O U A C H I TA E L E C T R I C C O O P E R AT I V E
Balancing Energy Demand Cooperatives navigate growth while keeping energy affordable, reliable Data centers are appearing in rural communities and there’s good reason for that. Rural areas offer affordable land, room to grow and access to transmission SHAWN DORFLINGER lines that can move large amounts of power. MANAGER What makes data centers different from other large businesses is their appetite for electricity. The facilities run 24 hours a day, yearround. Servers must always be online, which means power must be reliable every minute of every day. Powering data centers creates opportunities and challenges. Data centers have the potential to bring steady, long-term load growth that supports investments in the local power infrastructure. With proper planning and policy support, infrastructure upgrades — including new substations, power lines and power delivery technology — could benefit members and help keep electricity rates affordable. Providing power to data centers presents challenges, too. While these large facilities can be constructed and
operating in as little as one year, ensuring the necessary infrastructure, equipment and electricity requires longer lead times and significant financial investment. Planning, partnerships and long-term power supply strategies are essential to the process. Electric cooperatives across the nation, including Arkansas, are fielding requests and inquiries from data center companies. As a member-owned cooperative, our responsibility is to listen to members in communities we serve and to provide reliable, affordable electric service to members. Balancing these responsibilities is challenging, especially as large-scale energy users, like data centers, become part of the local landscape. No matter what the future holds, our priority is to support economic growth with fairness –– that means ensuring large-scale energy users pay their fair share so residential bills don’t spike. The energy landscape is evolving and challenging. Our commitment is to continue listening, communicating and working with members and community partners to ensure decisions reflect the best interests of the members we serve.
GEOFFREYMOFFETT/UNSPLASH
As data centers become part of the rural landscape, electric cooperatives are balancing economic growth with the responsibility to provide reliable, affordable power for members.
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MARCH 2026
OUACHITA ELEC TRIC COOPERATIVE