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Data centers need electricity, utilities need years to build – who should pay?
(theconversation.com)
this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2025
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Oh no! A struggling utility! I wonder where excess money is flowing? What could possibly fund these upgrades? -[insert generalized doom & gloom] -
https://energyandpolicy.org/as-customers-struggled-utility-ceos-pay-spiked-last-year/
Oh that's interesting. I hadn't realized the energy sector saw a C-suite pay spike too. Looking around, it seems like they were at or above pay for CEOs elsewhere. Crazy.
We've really seen deregulation under all the administrations, eh?
Deregulation would mean these things can't use public infrastructure.
EDIT: Actually this seems a very fine idea.
Can you explain that sentence?
Well, infrastructure is built by the government in an environment where its use is regulated, and for essential things.
Electricity for data centers isn't essential. They should build their own parallel grids, a bit like Google and Facebook and such build their own infrastructure.
I'm not saying they shouldn't develop, but correct management from the governments here would be making them pay for their toys in full. That will also be optimal - they know best which infrastructure and how much they need. No loading the common grid with non-essential things that hurt lights, heating and basic connectivity.
EDIT: Perhaps even a centralized, but separate second grid, for that.