Community activists in Omaha, Nebraska, were working to shut down a toxic coal-fired power plant. However, the plant was never stopped due to the increasing demand for electricity from Google and Meta*’s local data centers.
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According to The Washington Post, residents of the north Omaha area were told the station would cease operations in 2023. Due to the operation of a power plant founded in the 1950s, the area has some of the highest levels of air pollution and high rates of asthma in the region.
But then the utility company Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) expressed concern that shutting down the coal units could “destabilize the region’s power grid.”
The reason for the decision is the increase in energy demand in nearby Google and Meta data centers, caused by the need for more powerful resources for AI. As the WSJ makes clear, similar problems are being seen in other regions of the United States as AI technologies spread.
“A promise was made and then it was broken,” said the newspaper’s interlocutor. “Technology companies are responsible for this. “The coal plant keeps running because they need all that energy to grow.”
According to new information from OPPD, the coal plant will continue operating until 2026.
*Recognized as an extremist organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation
Author:
Akhmed Sadulayev
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
