US To Let Power-Hungry Data Centers Plug Directly Into Power Plants

There are significant costs to technological innovation. One notable cost, which has been making the rounds in 2025, is the high energy demands of the data centers powering the AI revolution. But, instead of trying to minimize this demand, the U.S. government is taking a novel approach to overcoming these issues. As reported by AP News, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as of mid-December 2025, will allow data centers to connect directly to power plants to get the energy they need. 

This decision is a result of the Trump administration's desire to see the U.S. become a global leader in the AI space and revive manufacturing across the country. Overall, the move to link data centers and power plants is a mixed bag, with one's outlook depending on their involvement. Leaders in big tech will likely see it as an easy solution for meeting their energy needs, while many plant owners have already benefited financially from the decision. Utility companies are wary, with the AP report stating that some see this as a way for tech companies to get around paying their share to keep the energy grid maintained.

Meanwhile, there's the perspective of the common person, who has suddenly needed to worry about things like which state in the U.S. has the most data centers as of late, as they face spiraling electricity bills. While the claim is that this power plant idea will ultimately benefit the average consumer, concerns remain high over data centers' energy consumption.

The subject of data center energy consumption has come to the forefront with the recent AI boom. According to Pew Research, data centers in the U.S. alone accounted for 183 terawatt-hours of electricity use in 2024. Data centers consumed 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023, with the expectation being that number will reach somewhere between 6.7 and 12% in only a few short years, per a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report on data center energy use. Not only has all of this put more pressure on energy companies and power grids, but it's also affected consumers as well. AI data centers have driven up energy costs across the country, forcing private citizens to pay much more for their utilities than they did before Big Tech came to town.

With this being an increasingly concerning issue for more and more Americans, what can this new direct-to-power plant setup offer those with inflated energy costs? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be a fix for this issue in the slightest. Data centers will still be using the electricity, just without intermediaries complicating the process. Thus, the understanding is that increased power use will still lead to increased consumer spending on their energy bills, despite them having nothing to do with the data center that has tapped into their local energy source. 

There may be some common mistakes that are raising your energy bill, but the increased presence of data centers is a whole other can of worms. One can only hope that their direct attachment to power plants going forward will bring about some positive outcome as energy demand continues to rise.