Angry local opposition has sprouted against dozens of the behemoth data centers amid fears of rising electricity costs and irreparable damage to their communities.

Opponents of transmission projects are similarly motivated: they say the lines are intruding on the sanctity of private land and threatening long-lasting harm to sensitive public lands, farms, property values and pristine waterways — all for electricity that they don’t think benefits them.

Transmission projects have always faced challenges and yearslong permitting processes, and two decades of relatively flat power demand didn’t inject much urgency.

But analysts say the grid remains inefficient, aging and, with demand spiking, on the verge of causing widespread blackouts on the coldest or hottest days. Utilities contend that any new transmission line — even those driven primarily by large customers, like data centers or industrial sites — benefits everyone by adding capacity to the grid.