Arizona Data Center Construction Drives Infrastructure Demand

Energy Secretary Chris Wright's powerful press conference on grid reliability and affordability during recent winter storms highlights the importance of common-sense energy policies at the state and national level. Key takeaways: Natural gas, coal, and nuclear delivered when it mattered most - powering through record demand with minimal outages compared to past crises. Renewables like wind fell short exactly when needed, underscoring the risks of over-reliance on intermittent sources. Wright credits proactive steps - reversing premature plant retirements, mobilizing backups, and coordinating rapid restorations - for keeping the lights on for millions. He also emphasizes the importance of infrastructure projects - like the Constitution Pipeline - to maintain reliability and improve affordability. A clear message: Prioritizing reliable, affordable energy for Americans works. https://lnkd.in/gNkPCW55

Everyone points to data centers being the culprit to rising electricity prices but neglect to recognize the generation that has been shut down due to aging infrastructure, economic competition, and environmental and regulatory compliance costs.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public utility in the United States, has signaled a major policy shift: it no longer intends to move forward with the planned closure of the Kingston and Cumberland coal-fired power plants. The change comes just ahead of a board meeting now that a quorum has been restored following new appointments under the Donald Trump administration. Instead of setting firm retirement dates, TVA is proposing to keep the coal units online while still adding new natural gas capacity at both sites. The utility had previously committed to retiring its remaining coal fleet by 2035 as part of its carbon reduction strategy. However, citing regulatory changes and rapidly increasing electricity demand, TVA says it is reassessing its timeline. Serving around 10 million customers across seven states, the utility argues that maintaining coal generation—alongside new gas investments—will help ensure grid reliability and affordability amid surging load growth, particularly from data centers and industrial expansion. Environmental advocates have strongly criticized the move, questioning both the transparency of the decision-making process and TVA’s long-term decarbonization credibility. The Kingston site, notably, was the location of a major coal ash spill in 2008, making the extension particularly controversial. Critics argue that doubling down on fossil fuels by keeping coal while expanding gas undermines cleaner transition pathways centered on renewables and storage. TVA maintains its long-term target of reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2035 (from 2005 levels) and reaching net-zero by 2050, with a strategic focus on nuclear power and next-generation reactors. Yet this latest development underscores the tension between climate commitments, political shifts, and the realities of fast-growing electricity demand in the AI era. The outcome of the board’s upcoming vote could shape not only TVA’s generation mix, but also broader U.S. energy transition dynamics. #EnergyTransition #CoalPower #NaturalGas #USUtilities #Decarbonization

NERC President and CEO Jim Robb gave the keynote speech at CSIS’s “Powering National Renewal and Reinvigorating the Grid,” where he discussed challenges to the reliability landscape as laid out in NERC’s Long-Term Reliability Assessment (LTRA), highlighting expanding resource adequacy challenges facing North America due to load growth, generation retirements, and insufficient new resource development. “Every year since 2018—when we've done this assessment—we've seen more and more areas show risk of unserved energy and the seriousness of that risk growing,” warned Robb. To mitigate reliability shortfalls during seasonal extremes, Robb stressed the importance of critical infrastructure investment, retention of essential reliability services and energy supply, and development and deployment of nuclear energy and long-duration energy storage. https://lnkd.in/dTyzTupR

🌍 Insights from the World Economic Forum video on Energy Security! We are undeniably entering the Age of Electricity, characterized by electricity demand growing nearly three times faster than overall energy demand. Over the next decade, the electricity demand will be driven primarily by three accelerating forces: AI data centers, air conditioning, and electric mobility. This surge will increasingly have to be met through a balanced mix of renewables, natural gas, and nuclear power. However, merely adding generation capacity is insufficient. Our transmission systems must evolve to support new load patterns and manage rising intermittency. Grid-scale batteries will play a pivotal role in unlocking true transmission capacity, while AI-enabled grid intelligence will enhance operational efficiency and system reliability. Additionally, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are emerging as a promising option to cater to future demand profiles. A crucial takeaway from the recent World Economic Forum video on Energy Security is that energy security must be elevated to the level of national security. As global competition for energy, materials, and technologies intensifies, resilience becomes as critical as availability, affordability, and sustainability. Strengthening the resilience of fuels, grids, and supply chains will be essential to navigating the geopolitical and market shocks ahead. 👉 Watch the full video here: [Energy Security - World Economic Forum](https://ow.ly/HVBI50YcZcX) #EnergySecurity #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #Electricity #PowerAndEnergy #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #FutureOfEnergy

