Senators want datacenters to come clean on power consumption

US senators are pushing to require datacenters and other large energy customers to report consumption, arguing the data is essential to hold them accountable to local communities.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley have written [PDF] to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) – the official energy statistics agency of the US government – urging it to establish mandatory annual reporting for large loads such as datacenters.

The letter references the Ratepayer Protection Pledge that President Trump urged the biggest AI and cloud companies to sign earlier this month. The agreement intends to shield American consumers in the event that bills rise due to AI's growing energy appetite. However, as The Register noted at the time, there is no enforcement mechanism.

Senators Warren and Hawley say both Congress and the public currently lack the data needed to hold these companies to this voluntary pledge. Standardized reporting is essential to delivering the oversight ...