Central U.S. Races to Meet Energy Demand from Data Center Boom

September 22, 2025--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The board of directors for the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a transmission organization that manages the electric grid and wholesale power market for a wide swath of the central continental U.S., recently approved a plan to facilitate the connection of large-scale power consumers--especially data centers--to the power grid while addressing concerns about reliability and affordability for other users. Industrial Info is tracking more than $160 billion worth of active and proposed data-center projects across the SPP area, with Texas accounting for more projects than any other state. The SPP area covers the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, as well as bordering parts of Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and New Mexico. Data centers, which are among the heaviest U.S. power consumers, are seeing rapid growth in the region, spurring concerns about electric supply and efficiency. Other companies featured: Alphabet Incorporated, Indiana Michigan Power, American Electric Power Company, Tennessee Valley Authority, Meta Platforms Incorporated and Polaris Technology Incorporated.