Power Play Episode 3 examines the clash between a surging AI industry and the communities that host new data centers. Scioto County residents learned only after the deal closed that a $1 billion Google facility would receive a 75% property-tax break for 15 years. The episode also scrutinizes a tech-CEO pledge claiming AI won’t raise household electricity bills and places these developments in historical context.
Power Play — Episode 3: Balance: Google’s Data Center, Local Tax Breaks, and AI’s Energy Promise
Power Play, a Quartz podcast on AI and the power grid
Episode 3 of Power Play continues Quartz’s six-part investigation into how the booming AI industry is reshaping the U.S. power grid and the communities that host new infrastructure.
What Happened In Scioto County
Residents of Scioto County, Ohio, discovered that a planned $1 billion Google data center was moving forward only after the deal had been finalized. To secure the project, county officials agreed to forgo 75% of the property’s tax revenue for 15 years — a large incentive that prompted debate about who benefits and who bears the costs.
Investigations And Context
Historian John Reeves places the current rush to build data centers and grid capacity in historical perspective, comparing it to past periods of rapid infrastructure expansion in the United States. Reporter Catherine Baab probes a high-profile pledge signed by technology CEOs that asserts "AI will not raise anyone’s electricity bill," examining the evidence and implications of that claim.
"AI will not raise anyone's electricity bill." — A pledge under scrutiny in this episode.
The episode explores tensions between local communities, government incentives, and corporate promises — asking whether the long-term costs and environmental impacts are being properly weighed against the economic benefits.
Credits And How To Listen
Power Play is produced by Quartz in partnership with The Capitalist Hippie. Reporting for this episode was contributed by Jackie Snow, Catherine Baab, and Joseph Zeballos-Roig. The episode is hosted by Marco Pimentel, produced by Simon Litt, and edited by Georgina Kemp Walker.
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Episode 4 is scheduled for release on September 29.
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