Wyoming’s Energy Revolution: 5× State’s Household Power Feeding AI’s Colossal Appetite

While the rest of America argues about energy policy, Wyoming‘s quietly pumping out twelve times more power than it uses. That’s right, twelve times. The state hit 4,357 GWh in December 2024 alone – a 9.8% jump from the previous year. Not bad for a place most people associate with cowboys and empty highways.

The old guard’s taking a beating though. Coal electricity dropped 9.6% year-over-year, and nobody’s building new coal plants anymore. Wyoming’s still America’s coal king, sure, but the crown’s getting rusty. The state’s aging coal-fired power plants are becoming increasingly expensive to operate, pushing utilities to look elsewhere.

Natural gas? Different story. December saw a ridiculous 159.6% spike in gas-powered electricity generation. Spot prices shot up 176.5% to $4.19 per million BTU by March 2025. Someone’s making money.

Natural gas electricity generation exploded 159.6% while spot prices skyrocketed to $4.19 per million BTU

But here’s where it gets interesting. Renewables jumped 24.1% in just one year. The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre project alone will pump out 3.5 GW when it’s done – that’s massive. Construction starts winding up between 2029 and 2031, bringing 850 construction jobs and 114 permanent positions. The state’s looking at $850 million in tax revenue over the project’s lifetime. Not pocket change.

Rail Tie Wind’s throwing $500 million into Albany County, aiming for 500+ MW by 2026. Another $176 million in projected taxes. Dutchman’s solar-plus-storage facility adds nearly 500 MW more in Converse County by 2028.

Add them all up, and clean energy projects are dropping over $1 billion in combined state and local tax revenues by 2031.

Wyoming’s betting big on feeding America’s AI data centers. Those server farms need power – lots of it. With these facilities projected to consume 1,050 terawatts of electricity by 2026, Wyoming’s energy boom couldn’t be better timed. The state’s “all-above” approach basically means they’ll take electricity from anywhere they can get it. Coal’s dying, gas is surging, renewables are exploding, and Wyoming’s selling it all.

The Big, Beautiful Bill threatens to kill renewable tax credits, potentially jacking up electricity rates by 29%. But Wyoming keeps building. While politicians debate, the state’s already transforming its energy game. Turns out you can teach an old energy dog new tricks. Who knew?