{"id":104202,"date":"2026-08-06T13:43:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/?p=104202"},"modified":"2026-08-06T13:43:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:43:37","slug":"most-okla-data-centers-want-to-plug-into-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/2026\/08\/06\/most-okla-data-centers-want-to-plug-into-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Okla. Data Centers Want to Plug Into Grid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact Oklahoma<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma passed a law last year allowing energy-hungry facilities to build their own power. But as data center announcements sprout up across Oklahoma, most include plans to work with local utilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, Gov. Kevin Stitt and some Oklahoma electric utilities signed a federal pledge to protect household ratepayers. The Ratepayer Protection Pledge<\/a> directs data center developers to pay their own way and invest in surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the document states companies must buy the massive amount of electricity they require, add more power to the grid or supply it on-site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to be building your own data centers, and you\u2019re going to be building your own electric plants,\u201d said President Donald Trump. \u201cYou\u2019re essentially becoming a utility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pledge is one of many ways officials are responding to public pushback<\/a> against hyperscale data centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma has its own version of a ratepayer protection pledge<\/a>, a law requiring electricity suppliers to create separate terms and conditions for large-scale energy consumers like data centers and increase transparency. State regulators are currently reviewing large-load tariffs<\/a> from utilities intended to prevent households from shouldering grid connection costs for companies like Google and Meta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislature also passed Senate Bill 480<\/a> last year, allowing data centers to build power plants behind the meter, bypassing utilities. Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, co-authored the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we realized is in Oklahoma, our state law is kind of vague; it doesn\u2019t really say that companies can provide their own power generation,\u201d Boles, who is running for a seat on the Corporation Commission, said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t say they can\u2019t either, but it doesn\u2019t say that they can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u200aSo we wanted to provide clarity that if a large load comes to Oklahoma and they want to provide their own power generation, that they would have the ability to do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill was expected to generate billions of dollars in private investment and alleviate pressure from the electric grid. Growing demand, supercharged by large-load consumers like data centers, is expected to outpace supply<\/a> within the Southwest Power Pool\u2019s territory. The organization operates the electric grid in Oklahoma and 16 other states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But so far, most data centers with plans in Oklahoma are opting to plug into the grid. Experts say the state\u2019s grid system is likely more reliable than depending on behind-the-meter generation. Building a power plant is costly<\/a> and can take years to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u200aI don\u2019t readily, actually, believe that any data center company wants to also be in the power business,\u201d said Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, some AI companies are investing in behind-the-meter natural gas plants in states like neighboring Texas<\/a> to accelerate the pace of buildout. Those plants are expected to emit significant amounts of pollution, an analysis from the Texas Tribune and Floodlight shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Oklahoma isn\u2019t seeing an influx of behind-the-meter projects for data centers <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data centers typically have backup generators on site, should they temporarily lose connection. Some companies are adding power to the grid with new energy projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google and Oklahoma Gas & Electric announced a deal in the spring<\/a> to power the tech company\u2019s three data centers in Muskogee and Stillwater. Google is building two solar farms to add energy generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christi Woodworth, \u200aOG&E\u2019s chief communications officer, said companies are eyeing the state\u2019s relatively low electricity costs<\/a> and reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got to make a decision about if they want to build or bring their own generation,\u201d she said. \u201cThat effectively puts them on an island, right? They take on all of that risk themselves, and they have to decide if that\u2019s something that they want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe folks we\u2019re talking with are very interested in connecting to the grid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company is in \u201ca handful\u201d of other discussions with large-load projects, Woodworth said, but no plans are public yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, officials announced a project in Chickasha and celebrated the state\u2019s new behind-the-meter law. The Chickasha Airport Industrial Park<\/a> could one day be home to a data center and power plant<\/a>, but no firm plans have been made public. A manufacturing firm in the Tulsa Port of Catoosa announced early this year it plans to build its power on-site. A news release<\/a> says the company specializes in aerospace, energy and advanced manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large proposed data centers, including the Luther<\/a> Horizon Technology Park, Project Mustang<\/a> in Claremore, IREN\u2019s Kiowa Data Center<\/a> and more, plan to work with local utilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kiowa facility is the state\u2019s largest proposed data center, according to energy analytics firm Cleanview<\/a>. In an email, Jason Date, associate director of development, said the company plans to secure its power through Public Service Company of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike the vast majority of homes and businesses, IREN\u2019s facilities use grid power because it is the most efficient and reliable way to source electricity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A delay in critical infrastructure delivery is also an obstacle for data center developers. Getting a natural gas plant, the typical energy source for behind-the-meter data center projects, can currently take years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not in line right now, you\u2019re probably not getting one until the 2030s,\u201d Rhodes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some companies instead are turning to used products to avoid the mile-long backlog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u200aI\u2019ve heard of companies looking to buy used cruise ship engines,\u201d Rhodes said. \u201cI heard one the other day of someone trying to string together a bunch of used helicopter engines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma\u2019s behind-the-meter law requires developers to have natural gas as part of their plant. Other sources, including solar and wind, could be used in conjunction. When asked about the natural gas requirement, Boles said it was included to support the oil and gas industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe felt like, as Oklahomans, it\u2019s important to ensure that natural gas has a seat at the table,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an analysis from Cleanview, Oklahoma has fewer than 30 data centers<\/a>planned for the state as of early August. Texas has hundreds<\/a> in its queue, Rhodes said, meaning more developers are racing to supply power. Should tech companies continue showing interest in Oklahoma, it\u2019s possible more behind-the-meter projects could be announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boles said he expects more interest in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike anything, it takes time,\u201d Boles said. \u201cIf you\u2019re to build a facility with behind-the-meter, it may take three to five years to get the power infrastructure built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re not going to really know for sure how many companies are utilizing this until a few years down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article<\/a> was originally published by StateImpact Oklahoma<\/a>. StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma\u2019s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact Oklahoma Oklahoma passed a law last year allowing energy-hungry facilities to build their own power. But as data center announcements sprout up across Oklahoma, most include plans to work with local utilities. Last month, Gov. Kevin Stitt and some Oklahoma electric utilities signed a federal pledge to protect household ratepayers. The Ratepayer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":97565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8368],"tags":[9111,7,213],"class_list":["post-104202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oknews","tag-data-centers","tag-headline","tag-oklahoma"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104202"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104203,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104202\/revisions\/104203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kcnonline.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}