In yet one more sign that state lawmakers have become increasingly wary of data center projects, members of the Arizona State Senate have given their approval to a bill asking for a greater accounting of the energy usage associated with such facilities.
The bill, which is on its way to the Arizona House, will require that the major utility companies in the Grand Canyon State document on a six-month basis the amount of energy used by such centers.
Such documentation would have to be submitted to the Arizona Corporation Commission and would also include all information pertaining to any new connection requests.
The bill, HB 2736, passed the Senate on a 24 to 3 vote.
The legislative action comes as a new report has been issued calling into question the state’s grid reliability in the wake of dramatic data center growth. That report, published by the Arizona Energy Promise Taskforce, has warned that “large-load growth is occurring across utility service territories and impacting infrastructure systems, creating a need for greater coordination.”
As an indication of how public opinion on the growth and building of data centers has shifted, Arizona Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs earlier this year called for reducing previously generous state incentives for building such facilities, remarking: “It’s time we make the booming data center industry work for the people of our state, rather than the other way around.”
April 20, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
