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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Are data centers increasing demand for electricity in Nevada?

Kiara Adams, The Nevada Independent
yes

Energy-intensive data centers, used for artificial intelligence (AI), are increasing demand for electricity across the U.S., including in Nevada.

The Electric Power Research Institute found that data centers accounted for 8.69% of electricity consumed in Nevada in 2023, projected to grow to 20% by 2030.

Telsa and Google already have centers in Nevada, and now Switch is building new “AI factories” spanning 199,000 and 228,000 square feet. Vantage Data Centers recently invested $3 billion to create multistory data centers totaling over 1 million square feet.

The typical AI data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, according to the International Energy Agency.

This demand forces utilities to invest in infrastructure, purchase or generate extra electricity and upgrade the grid — costs passed on to consumers. 

One analysis estimates annual demands on NV Energy will be 18% higher in 2030 and 34% higher in 2035 amid data center requests for more capacity.

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The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.

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