A bipartisan push in the Senate is setting the stage for new visibility into the energy appetite of the nation's data centers. On Thursday, Senators Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren formally requested the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to begin collecting detailed annual reports on data center electricity consumption and its impact on the power grid.

The letter, first reported by Wired, argues that the current lack of standardized data from these large-scale users creates risks for reliable grid planning. This move follows a separate announcement from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who proposed legislation to pause new data center construction until AI regulations are established.

The pressure comes as energy use by facilities powering cloud services and artificial intelligence models has skyrocketed. Google, for instance, reported its data centers doubled their power consumption between 2020 and 2024. Industry projections suggest planned expansions could nearly triple the sector's total demand by 2035.

Hawley and Warren are asking the EIA to gather specific metrics: hourly and peak loads, utility rates paid, required grid upgrades, and participation in demand-response programs. They also want the agency to distinguish between energy used for AI computation and for general cloud services.

The EIA, the government's primary energy data agency, confirmed in December it would play a role in tracking this demand. Administrator Tristan Abbey noted that while launching a full survey can take two years, faster, more targeted assessments are possible. The senators have requested a response by April 9. Any new reporting mandate would require a public comment period through the Office of Management and Budget.

Source: TechCrunch