A Transmission Line Built to Fix Grid Congestion Has Become Oklahoma's Hottest Data Center Address
A new $72 million transmission line project connecting two substations northwest of Oklahoma City has made the surrounding area a prime location for AI data center development. This has attracted companies like Cloverleaf Infrastructure and Beltline Energy to propose large-scale projects, while also sparking community pushback in the region, particularly near Piedmont in Kingfisher County.
A $72 million transmission line project, intended to alleviate grid congestion northwest of Oklahoma City, has inadvertently transformed the area around the Mathewson Substation into a hotbed for artificial intelligence data center development. The Mathewson Substation, located on NW 248th Street near Piedmont in southeastern Kingfisher County, is described by Aaron Bilyeu, chief development officer with Houston-based Cloverleaf Infrastructure, as "one of the strongest points on the electrical grid in the state of Oklahoma."
Cloverleaf Infrastructure is one of two developers seeking to build large-scale AI data centers at the western terminus of this new 345-kilovolt transmission line. The line was planned by the Southwest Power Pool, a regional organization that coordinates the electric grid across 14 states, to connect Mathewson Substation with the Redbud Energy Facility near Luther.
Atlanta-based Beltline Energy, a company specializing in renewable energy and industrial development, has also proposed data center projects in multiple Oklahoma communities, including Piedmont, Yukon, Oklahoma City, and Luther. While these developments signal significant investment, the article description notes they have also "sparked community pushback" in the area.