Google's Marsden Hanna says Google is committed to paying the incremental grid costs of its data centers
Google LLCTechnology company, through Marsden Hanna, its head of energy and sustainability policy, speaking at the State of the Net conference as reported by Broadband Breakfast
Marsden Hanna, Google's head of energy and sustainability policy, said on a conference panel that data centers should pay for the incremental cost of building out the grid to serve them and that Google is committed to doing so.
“Its incredibly important that data centers pay for the incremental costs that is needed to build out the grid to serve their capacity and that’s something we’re committed to doing at Google.”
Reporting
Other statements by Google LLC in this case
- Google says it pays for any new infrastructure costs directly driven by its growthLater: Defended or excused
- Google defends sharing the cost of grid upgrades with broad regional benefitsLater: Defended or excused
- Google objects to cost-shifting risks in MISO fast-track proposalLater: Condemned
Where this statement fits
Should Google have to pay the full cost of shared grid upgrades its data centers trigger?
On January 12, 2026, Google told Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Richard Blumenthal that it pays for all the electricity its data centers use and that it, not local residents, pays for new grid infrastructure required for its growth. On January 22, Warren said that paying an electricity bill is different from fully covering the infrastructure upgrade costs of Google's data centers. An October 2026 report by the three senators said the companies, including Google, commit to paying for infrastructure that serves only their facilities but not the full cost of wider network upgrades. In June 2026, testimony filed for Google in a Virginia utility case recommended letting large customers voluntarily pay the full upfront cost of the substations that serve them. On July 31, Virginia regulators ordered Dominion Energy to develop a policy assigning data centers the cost of the transmission that connects them, and Appalachian Power says revenue from Google's new load in Botetourt County will cover $264 million in upgrades. The dispute is over whether Google should pay the full cost of the shared grid upgrades its data centers trigger, rather than leaving part of that cost with other customers.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Broadband Breakfast report on a State of the Net conference panel held in Washington on February 9, 2026.
Before the quotation
Broadband Breakfast reported that a panel of technology industry representatives and think tank leaders at the State of the Net conference in Washington on February 9, 2026, said data centers would not drive up consumer energy prices. Hanna first said: "We don't get the upside of AI without the energy to power it".
After the quotation
The report then turns to Lindsey Griffith, chief executive of the climate policy think tank Clean Tomorrow, who said transmission remains the largest bottleneck in reducing energy costs.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Google should pay the full cost of the shared grid upgrades its data centers trigger, rather than leaving part of that cost with other customers. Hanna says data centers should pay for "the incremental costs that is needed to build out the grid to serve their capacity" and that Google is committed to doing that. That presents Google's commitments as covering the grid costs its data centers create, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, since he accepts that data centers should pay those costs; it loses because he says Google already meets that standard rather than conceding a gap.
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More from this case
Read the full caseWarren and colleagues challenge shared-cost shifting
“But data center developers have refused to commit to shouldering the full costs of wider network upgrades incurred due to their data centers. Put another way, the companies commit to paying for infrastructure that solely benefits them, but dispute how much they should pay for shared infrastructure that is paid for by all ratepayers but was only built to accommodate the data center.”Read statement
Appalachian Power says other customers are not expected to pay for the $264 million in grid upgrades for Google's Botetourt data center
Appalachian Power
“In this case, the project adds a large new customer load, which is expected to bring in enough additional revenue to cover the cost of the transmission line and substation upgrades. Because the added revenue is expected to offset those costs, other customers are not expected to pay more because of this work”Read statement
Data Center Coalition says data centers are already picking up more of the cost of transmission
Data Center Coalition
“This order will continue and likely accelerate the recent trend of large users like data centers picking up more of the cost for transmission infrastructure while the share of costs borne by residential ratepayers continues to decline”Read statement
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- Google's Marsden Hanna says Google is committed to paying the incremental grid costs of its data centers
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The Dispute Index. "Google's Marsden Hanna says Google is committed to paying the incremental grid costs of its data centers". First published: 2026-10-11. Last updated: 2026-10-11. https://disputeindex.com/events/5577-marsden-hanna-google-s-head-of-energy-and