Proud to have our GLOW Strategies opinion published in the San Francisco Chronicle: https://lnkd.in/gE__8kfg Jeffrey Donovan and I wrote it because we care deeply about where #California’s #energy system is heading, and about the real-world outcomes it must deliver for people: #affordability, #reliability, and #cleanpower that actually shows up when it’s needed. California’s 50-year moratorium on new #nuclearpower made sense in its time. But the world has changed. Electricity demand is rising, costs are climbing, and an energy system built largely on intermittent resources needs firm, clean capacity to remain reliable and affordable. This isn’t an abstract policy debate. The moratorium has real consequences for bills, reliability, and #emissions, and it limits California’s ability to even consider technologies that are far safer and more cost-effective than when the ban was written. After our recent conversations in Napa with state leaders, agencies, utilities, labor, industry, and community voices, one message came through clearly: energy policy can’t be driven by nostalgia or ideology. It has to be judged on performance. If California wants to lead again — not just in ambition, but in delivery — it’s time for a fresh, honest look at the nuclear moratorium and whether it still serves the future we’re trying to build. 🧵 Read our piece here: https://lnkd.in/gE__8kfg https://lnkd.in/gRjenGFH #California #EnergyPolicy #Affordability #Reliability #CleanEnergy

Grid Inertia is the key to resilience. “Converting a retired thermal generator into a synchronous condenser by removing the turbine is also an option. Conversion means repurposing already-existing assets, which makes good use of previous investments and generally allows grid connection on short notice.” https://lnkd.in/eXwJr3sp

"Read between the headlines, and you'll find TVA's positive influence across all 80,000 square miles of its territory," writes Site Selection Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Adam Bruns in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Intelligence Report from our January issue. "Blockbuster projects and plans have a way of nudging day-to-day victories out of the spotlight. In much the same way, news emanating from big cities can obscure our view of all the good things happening in smaller cities, towns and rural areas." The TVA services all of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia and has attracted over $6.6 billion in investment to the region. The federally-owned electricity provider saw pioneering projects in nuclear energy, including its first Gen IV nuclear power purchase agreement and support for a commercial fusion plant, and expects to create over 9,000 new jobs as a result of its FY2025 economic development work. In 2024, the organization and its economic development team attracted 10,368 new jobs, with 42,300 retained jobs and $8.9 billion in capital investment. To learn about the host of other work by TVA, read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/egRztCsX #siteselection #tennesseevalleyauthority #energynews

❄️ The February edition of Power Moves is here!     January closed with the coldest temperatures the U.S. has seen in decades as Winter Storm Fern swept across the country—sending electricity demand soaring and putting the power grid to the test.    This month, we explore how independent power producers worked to keep generation online and deliver reliable power when it was needed most.    Here’s what’s inside:   📊Key takeaways from North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)’s 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment.  📉 What PJM Interconnection’s 2027/2028 BRA results signals about future generation needs.  ️🏛️ EPSA’s statement on the Trump Administration’s plan to expand large-scale power generation.  ⚡How Constellation and Vistra Corp. are helping to lead America’s nuclear renaissance with the restart of Constellation’s Crane Clean Energy Center and Vistra’s deal with Meta. + Constellation’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy Mason Emnett joins the Energy Solutions��podcast.   🔌Competitive Power News: The latest developments from competitive power generators as they deploy capital to meet the moment.   📢 Plus – We are less than one month away from the 2026 Competitive Power Summit! Secure your spot for March 3 in Washington DC: tinyurl.com/45ccseup     Don’t miss the full issue of Power Moves—your monthly go-to for the latest on competitive power and grid reliability: tinyurl.com/msv43bnr    Subscribe on LinkedIn or get it in your inbox👉tinyurl.com/mvucbfde    #EPSA #CompetitivePower #PowerMarkets #PJM #GridReliability  #NuclearEnergy #LoadGrowth #EnergySolutions 

Major federal funding news for the buildings and energy efficiency community: the FY2026 appropriations package was recently signed into law. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gZQPE5_d While the bill includes notable cuts to portions of the Department of Energy and EPA budgets, it also delivers key wins, including increased investments in nuclear energy, grid security, and the DOE Office of Science, and, most importantly, $32 million in dedicated funding to sustain the ENERGY STAR program. Thanks to strong advocacy from GBI and industry partners, Congress not only preserved ENERGY STAR, but provided its first-ever specific line item of funding, sending a clear signal about the value of voluntary, public-private energy efficiency initiatives for the buildings sector. We'll continue tracking the implementation of vital programs such as ENERGY STAR as the fiscal year continues, and will be starting our review of the next fiscal year federal budget request, which may come in late February or early March. #EnergyStar #GreenBuilding #EnergyEfficiency