of artificial intelligence development. Abbott said in a letter to state electricity officials that the unprecedented growth of data centers and their major energy needs require “oversight” to shield Texans from higher electricity costs.
While the letter does not advocate for specific changes to how transmission costs are allocated, it could influence what the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) ultimately approves, Bracewell’s Bryan Clark told E&E News.
“What I think this letter does is to emphasize to the PUC that they will need to prevent cost-shifting from large loads to other ratepayers,” Clark said.
