Data centres and electric bus depots are drawing on the same grid
US data-centre electricity use could nearly triple by 2028, while transit agencies wait years for depot power upgrades.
A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report for the Department of Energy found that data centres used about 4.4 percent of US electricity in 2023 (176 terawatt-hours) and could reach 6.7 to 12 percent by 2028 (325 to 580 terawatt-hours).
Transit agencies electrifying bus fleets need large new connections too. King County Metro was told that utilities need six to eight years to install new power infrastructure, The Urbanist reported in December 2024.
ESS view: cities pursuing both data-centre investment and bus electrification should plan them together with their utility, so that one does not quietly delay the other.