Electricity prices are climbing, reliability is slipping, and utilities across the U.S. are warning about future shortages. But the reason behind it all is surprisingly simple: supply and demand are moving in opposite directions. In this episode, Russ breaks down why electricity is the most sensitive market in the economy — and why even small imbalances create higher prices, instability, and blackout risks.

We explain why supply is lagging:

• Retiring coal and gas plants without replacing them fast enough

• Fossil fuel plants taking years to build

• Nuclear taking decades

• Clean energy being the fastest option — but stuck behind slow permitting

• Interconnection queues jammed with thousands of gigawatts

• Transmission lines that take 7–12 years to complete Meanwhile, demand is exploding far faster than forecasts predicted:

• AI and data centers (fastest new load in U.S. history)

• Population growth

• Extreme heat and cold

• Electrification — EVs, heat pumps, building upgrades

Grid planners are sounding the alarm because this is now the fastest electricity demand growth in modern history, and supply simply isn’t keeping up. When demand outpaces supply — even briefly — the math guarantees higher prices and blackout risk.

Russ also previews upcoming episodes on:

• Why new fossil fuel plants and nuclear are too slow and too expensive to solve the crisis

• What clean energy solutions CAN scale fast enough

• What’s real — and what’s hype — in the nuclear debate

If you want to understand what’s really happening to U.S. electricity prices and the future of grid reliability, this episode breaks it down clearly. Subscribe to follow the full December “problem breakdown” series before we shift to January’s “solutions” episodes.