Data centers are consuming nearly 25% of Oregon’s power

Oregon’s 111 data centers consume nearly a quarter of the state’s power, according to a report from ECONorthwest and the University of Virginia. The  report is the first of its kind in Oregon since the explosion of data center development. Thirty-two additional data centers are planned or under construction in the state. 

“The report highlights the gaps in available information on how data centers affect the state’s economy and the communities they operate in. Report authors found inconsistent, incomplete, or unavailable data sources for water-use and other information necessary to analyze the effect of the facilities on landscapes and communities around them,” Kyra Buckley writes for OPB. 

The report also found that Oregon “essentially has two separate data center markets,” OPB reports. Major hyperscale data centers are largely based in Eastern Oregon, while smaller data centers used by multiple companies are concentrated in Western Oregon.