Is High-Voltage Grid Expansion Worth The Cost And The Problems?

The short-sightedness of allowing development to proceed in the hope that problems can be addressed when they arise will prove dangerous—to the environment and to the health of our citizens.

Janet Levy | September 16, 2026

As artificial intelligence (AI) usage escalates, the proliferation of data centers that power AI is fueling a ravenous thirst for electricity. A Department of Energy study estimates that by 2030, data centers alone would need 400 Terawatt-hours (TWh), 10% of America’s end-use in 2023. Expanding power grids to meet this demand will expose people, animals, and the environment to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), whose long-term effects are not sufficiently understood to assert that such exposure is harmless.

Early studies reported increased risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and developmental disorders, but these findings were later deemed unsubstantiated. Yet both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and WHO state that exposure to EMF must be limited, and that further research is needed. A 2008 paper in the British Columbia Medical Journal and other research cited by the National Cancer Institute have linked childhood leukemia to proximity to power lines.

Exposure to EMF can alter behavior, disrupt hormonal systems, and reduce reproduction in livestock, fish, and bees, while degrading biodiversity and accelerating the spread of invasive species. Land clearance for laying lines, building infrastructure, and maintenance leads to habitat destruction and animal displacement. Such work causes erosion, alters soil structure, and reduces aeration and microbial activity, affecting forests and farmland alike. The hum from substations, transformers, and power lines (caused in the latter by corona discharge, which also produces toxic gases) is another........

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