// Power — cost-allocation explainer, rebuilt on the real HB 2992 mechanism // (2026-08-02). The prior version's 78/22/0 cost-allocation bar had no // source anywhere — not in the statute, the Corporation Commission's own // summary, or contemporaneous reporting (including a dedicated Oklahoma // fact-check). It's gone. This version explains what the law actually // requires (75 MW+ threshold, a dedicated large-load tariff, stranded-cost // protection, a real effective date) and drops "$0 added to your bill" as // an absolute — the honest version is that large-load tariffs cover costs // directly allocated to the project, but that doesn't automatically // insulate ratepayers from a separate, unrelated rate case tied to // aggregate demand growth. See docs/research/2026-08-02-elephants-evidence-briefs.md §2. function Power() { const ref = useRef(null); const [inView, setInView] = useState(false); useEffect(() => { if (!ref.current) return; const io = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => { entries.forEach(e => { if (e.isIntersecting) { setInView(true); io.disconnect(); } }); }, { threshold: .3 }); io.observe(ref.current); return () => io.disconnect(); }, []); // What HB 2992 actually requires — each line traceable to the OCC's own // summary or the signed statute, not an invented percentage split. const mechanism = [ { t: '75 MW+ threshold', d: 'Applies to a new data center, crypto-mining, or AI-computing facility contracting for 75 megawatts or more at a single interconnection point. Residential, commercial, agricultural, and traditional industrial customers are explicitly excluded.' }, { t: 'Dedicated tariff', d: 'Utilities must establish a separate tariff for large-load customers, including credit requirements before service begins.' }, { t: 'Stranded-cost protection', d: 'The tariff must ensure the large load reimburses the utility for costs fairly allocated to it — including costs that could go unrecovered if the customer leaves the system or materially cuts its load.' }, { t: '60-day public notice', d: 'Developers must notify the Corporation Commission, county commissioners, and property owners within five miles before or after large land purchases, plus a published notice and a public meeting.' }, ]; return (

{/* Heading row — same pattern as canonical sections */}

09 Power & the grid

State law says{' '} large loads pay their own way.

Who pays for the new power lines?

Oklahoma's 2026 ratepayer-protection law requires a large new electricity user like this one to sign a dedicated tariff covering the infrastructure its own load requires — including protection against costs left behind if it leaves.

Signed into law · effective July 1, 2026 Oklahoma HB 2992 Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026

{/* Mechanism — what the law actually requires, in its own terms */}

What HB 2992 requires

{mechanism.map((m, i) => (

{String(i + 1).padStart(2, '0')}

{m.t}

{m.d}

))}

{/* Honest ledger — what the project covers vs. what the law doesn't guarantee */}

— What this project would fund

Infrastructure built specifically to serve the campus.

{String(i + 1).padStart(2, '0')}

{it.t}

{it.d}

— What it doesn't guarantee

Not a blanket promise that rates never move.

A dedicated large-load tariff covers costs directly allocated to this project — it isn't billed to existing customers. But that's a different thing from a broader, unrelated rate case. In one real Oklahoma example, a utility separately sought roughly $10/month increases for all customers, citing $1.2 billion in infrastructure investment driven partly (not solely) by data-center and other large-industrial demand growth. The fair question for any specific line item is which category it falls into.

Where to verify The large-load tariff is filed publicly with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, by docket number.

{/* How you check — audit beat */}

How you check Oklahoma HB 2992 and the utility's filed large-load tariff docket. Public record. Applies to new data centers, AI computing facilities, and cryptocurrency mining operations adding 75 MW or more after July 1, 2026. Source: Oklahoma Corporation Commission official summary; corroborated by NonDoc (Mar. 2026), DataCenterKnowledge, and KGOU/KOSU (May 2026) reporting.

); } window.Power = Power;