Mastercard Powers Down to let Kansas City Power Up

By moving our KC Data Center off the power grid, we help residents stay warm

It’s record-breaking cold in Kansas City. So cold that the local power company has initiated 30 to 60-minute rolling blackouts in the metro area to conserve power, prevent long-term outages, and enable people to consistently heat their homes.

Mastercard is doing its part to help the city and residents by being a good corporate citizen. In recent days, we were asked to remove our Kansas City data center from the electrical grid and switch to our back-up solar panels and diesel generators. This switchover reduced demand on the grid and made more power available to the area during peak times. This was done quickly and easily, with no service disruptions to our stakeholders. An unintended benefit to this ask was that it provided yet another test of our network resiliency protocols. For those with any concerns, please know it was a test that we easily passed.

I am proud to work for a company that cares about the communities where we live and work. There was no question this was the right thing to do, so we did it. We were confident in our network and the processes we had in place, so there were no issues “flipping the switch.” State and local government was also impressed by our quick response and desire to help when called upon. There are similar plans in place should they be needed for the St. Louis region as well.

One of Mastercard’s core values is to be a “force for good.” It’s amazing to be a part of a company where it’s not just a catchy slogan, but how we actually do business.

It warms my heart, and I hope it does yours, too….not to mention Kansas City residents.