I-TEAM: JEA faces massive power requests from data centers eyeing Jacksonville

Data center companies scouting locations across the country have set their sights on Jacksonville — and the power demands they’re bringing with them are staggering.A full year of public records obtained by the News4Jax I-TEAM reveals just how much electricity these companies are requesting from JEA, and how the utility is responding.One request, enough power for 700,000 homesIn September 2024, JEA received an inquiry from Cecil LMNO requesting 1,248 megawatts of power — enough electricity to light up approximately 700,000 Jacksonville homes, or more than 100 NFL stadiums the size of EverBank Field.That request was the highest single power demand uncovered in the year of records reviewed by the I-TEAM. While other data center proposals requested smaller amounts, many still exceeded JEA’s maximum single-customer power load.Jordan Pope, JEA’s interim Chief Administrative Officer, addressed the challenge head-on.“And here at JEA, while we’re investing in our future infrastructure and futur