Lawyers from tech giant Google and an environmental group will grill consultants from Hydro-Québec today in a key hearing regarding data centers. The Quebec energy regulator, Régie de l’énergie, will also join in questioning the experts during this public session that focuses on proposed rate increases for data centers.
Hydro-Québec is pushing for a new electricity rate geared towards data centers with power needs exceeding five megawatts. The proposed rate hike would jack up energy costs to an average of 13 cents per kilowatt hour, a significant jump from the current rates that data centers pay as major power consumers.
