Coachella power capacity concerns raise bigger questions about valley growth

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) - Plans for 30 electric vehicle chargers at Rancho Las Flores Park are being dropped as the City of Coachella scales back a major expansion project — but city officials say money isn't the only issue.

City staff says Imperial Irrigation District currently does not have enough electrical capacity available to support the planned chargers.

It comes as Coachella's own EV charging study finds the city will need significantly more charging infrastructure as electric vehicle use grows.

But the demand for electricity isn't just coming from EVs.

New housing, businesses and other development will all require additional power — while massive users like data centers have raised new questions about just how much growth the existing electrical system can handle.

Coachella recently moved to prohibit data centers following months of debate over electricity demand, water use, infrastructure and potential costs to residents.

Now, California has approved new requirements aimed at addressing some of those concerns, while IID has adopted its own rules requiring major new power users to bear costs associated with the infrastructure and electricity needed to serve their projects.

That raises a bigger question for the eastern Coachella Valley: Can the power grid keep up with the amount of growth coming next?

News Channel 3 is getting answers from Coachella Mayor Frank Figueroa and IID about where electrical capacity is already becoming an issue, what upgrades are needed and whether existing customers could end up affected as demand grows.

With an election approaching, News Channel 3 is also reaching out to candidates for Coachella mayor about how they believe the city should balance continued development with limitations on electrical infrastructure.

And we're speaking with residents about what access to EV charging looks like right now — and whether concerns about the grid change how they view the city's push for more electric vehicles and future development.

Watch the full report today at 5 p.m. on News Channel 3.