CenterPoint Reports 700% Spike in Texas AI-Data Center Requests.

CenterPoint Energy Inc. has experienced a 700% surge in requests from data center developers to connect to its Houston-area utility, with the queue now exceeding 8 gigawatts. The company attributes this growth to the rise in facilities supporting artificial intelligence. Data center construction by major tech companies is expected to further increase electricity demand in Texas, with CenterPoint projecting a potential 30% peak demand increase by 2030. The company, facing scrutiny for outages during extreme weather events, is under pressure to address infrastructure needs and ensure fair cost-sharing with data center developers. [Extracted from the article]