The forecast: More grid operators are offering data centers a quick interconnection option—if they agree to curtailment. To make that possible, these facilities will need plenty of storage. In fact, data center demand could hit 17 GWh by 2028 and 285 GWh by 2035, according to a recent report from market research firm Currence. 

The storage hotspots: Most of that capacity is predicted to land in data center-heavy PJM, followed by ERCOT and MISO.

Moving beyond lithium: By 2030, facilities will likely need longer-duration storage as growing demand stretches curtailment times. That’s where non-lithium tech, like CO2 batteries and compressed air storage, can shine—they offer cheaper capacity at the eight-hour mark.

The big question: How much of this storage will live in front versus behind the meter? Developers will likely lean toward the former, Currence storage analyst Lukas Karapin-Springorum told Energy Central over email. This “lets the developer find the best site for storage independently of the best site for the data center,” he wrote.

OpenAI has launched a “Grid Protectors Program” to boost coordination with utilities and governments impacted by the tech titan’s data centers. The goal? To reduce these facilities’ demand during grid stress.

How will it work? OpenAI pointed to its agreement with Georgia Power for a planned 3.2-GW data center, which is set to provide up to 1 GW of flexible demand response. “This means we can turn down our demand so that families, small businesses, and other ratepayers will continue to have power,” the company wrote. 

Reality check: The announcement was scant on specifics, and the program seems to lack teeth. Sound familiar? It reminds us of the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge…which also left plenty of questions unanswered.

What happened: The Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition and the Industrial Energy Consumers of America have alleged that SPP classified four major transmission projects as “short-term reliability projects” to avoid competitive bidding, according to a complaint filed last week with FERC.

The issue: This designation is intended for projects that will enter service within three years—but the projects in question likely won’t fit that timeline. SPP’s move marks the latest in a “growing pattern” from the grid operator, the groups wrote in a statement.

The consequences: SPP’s decision will cost consumers millions in “excess charges,” the groups claimed. They think that FERC should order SPP to reverse course and carry out a competitive selection process.

The details: The grid operator’s management committee has approved its large-load proposal addressing FERC’s show-cause order. NYISO’s plan tells large loads to bring new capacity or accept non-firm service. 

The question mark: This proposal also includes a (vague) state exemption for certain large loads, which could receive firm service without securing new generation. Why? To preserve NY’s grid authority.

Next steps: NYISO plans to file the proposal with FERC on Nov. 16, the show-cause deadline for all FERC-regulated grid operators (besides SPP, whose deadline falls a few days later).

What happened: Dairyland Power Cooperative and South Shore Energy have called off plans for a 550- to 625-MW natural gas plant near Lake Superior, which had not yet reached the construction phase. This announcement follows legal challenges from Indigenous and environmental groups, as well as pushback from local officials. 

The background: The Wisconsin PSC greenlit the project in 2020, when utilities pitched it as a bridge between coal retirements and the renewable transition. 

The throughline: More utilities are planning massive gas plants to support the data center buildout—but it’s likely that we’ll see building ratepayer opposition due to cost-shifting concerns.