Overview
- The Energy Information Administration said it will develop a nationwide mandatory data center energy survey using the Paperwork Reduction Act process, with the survey in place by September 30, 2026.
- Three voluntary pilots are underway in Texas, Washington state, and the Northern Virginia–D.C. area, with 196 companies asked to report data for one facility they choose.
- The pilot questionnaires seek annual electricity use, on-site power generation, cooling methods, facility size, and server efficiency metrics to show how much power these sites use and how they run.
- Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley pressed the agency to require public reporting to reveal impacts on local grids and utility bills, citing deals that are often kept confidential.
- The reporting push comes as outlets highlight gaps in the pilot’s design and rising concern over on-site gas turbines at data centers, including an NAACP lawsuit alleging xAI ran unpermitted units in Mississippi.