Data centers: reporting.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify that the commission must publish the information annually. It only mentions publishing in an anonymized and aggregated format.

Data Centers: Reporting Requirements

The bill requires data center owners to report specific information about their facilities to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, which will use this data for energy policy reports and local planning purposes.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the commission to establish a process for data center owners to submit detailed information about their centers, including location, size, power usage effectiveness (PUE), water usage effectiveness (WUE), total water consumption, and fuel use by onsite generators or other fuel-based energy systems.
• Directs the commission to include an assessment of electrical load trends in its biennial integrated energy policy report starting with the 2029 edition.
• Requires data center owners to provide expected annual energy and water consumption when applying for permits or land use authorizations from local agencies.
• Prohibits disclosure of personally identifiable information and specific utility customer details by the commission or local agencies.

Who It Names or Affects

• Data center owners
• Local agencies responsible for issuing permits or land use authorizations
• The State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission

Terms To Know

Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)

A measure of how efficiently a data center uses its power. It compares the total energy used by a data center to the energy actually used for computing.

Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE)

A metric that measures water consumption relative to IT equipment operational capacity in a data center.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.
• It is unclear how local agencies will use the submitted information beyond land use planning and environmental review.

Official Summary Text

AB 1577, as amended, Bauer-Kahan.
Data centers: reporting.
Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and vests the commission with various responsibilities with respect to developing and implementing the state’s energy policies. Existing law requires the commission to biennially adopt an integrated energy policy report, as specified, and to make the reports accessible to state, local, and federal entities and to the general public.
This bill would require the commission to establish a process for the owner of a data center, as defined, to submit specified information to the commission, including, among other information, the data center’s location and size, the data center’s power usage effectiveness, as defined,
water usage effectiveness, as defined, and total water consumption,
and the quantity of fuel consumed by onsite generators or other fuel-based energy systems, as specified. The bill would require the owner of a data center to submit the required information in the manner
and timeframe
specified by the commission. The bill would require the commission, beginning with the 2029 edition of the integrated energy policy report, and in each subsequent edition, to include an assessment of electrical load trends for data centers, as provided. The bill would require the commission to annually publish the information submitted in an anonymized and aggregated format on its internet website.
The bill would require the owner or developer of a data center, upon applying for a discretionary permit, entitlement, or land use authorization required for the construction or operation of the data center, to submit to the applicable local agency, as defined,
the information described above,
specified information, including the expected annual energy and water consumption, as specified, and the expected sound levels attributable to the operation of the data center,
as provided. By imposing a new duty on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the local agency to use this information for various purposes, including, but not limited to, land use planning, infrastructure planning, energy and water supply assessment, and environmental review.
The bill would prohibit the commission or a local agency from disclosing information submitted
to the commission
on a monthly basis or
to the applicable local agency
upon applying for a discretionary permit,
entitlement, or land use authorization, as described above, in a manner that would result in the disclosure of
personally
identifiable information or energy consumption data for a
specific utility
data center
customer, except as provided.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF