Data centers are part of everyday life now. Every text you send, every online bill payment, every late-night movie streamed—it all runs through buildings full of computers somewhere, working around the clock.
While that might sound like a big-city kind of operation, more data centers are popping up in rural communities like ours. And there’s a good reason. Rural areas offer what data centers need most: affordable land, room to grow and access to transmission lines that can move large amounts of power. So, while data centers may be new to some of us, they’re simply another type of large business setting up shop in communities like ours.
What sets them apart is how they use electricity. These facilities run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Servers must stay online constantly, which means power must be reliable every minute of every day.
While Broad River Electric doesn’t currently serve any data centers, the possibility of doing so in the future could create real benefits for our members, along with a few challenges.
On the plus side, data centers have the potential to bring long-term load growth that helps support investments in the local grid. With proper planning and policy support, those upgrades—including new substations, stronger lines and smarter technology—could benefit all Broad River Electric members and help keep electricity rates steady.
Building the infrastructure to support a data center—such as new lines, substations and the equipment needed to deliver reliable electricity—takes time and a financial investment. That’s why good planning, strong partnerships and long-term power strategies are important.
Central Electric Power Cooperative, Broad River Electric’s provider of wholesale generation and transmission solutions, already has a special data center rate with built-in member protections to prevent the shifting of costs to other ratepayers. This rate is designed to maximize the benefits of data centers while minimizing costs and risks.
Our priority will be supporting growth with fairness—that means ensuring large-scale energy users pay their fair share, so residential bills don’t spike and our local communities feel invested in.
Our responsibility is to the communities we serve and to provide reliable, affordable electric service to all Broad River Electric members. As new types of large-scale energy users—such as data centers—become part of the local landscape, your cooperative’s board and employees are committed to ensuring all decisions reflect the best interests of the people we serve.
If you have questions or concerns regarding data centers, your energy bills or any other co-op matters, we encourage you to stay engaged and reach out. Your voice matters at Broad River Electric.
