Impacts of Construction Timelines on Generation Availability

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital infrastructure, driven by increasing demands for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities, has fueled an unprecedented need for data centers. Data centers are expected to consume up to 12 percent of total US electricity by 2028 with their expected electricity usage climbing between 325 and 580 terawatt hours (TWh) in the next four years, representing a growth rate between 13 percent and 27 percent. These facilities form the backbone of modern computing and cloud services, consuming large amounts of energy, often necessitating the construction of power plants and electric grid infrastructure to meet their needs. As data centers scale to capacities of 100 megawatts (MW) or more, their construction timelines and complexities increasingly resemble those of power plants designed to supply similar energy levels.