power demand

14Jan

An AI Power Tipping Point

The AI and data center boom is now driving the electricity and affordability crisis. Just this week, President Trump took to Truth Social to show he’s focused on the challenge, writing, “I never want Americans to pay higher electricity bills because of data centers.” He added that his team is now working with technology companies […]
08Jan

A New Record

Despite years of forecasts of imminent decline, coal demand keeps growing. While the final numbers aren’t in, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently found global coal demand was on track to rise by 0.5% in 2025, reaching a record 8.85 billion tonnes. With energy affordability and security globally paramount, the irreplaceability of coal shouldn’t be that surprising. […]
19Nov

Surging Power Demand Adds to Winter Reliability Woes

New analysis sees U.S. peak power demand jumping a stunning 166 gigawatts (GW) in the next five years. The surge in new demand comes overwhelming from data centers. To put this new demand into perspective, the jump is equivalent to 15 times the peak demand of New York City. The estimate comes from Grid Strategies, […]
15Oct

Coal Demand is Up and Utilities Recognize the Value of their Plants

U.S. coal generation is roaring. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. electric power sector consumed 15% more coal in the first half of 2025 than in the first half of 2024. Higher electricity demand and higher natural gas prices are driving the uptick. And it’s these two dynamics – along with ongoing […]
01Oct

Coal’s Moment

This may be hard to digest for some, but the United States needs to ramp up both coal production and coal powered generation. As the coal fleet quietly and repeatedly proves itself to be a critically important tool to address eroding grid reliability during times of maximum demand, it’s past time to recognize the value […]
10Sep

Can We Win the AI Race and Shield Consumers from Rising Power Prices?

Every week brings more news about surging power demand, rising electricity prices and the need for more dispatchable power. Political frustration with rising prices is beginning to collide with the desire to win the AI race and build the data center infrastructure needed to support this remarkable technological moment. In the latest sign of the […]
11Jun

Aligning Energy and Regulatory Policy with the AI Moment

It has become hard to overstate the impact AI and data centers are having on the power sector. This is an industrial revolution on an extraordinary scale. At a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) conference on grid reliability last week, regulators and grid operators once again sounded the alarm over the challenges they collectively face […]
21May

A Demand and Price Shock

As electricity prices continue to rise and grid reliability warnings proliferate, electricity demand projections are only growing more aggressive. A new report from consulting group ICF International sees U.S. electricity demand jumping 25% by 2030 and 78% by 2050 compared to 2023. That surge in demand will have huge impacts on already teetering reliability and […]
19Feb

Manufacturers Join the Chorus: Keep the Coal Fleet Open

In just a matter of weeks, momentum has swung decisively in favor of preserving the coal fleet. First, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman, Mark Christie, put out a statement saying the nation must “stop the premature retirement of dispatchable generation.” He was followed by the Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, who said the U.S. should […]
05Feb

Power Demand Math Doesn’t Work Without Coal  

The nation’s grid operators are now forecasting 8.2 percent growth in electricity demand over just the next five years, largely driven by the rapid addition of AI data centers. That’s equivalent to hooking up nearly 50 million homes to the grid by 2029. It’s no secret, U.S. power supplies are already alarmingly tight, particularly in periods of […]