Hyperscale Data Centers, Regulatory Institutions, and US Economic Growth

This is our second in a series of columns on data center problems. Our first column appeared in the November edition of this journal 1 — just before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) held its Technical Conference on “Co‐Located Load” on November 1, 2024. 2 In this column, we report on the outcomes of that Technical Conference. We also draw attention to how a split‐decision FERC Order that same day had the effect of erasing $12 Billion in common equity value for nuclear plant owners, both active and shuttered, who hopefully anticipate the co‐location of hyperscale data centers at their sites. These events reinforce the perspective our column brought to bear in November — and which we expand upon here.