January 15, 2025
3 read me
Biden opens up publicly owned land to data centers that run on clean energy
President Biden issued an executive order to allow data centers on federal lands to promote clean energy and protect national security amid a surge in artificial intelligence.
IAD71 Amazon Web Services data center in Ashburn, Virginia, USA, Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images
KLIMAWIRE | President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Tuesday to allow the Energy and Defense departments to lease sites to the private sector to build “gigawatt-scale” data centers.
The move is to bolster clean energy and protect national security amid the rise of artificial intelligence. Data centers built on federal sites would have to feed clean energy into the grid to meet the facility’s electricity needs, according to the White House.
The Biden administration did not fully define clean energy in its announcement. But he urged the DOE and DOD to select sites that have transmission access and do not harm communities. The executive order also directs the Department of the Interior to identify land to support data centers and improve permits for geothermal energy.
About supporting science journalism
If you like this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism subscribe. By purchasing a subscription, you’re helping to ensure a future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas that shape our world.
The order requires federal agencies to expedite permits at selected sites, including through “categorical exemptions” from the National Environmental Policy Act. DOE should work with utilities to connect AI infrastructure to the grid, as well as promote the expansion of renewable energy and nuclear.
“DOE will take appropriate measures to coordinate with developers to build, finance, facilitate and plan transmission lines around these areas. To facilitate this work, DOE will also collect information to improve transmission planning in these regions, such as utility data on transmission congestion,” he says. orders
With President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, it’s unclear how much effect the order will have. Trump has condemned Biden’s push for clean energy, but has called for more drilling to boost energy supplies to China ahead of AI. It has also encouraged the construction of its own data center.
In a press conference held last week, Trump said Hussain SajwaniA real estate developer from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, would invest $20 billion to build data centers in eight states.
Biden’s order is expected within weeks. POLITICO previously reported that the president made the push in part because tech companies are eyeing subsidies to build data centers in the Middle East. in november Google made a deal To develop an artificial intelligence hub in Saudi Arabia.
Tuesday’s order says the new plan would prevent adversaries from accessing powerful computer systems “to the detriment of our military.” AI is “too important to ship,” the order says.
A DOE report last month found that data centers could triple energy use and account for 12 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2028. States and utilities are trying to plan for the surge in electricity demand. In Virginia, one of the largest AI clusters in the world, officials have warned data center growth can challenge the grid without building gas, renewables and transportation much faster.
Before the order was released, environmental groups warned the administration not to release plans that would loosen environmental restrictions and increase the chance of more pollution. The order states that expedited permits should be issued for “infrastructure that does not significantly affect the environment.”
It also directs the agencies to complete a study on the effects of data centers on electricity prices.
According to the White House, developers would have to pay the full cost of building, operating and maintaining data centers on federal land to avoid rising costs for consumers. The order also directs the DOE and DOD to require companies to assess the national security risks of projects and to ensure that workers are paid “prevailing wages.”
Reporter Robin Bravender contributed.
This story also appears Energywire.
Reprinted E&E News Courtesy of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.
