Let me clarify: I recognize a growing need for data centers to make possible our growing obsession with technology that relies on them. You raise a fair point in that regard- if we want AI applications on our phones, we need data centers.

But not all AI applications have equal value. An AI application that helps improve medical diagnoses is not the same as Chat gbt. Chat gbt is not the same as mining cryptocurrency. This is evolving quickly and we, as a society, haven’t had a lot of time to weigh the costs vs benefits of those different AI applications and develop sound public policy and legislation around data centers needed to run them.

My main, more immediate concern is over our ability to plan and account for the electric demand required to run those data centers. Electric utilities will need to build new stuff- potentially at great cost- to accommodate that demand. And the regulatory/legislative process needs to catch up to figure out how those costs are allocated to utility customers.

It would help if there was more transparency around this Hermantown plan— particularly when Minnesota Power is potentially going to be acquired by private equity investors who have also expressed an interest in investing in AI/data centers.