AI's thirst for power keeps coal fires burning bright
More evidence has emerged that AI-driven demand for energy to power datacenters is prolonging the life of coal-fired plants in the US.
With AI still the hot new trend, demand for compute to operate it is pushing the growth of bit barn capacity along with the need for ever more energy to power it all. This growth is having some unintended effects, at least in America.
In Omaha, one power company has had to abandon plans to stop burning coal to produce electricity because of the need to serve demand from nearby datacenters, according to The Washington Post, picking out Google and Meta in particular.
It claims that rising energy demands from those facilities mean that two coal-burning generators at the North Omaha power plant cannot be decommissioned without risking a power shortage for that district.
This is despite previous undertakings from the operator, the Omaha Public Power District, that it would cease burning coal in order to improve air quality in the surrounding area, endangering public health as well as continuing to spew out greenhouse gas emissions.
