In Corporation Commission debate, GOP incumbents unite on data center costs
Two Republican incumbents on the Arizona Corporation Commission, Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers, agreed during a debate that data center owners should be responsible for their infrastructure costs rather than passing them to residential ratepayers. They also addressed water concerns, noting that developers are increasingly using closed-loop cooling and treated wastewater. This reflects an ongoing policy discussion regarding data center development costs and resource usage in Arizona.
Republican Arizona Corporation Commission candidates Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers, both incumbents, reiterated their unified stance on data center development during a debate. They emphasized that data center owners, not residential ratepayers, should bear the costs of their infrastructure. Thompson stated that he and Myers have consistently communicated to utilities that "growth pays for growth," preventing data center user costs from burdening residential consumers.
Myers echoed this principle, highlighting "cost causers are the cost payers" as a policy they've promoted nationally. He cited a recent energy services agreement with Tucson Electric Power related to "Project Blue" as an example of protecting residential customers by ensuring all data center costs are covered by the developers themselves.
The candidates also addressed water consumption, noting that large data center developers in Arizona are increasingly adopting closed-loop cooling systems and utilizing treated wastewater to minimize their impact on the state's limited water supply. Myers stressed the preciousness of water in Arizona, while Thompson pointed out Arizona's competitiveness in attracting data center investment against states like Virginia, Texas, and Nevada, attributing some of this success to the state's reliable power grid.