WASHINGTON, D.C. —This July fourth weekend, a tragic combination of high temperatures and short energy supply caused many customers to temporarily lose power in many regions. “Average consumers are experiencing the consequences of unchecked large energy users such as hyperscale data centers. There simply isn’t enough energy in the system to meet the needs of consumers and hyperscalers. Utilities have chosen these giant data centers over regular consumers," said Karim D. Marshall, Director of Climate and Energy Policy  for the Consumer Federation of America.

 "Consider this weekend a preview of the rest of this and future summers,” Marshall continued. “There isn’t enough energy in the grid or being built to relieve the demand. As climate change drives summer temperatures higher and hyperscale centers continue to drive un-forecasted energy demand, this problem will only get worse. The rest of the summer may be a perfect storm of high temperatures and higher prices.”