Data Centers & Large Loads:
Is Your Cooperative Ready to Communicate?

Data centers and other large-load developments are creating new questions for electric cooperatives—and for the members and communities they serve.

Will this affect my rates? Will there be enough power? Could reliability be impacted? Who decides whether a data center can be built?

When these questions arise, members will look to their cooperative for answers. Being prepared before a project is announced can help your cooperative communicate clearly, consistently and confidently—without getting pulled into speculation or debates outside of your cooperative's role.

Prepare Proactively. Communicate Strategically. Put Members First.

Inside Information recently brought together professionals from more than 40 electric cooperatives, G&Ts and statewide organizations for a series of virtual roundtable discussions about communicating around data centers and large-load development.

Those conversations revealed a common challenge: cooperatives need to be prepared to communicate before they have all the answers.

The most effective approach isn't about taking a position for or against data center development. It's about helping members understand the cooperative's role, how their interests are protected and where they can find reliable information as a project develops.

What Should Your Cooperative Be Prepared to Explain?

A strong communication strategy should help members understand:

• Rates and costs: How are costs associated with serving a large load allocated, and how are existing members protected?
• Reliability and capacity: How does the cooperative plan for significant new electric demand?
• The cooperative's role: What decisions belong to the cooperative—and which belong to developers, local governments, regulators or other entities?
• Obligation to serve: What responsibilities does the cooperative have when a qualifying customer requests electric service?
• Transparency and confidentiality: What information can the cooperative share, and why might some project information remain confidential?
• Without clear information from a trusted source, members may fill information gaps with social media, rumors or incomplete information. The goal isn't to win every debate. It's to make accurate information easy to find.

Download the Data Center & Large-Load Communication Guide

We've compiled insights from our cooperative roundtable discussions into a practical communication resource designed specifically for electric cooperatives.

Inside the Guide

You'll find:

• Three core messages for communicating with members
• A five-phase communication readiness framework
• The questions members are most likely to ask
• Guidance for creating a single source of truth
• Employee and CSR talking points
• Ready-to-use core messaging
• A communication checklist to use before publishing

DOWNLOAD THE DATA CENTER & LARGE-LOAD COMMUNICATION GUIDE

Don't Wait Until the Questions Start

The best time to establish your communication strategy is before a project becomes public.

Inside Information can help your cooperative develop member communications, FAQs, website content, surveys and communication strategies that make complex issues easier for members to understand.

Need help preparing your cooperative's data center or large-load communication strategy?

Contact Inside Information