Anticipating the Data Center Buildout: Demand Forecasting, Pricing Impacts, and Regulatory Shifts

Data centers are accelerating faster than traditional planning models can keep up, reshaping load profiles and long-term grid strategy. This session examines how emerging forecasting methods can provide a more realistic view of when and where capacity will be needed. Speakers will discuss how transmission constraints, evolving market rules, and shifting policies interact with data center growth to influence pricing dynamics and investment decisions. The conversation will center on how planners and policymakers can use credible demand signals to guide infrastructure upgrades and maintain system reliability amid unprecedented load expansion.