With statutory requirements that utilities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, Colorado is a leader in the Interior West with policies crafted to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Yet state policymakers face a new challenge: how to ensure electric utilities can meet Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets as the development of energy- and water-hungry data centers explodes across the West.
Projected electricity demand — or load growth — associated with data centers has appeared virtually overnight primarily due to the recent proliferation of artificial intelligence. The numbers are staggering: Xcel Energy projects that its annual energy demands will be 47% higher in 2030, and 75% higher in 2035. And we estimate the incremental, new water demands associated with cooling data centers in Colorado could be 2.7 billion gallons per year in 2035 — enough water to support up to 55,242 individuals.
In this webinar, experts from WRA:
- Present a summary of the electricity load forecast for data centers in Colorado.
- Highlight the potential impacts of new water demand from this data center load growth.
- Provide policy frameworks for protecting customers, ensuring water resources are conserved and encouraging investment in clean, innovative technologies.
- Field questions from attendees on the opportunities and challenges in Colorado to implementing these policies.
With the right policies in place, data centers can catalyze investments in innovative clean energy resources while driving broader system transformation.
Deborah Kapiloff#
Policy Advisor
As a clean energy policy advisor at Western Resource Advocates, Deborah Kapiloff advocates for policies and programs that reduce emissions in the power and transportation sectors, focusing on decarbonizing utilities throughout the Interior West and accelerating transportation electrification.
Lindsay Rogers#
Policy Manager for Municipal Conservation
Lindsay leads the organization in developing and implementing a key set of conservation strategies at the state and local level, to decrease the use of water in the municipal sector to bolster communities’ water security and reduce pressure on Western rivers and streams.
Clare Valentine#
Senior Policy Advisor
As a Senior Policy Advisor, Clare develops and advocates for policies that accelerate the decarbonization of Colorado’s electricity sector, with particular focus on resource planning, rate design, distributed energy resources, and the distribution system.
