Multiple AI data center projects converging on single power corridor in Oklahoma City metropolitan region.

Amid the farm fields of northwest Oklahoma City, a convergence of high-voltage power lines has attracted the attention of two data center developers, each seeking to build at the western terminus of a new $72 million transmission project.

The Mathewson Substation—a complex of power lines and equipment on NW 248th Street near Piedmont in southeastern Kingfisher County—has become a highly sought location to tap into Oklahoma's power grid.

"That's one of the strongest points on the electrical grid in the state of Oklahoma," said Aaron Bilyeu, chief development officer with Houston-based Cloverleaf Infrastructure, which is seeking to build a large-scale data center for artificial intelligence in Piedmont.

For years, grid planners grappled with a problem most Oklahomans never knew existed: power flowing into the western side of the Oklahoma City metro area could become congested during periods of heavy demand or when transmission resources are unavailable. The Southwest Power Pool, the regional organization coordinating the electric grid across a 14-state region including Oklahoma, identified a solution: a new 345-kilovolt transmission line connecting the Mathewson Substation with the Redbud Energy Facility near Luther.

Today, that corridor is attracting a different kind of attention. In addition to Cloverleaf, Atlanta-based Beltline Energy, a renewable energy and industrial development company, has proposed data center projects in Piedmont, Yukon, Oklahoma City and Luther. Beltline declined repeated opportunities to discuss its Oklahoma plans.

Bilyeu described his company's approach as similar to that of a shopping center developer: identify a location, build the facility, and find an occupant later—potentially Google, Meta, Microsoft, or someone else entirely. But like retail developers, Cloverleaf understands that location is critical. "From an electrical engineering perspective, that really is a great place for a data center," Bilyeu said. "Which is why we've optioned the land that we have directly adjacent to it."

Data centers have always consumed large amounts of electricity, but artificial intelligence is changing the scale. The newest generation of AI-focused facilities can consume hundreds of megawatts. The largest projects require as much electricity as a small city.

"There's not many locations on the grid that can actually serve them without triggering massive transmission upgrades," said Jonathan Abebe, chief technical officer with Cloverleaf. Developers first look for locations connected to robust high-voltage transmission systems capable of supporting large electrical loads. New transmission projects can take years to permit and build, making existing infrastructure especially valuable.

Multiple 345-kilovolt lines converge at the Mathewson Substation, creating a major node on the regional grid. To developers seeking large amounts of reliable power, those connections carry the importance that highways, rail lines, and waterways held for earlier generations of industrial development.

The transmission infrastructure attracting developers today was not originally designed for them. Seth Blomeley, senior communications strategist for Southwest Power Pool, said the Mathewson-Redbud project emerged from transmission-planning processes years before data centers became a major planning consideration.

"This line will provide a path for load to also be served from the east," Blomeley said. "That additional transmission source will greatly benefit the customers in the area, especially during times of stress in the system."

In May 2025, SPP selected Transource Oklahoma to construct the approximately 38-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line, with expected entry into service in 2027. Michael Harris, a Transource Oklahoma outreach specialist, said relieving congestion gives grid operators more flexibility to move electricity around the system when demand spikes, equipment fails, or severe weather disrupts operations.

"By adding capacity and improving network resiliency, projects like Mathewson-Redbud give the grid more flexibility to serve growth while maintaining reliable electric service," Harris said.

While projects like Mathewson-Redbud are planned primarily to meet reliability needs, Harris acknowledged that stronger transmission infrastructure can influence economic development decisions. Reliable transmission service is an important consideration for large industrial and technology projects with significant electricity requirements.

Oklahoma State University industrial engineering professor Sunderesh Heragu compared the phenomenon to building a new highway, where new infrastructure often attracts additional activity and investment. "It is very likely that new transmission corridors will attract more customers requiring more energy, until the supply-demand finds an equilibrium," Heragu said.

Transmission planners generally anticipate such growth when designing major projects. Utilities and regional grid operators evaluate projected demand as part of the planning process, helping to ensure new infrastructure continues serving its intended purpose even as additional customers arrive.

The story unfolding between Piedmont and Luther reflects a much larger shift across the central United States. In its 2025 Integrated Transmission Planning Assessment, Southwest Power Pool identified accelerating load growth as the largest driver of future transmission needs across its 14-state service area.

For decades, annual electricity demand growth remained modest. Then came a wave of new large-load customers: projects replacing older systems with electric ones, new manufacturing facilities, and data centers seeking service at a pace outstripping the traditional timeline for building transmission infrastructure.

This surge is changing how planners think about the transmission grid itself. For nearly two decades, Southwest Power Pool expanded a regional network built around 345-kilovolt transmission lines, creating a backbone serving Oklahoma and a region stretching from Montana to portions of New Mexico and Arkansas. But planners now argue that projected growth is large enough to require a leap forward.

The latest planning assessment concludes that continuing to rely primarily on 345-kilovolt construction would become increasingly costly and inefficient as demand accelerates.

"Continuing down the path of building only 345 kV transmission would require four to seven times more infrastructure to deliver the same capacity as 765 kV," the report states.

SPP compares local transmission lines to city streets and higher voltage lines like the 345-kilovolt systems at Mathewson to highways. A proposed 765-kilovolt system would serve as an interstate network capable of moving far larger amounts of electricity over long distances. As demand rises, planners argue, adding more lower-voltage lines would be akin to widening local roads when an entirely new interstate highway is needed.

"The best path forward to address the challenges the SPP members are facing is to invest in new extra-high-voltage 'expressways'—a 765 kV backbone capable of carrying large amounts of power quickly and reliably across the footprint," the report states.

Without such investments, SPP warns that growing electrical demand could lead to increasing congestion, reliability concerns, and higher costs for consumers. SPP projects demand within its region will nearly double over the next decade.