From the outside, a data center looks like a big, quiet warehouse. Inside, it’s devouring electricity at a rate that can rival an entire town. These massive facilities are reshaping not just the grid, but how communities think about power, progress, and trust.
Utilities are rushing to meet the surging demand from AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure, but while engineers are expanding capacity, communicators are often left catching up. And that’s a problem. Because when the public doesn’t understand why change is happening and how their behavior is affecting the growth, they’ll resist how it happens.
If utilities want to lead the energy transition, we have to lead the conversation, too.
What’s Really at Stake
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has warned that the pace of data center growth could strain grid reliability. Utility Dive and Canary Media have echoed those concerns, highlighting how speculative load requests, especially from tech firms, can leave utilities with stranded assets and frustrated regulators.
Meanwhile, communities see the visible fallout: new substations, transmission lines, and higher bills. What they don’t see is the strategic planning, system balancing, and interconnection studies behind it all. Without context, even the most responsible infrastructure project can look like corporate overreach.
This isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s a narrative one.
Turning Complexity Into Clarity: Five Communication Shifts
1. Explain Early, and in Plain Language.
Don’t wait until permits are filed or opposition builds. Translate megawatts into meaning: What does this new data center actually mean for reliability, cost, and opportunity? The sooner communities understand the stakes, the sooner they can see their role in the solution.
2. Bring the Right Voices to the Table.
A PowerPoint won’t build trust, but a conversation might. Invite engineers, planners, and customer service leaders to join community discussions. When residents hear directly from the people designing and operating the grid, technical decisions become human ones.
3. Use Data to Build Trust, Not Defend It.
Don’t just cite capacity numbers, tell the story they reveal. For example: “This project will add 300 megawatts to our load, which we’re offsetting with a mix of renewables and grid modernization.” Transparency doesn’t weaken your case; it strengthens it.
4. Connect Projects to People.
Jobs, tax revenue, and energy resilience are community priorities. Frame your message around shared benefits, not corporate necessity. Be honest about trade-offs, and communities will appreciate your honesty with patience and partnership.
5. Plan for Pushback Before It Happens.
A good crisis plan doesn’t start when headlines hit; it starts when projects are conceived. Map out your “what ifs” now: What if a major customer backs out? What if residents oppose a new line? Communicators shouldn’t just react; we should scenario-plan alongside operations.
Why It Matters
In my years leading communications for a major energy utility, I’ve learned that public trust is earned in the quiet moments long before a project makes the news. People don’t expect perfection; they expect partnership. And partnership starts with clarity, empathy, and consistency.
Communicators in the energy space have one of the most important jobs of this decade: translating innovation into understanding. That means stepping into technical conversations early, asking hard questions, and making sure the public can see both the why and the how of our work.
Final Thought
Data centers are more than infrastructure; they’re symbols of a digital future powered by energy decisions made today. If utilities want to stay credible leaders in that future, we need to move beyond technical updates and start telling the human story behind them.
Because people don’t just want reliable power. They want to believe the people behind it are listening.
