A San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency board paper estimates a hypothetical data center could use six times Banning’s 2024 electricity use, highlighting local planning questions over power demand.
The model assumes a 100-megawatt IT load, the power used by computing and networking equipment. Agency intern and UC Berkeley student Jagger Mattox applied a 1.11 power usage effectiveness factor to estimate total facility consumption at 972 gigawatt-hours a year. California Energy Commission data list Banning’s 2024 electricity use at 160.73 gigawatt-hours.
The paper uses Banning as a comparison because similar municipal figures were available. It says the city was not consulted and is not identified as a potential project site.
The model puts direct, on-site water use at 419 acre-feet annually, or about 5% of Banning’s annual water consumption. It applies a weighted average of 0.59 liters per kilowatt-hour, based on company disclosures that are not specific to individual facilities. The estimate leaves out water associated with electricity generation and silicon production.
The paper says a project’s public benefit would depend on its tax arrangements and who pays for utility infrastructure. It warns that shifting infrastructure costs to existing ratepayers could affect residents.
The agency said in a Nov. 13 release that no data center projects had been brought forward in the San Gorgonio Pass area. It said it had taken no position on whether such facilities should be built locally.
Mattox presented the paper at the board’s July 20 meeting, and it was revised July 21. Board materials treated it as supplemental background; it was not adopted as an agency position. “Water suppliers cannot afford to plan only for the demands we already know,” agency General Manager Lance Eckhart said in the release.
