US Data Center Power Requests Far Exceed What Grid Can Deliver
TechTarget, Tuesday, August 19th, 2025
Developers have requested 1,066 GW; Wood Mackenzie expects utilities to commit to about 28% of it.
Data center developers have requested more than 1,066 gigawatts of power across the US, but Wood Mackenzie estimates utilities and grid operators will ultimately commit to roughly 28% of it.
Part of the gap comes from developers filing duplicate applications with multiple utilities for the same project, which artificially inflates interconnection queues. Utilities are responding with stricter approval processes, larger upfront payments, and collateral requirements to filter speculative proposals.
Texas has moved most aggressively, with Governor Greg Abbott ordering an audit of data center connections as ERCOT tracks about 474 gigawatts of requests, more than five times state peak demand.