Can Data Centers Power Community Prosperity?
The arrival of a data center is often framed through a lens of scarcity, focusing on grid strain, land use, and resource consumption. This opening keynote challenges that narrative by exploring how utilities can reposition data center integration as a once-in-a-generation catalyst for local economic resilience and shared progress. By shifting the perspective from managing load to anchoring opportunity, utilities can demonstrate how these facilities serve as the backbone of a modern, thriving community.

The Power of the Positive: Repositioning the Impact of Data Centers on Communities
Following the keynote, our opening panel explores the importance of proactive communication. We will discuss how to not only avoid negative headlines but turn them into proof points for community value. Panelists will detail the tangible benefits of data center projects—from subsidizing residential infrastructure to anchoring high-tech job ecosystems. They will also highlight the risks of losing control of the narrative, where silence from the utility allows community assumptions to drive the conversation. This session provides utility executives with the leadership strategies needed to communicate long-term tax base growth and shared value to community stakeholders.