Data Center Power Play in Illinois

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds that data center load growth could increase Illinois electricity system costs by $24 billion to $37 billion by 2050 and drive the state to become an energy importer as early as 2030. Under current policies, this growth would increase reliance on in-state fossil fuel plants and out-of-state imports, leading to higher CO2, methane, NOx, and SO2 emissions. The report estimates that this growth could cause between 68 and 403 additional mortalities and up to $124 billion in climate damages by 2050. To mitigate these effects, the document recommends requiring data centers to secure new carbon-free electricity resources, increasing transparency in power reporting, and restoring federal clean energy tax credits.

• Data center load growth is projected to significantly increase electricity system costs in Illinois between 2026 and 2050, adding approximately $24 billion in the Mid Demand Growth scenario and $37 billion in the High Demand Growth scenario, representing a cost increase of 15 to 24 percent.
• Data centers are expected to be the primary driver of electricity demand growth in Illinois in the near term, accounting for up to 72 percent of growth by 2030 and up to 65 percent by 2035.
• Under current policies, the surge in data center demand will accelerate Illinois's transition from a net electricity exporter to a net importer, shifting this transition to around 2030 to 2035 and steeply increasing import volumes through 2045.
• Increased data center demand under current policies will lead to higher utilization of in-state fossil fuel plants; specifically, gas plants would run 34 to 61 percent more and coal plants 21 to 38 percent more compared to a scenario with no data center growth.
• The environmental and health impacts of data center load growth from 2026 to 2050 include an increase in mortalities (ranging from 68 to 403), health costs (between $1.23 billion and $2.07 billion), and climate damages (between $70 billion and $124 billion).
• Stronger policy interventions, such as the CO2 Reduction Policy and Restored Tax Credits scenarios, could significantly mitigate negative impacts by increasing in-state wind and solar capacity by 18 to 52 GW and battery storage by 6 to 15 GW by 2050.

APA

Gignac, J., Clemmer, S., Chavez, M., Dotson, S., Sattler, S., & Shaver, L. (2026). Data Center Power Play in Illinois. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/Data-Center-Power-Play-Illinois_0.pdf

Chicago

Gignac, James, Steve Clemmer, Maria Chavez, Samuel Dotson, Sandra Sattler, and Lee Shaver. Data Center Power Play in Illinois. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2026. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/Data-Center-Power-Play-Illinois_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{gignac2026data, author = {Gignac, James and Clemmer, Steve and Chavez, Maria and Dotson, Samuel and Sattler, Sandra and Shaver, Lee}, title = {{Data Center Power Play in Illinois}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/Data-Center-Power-Play-Illinois_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }