Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
House committee advances study of data centers’ energy and water impacts
Summary
The House Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations committee voted to advance House Joint Resolution 46, a study of data centers’ expected electricity and water demands and possible effects on Montana utilities, after testimony from the sponsor and multiple energy, utility and environmental stakeholders.
The House Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations committee advanced House Joint Resolution 46, a study resolution that would task an interim committee with examining the energy, transmission and water impacts of data centers in Montana.
Sponsor Tom Millett opened the hearing and urged the committee to study how data centers, particularly newer AI-focused and cryptocurrency-mining operations, could increase statewide electricity demand. Millett said national forecasts show wide variation in projected data-center electricity demand growth and cited a report from the Electric Power Research Institute estimating an increase between roughly 29% and 166% from 2023 to 2030; he also told the committee that two proposed data centers could each draw as much as 400 megawatts by 2030, a figure he…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
