Glossary
Large load
A single customer, such as a data center, that draws an unusually large amount of power from the grid.
"Large load" is utility and regulator language for a customer whose electricity demand is big enough to affect grid planning, such as a data center, factory, or hydrogen plant. Each utility or grid operator sets its own size threshold.
Large loads matter because they can require new generation and transmission, which raises questions about who pays and whether other customers' bills go up. Regulators are writing special rules for them covering forecasting, cost sharing, and what happens in emergencies.
Utilities' forecasts of large-load demand often include speculative projects that may never be built, so headline demand forecasts can overstate what will arrive.
Read more: our explainer