Trump says new large data centres must supply their own power
A Truth Social post said new and large data centres are 'mandated by me' to generate their own electricity and urged operators to pay communities a 'dividend'; no order was reported.
- Government & policy
- Compute & infrastructure
- Minor
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday 21 October that new and large data centres “are mandated by me to make their own electricity, and give or sell any excess back to the local community, or grid.” The wording is quoted from Bisnow’s report; the post itself could not be opened for this entry.
Trump argued in the same post that this would avoid electricity price increases and that there “could be a substantial decrease”. Bisnow noted the post contains an apparent typo (it reads “therefore there is electric price increase (sic)”). He also urged operators to offer residents or local governments a payment: “If companies want to make their Data Centers popular, pay the community, and/or individuals within the community, a ‘dividend’.” He wrote that data centres that were “highly unpopular in a certain area” had “become extremely popular when a financial deal is struck”, and closed with “MAKE DEALS, and get them built!!!”
No executive order, rule or White House text accompanied the post. Bisnow wrote that it was unclear whether the “mandate” would be followed by executive action. A federal requirement of this kind would also be a change in approach: Bisnow reported that the administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, announced in March, relied on major technology companies committing to cover the full cost of power delivery and grid upgrades, and that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, led by Trump appointees, had this month rejected efforts to require data centres on the largest US grid to bring their own generation as a condition of connection. Bisnow also noted that on-site “behind-the-meter” generation was already common among developers, and that community-benefit payments are routine in the sector.
The political context is the shift in public opinion. Bisnow described data-centre opposition as a campaign issue that could hurt Republicans in the November midterms, and said Trump had in August criticised local opposition to data centres. Polling summarised in August found opposition to a nearby data centre rising across every party. Whether the post becomes policy depends on action that had not been reported by 24 October.