Some consumers are paying to power data centers that don’t exist yet while states ask if demand forecasts are real — ‘Nobody really knows’

Consumers are currently paying for electricity to power data centers that have not yet been built, raising concerns about the accuracy of demand forecasts. States are questioning whether these forecasts are reliable, with a notable lack of clarity regarding what aspects are speculative, what may be double-counted, and what is genuinely accurate. The situation highlights a significant uncertainty in the market, as stakeholders seek to understand the validity of the projections being made.