Big tech and its data centers are upending the electric utility world. Data centers aren’t only demanding and using more and more power, but they are also changing the structure of the industry.

They are a force throughout the system behind the meter, in front of the meter, and as a driver for more nuclear (both fission and fusion), renewables and any carbon-free electricity. 

They are a hegemon to be reckoned with. They have tremendous financial resources, political influence and are certain of their role in reshaping the future with artificial intelligence.

Along the way, they are reshaping the electric utility industry:

• They provide endless demand for steady 24/7 power, and they are precise about the nature of that power: They are historically carbon-adverse, reluctant about fossil fuels.
• They are a force in the future technologies that will shape the utilities; nuclear, wind, solar and batteries. 

Note this: Batteries have gained a new essentiality. Not only do they undergird the utilities in times of stress and help them through the high-demand hours at the end of the day, but they also are incorporated into every data center, silently supporting the ability of the centers to operate, even during periods of power failure.

But batteries and their role in the U.S. electricity system need regulatory reform. They need to be recognized as separate components with their value and pricing determined according by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state regulators.

Some utilities and the battery industry are lobbying for this reform — and the pressure is rising.

The role of big tech as generators is a threat to the old order. There is concern in some quarters that the big tech companies, in their hunger for green power, are buying up the output of wind and solar farms, and solar installations. 

The role of data centers and the reshaping of the electric utility industry by the big tech companies and their needs will be examined at the next United States Energy Association virtual press briefing on Wednesday, August 20, at 11 a.m. EDT.

As usual, a panel of senior journalists who write about energy will question a panel of experts. This time, the experts will be from the data centers, the big techs, and the utilities that serve them and are being transformed by them. 

The good and the bad are both bound to come up. PG&E is hoping that by serving small data centers, it can reduce rates, while others fear rates will have to rise with all of the new demand-driven construction.

The Experts:

• Karen Ornelas, Director, Large Load Program Management, Pacific Gas & Electric
• Bud Albright, Senior Adviser on Energy, National AI Association
• Derek Bentley, Partner, Solomon Partners
• Clinton Vince, Head of the U.S. Energy Practice, Dentons
• Jeff Weiss, Executive Chairman, Distributed Sun and truCurrent
• John Howes, Principal, Redland Energy Group
• Tom Wilson, Principal Technical Executive, EPRI
• Tom Falcone, President, Large Public Power Council

The Journalists:

• Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Timothy Gardner, Reuters
• Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
• Matt Chester, Energy Central

Natural gas, always a favorite with electric utilities, has been lifted to dominance in the energy mix by the Trump administration. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has roundly attacked the economics and viability of wind and solar energy, most recently in an op-ed in the New York Post.

Wright will get pushback from utilities and the renewable energy industry, but for practical purposes going forward the United States is committed to reliance on oil, coal and natural gas: the fossil fuel triumvirate. Nuclear power also gets DOE’s nod. Oil is unlikely to be a primary fuel for utilities, except in rare emergencies. Coal has prescribed limits. They include the disinclination of utilities to build new coal plants or to encourage the opening of new mines. They fear new coal is a liability and could become a stranded asset under a different administration. Natural gas is the favored fuel of utilities on cost, ease of installation, maintenance and reliability. But it has some problems. Natural gas produces greenhouse gases, has pipeline leakage problems, and is opposed by states and localities seeking a zero-emissions future.

Potential legal battles are forming over the use of natural gas in some locations where state law has mandated only renewables going forward. Building new pipelines — desperately needed to get natural gas from the shale fields where it is abundant to the markets where it is needed — is as hard as it is to build new transmission lines, harder in most cases. Environmentalists, heavily committed to renewables, are opposed to natural gas but like it more than coal. However, Louisiana has declared natural gas a green fuel and this is a growing trend. There have been similar suggestions of reclassification in Europe.

Carbon capture — in the early stage at some utilities — may give natural gas recognition as a green fuel. Meanwhile natural gas is the new king in electricity generation, usurping its cousin, coal.  The supply is plentiful. The need is palpable. The electric utility acceptance is near-universal. Trump administration support is overwhelming. Beyond gas delivery, turbines and other supply chain items are in short supply and subject to delivery times of up to five years; siting is still a local matter; and concern over global warming grows exponentially.

The United States Energy Association, which is fuel-neutral, will examine natural gas and its future here and abroad at its next virtual press briefing on Wednesday, July 9, at 11 a.m. EDT. 
As usual, a panel of senior journalists who cover energy will interview a panel of industry experts on the subject before the house. 

Llewellyn King, syndicated columnist and broadcaster, has organized and will moderate the briefing. USEA President and CEO Mark Menezes, a former Deputy Secretary of Energy, will be on hand to contribute his deep knowledge of energy. 

The Experts:

• Rudy Garza, President and CEO, CPS Energy, San Antonio
• Branko Milicevic, Secretary, Group of Experts on Gas, UN Economic Commission for Europe
• Austin Hastings, Vice President, Gas Engineering, PG&E
• Michael Caravaggio, Vice President, Energy Supply, EPRI
• Dustin Meyer, Senior Vice President, Policy, Economics & Regulatory Affairs, API
• Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director, Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, The Heritage Foundation

The Reporters:

• Rod Kuckro, Freelance
• Tim Gardner, Reuters
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Matt Chester, Energy Central
• Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
• Alex Procyk, Oil & Gas Journal
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS

There was already a feeling in the nuclear power industry that a great leap in the fortunes of the industry was at hand. But President Donald Trump has escalated those hopes with four executive orders.Trump seeks to cut the time it takes to get a reactor license to a short 18 months. He is calling for the construction of 10 large reactors of the type now in use. And he is endorsing everything along the nuclear power chain, from uranium mining to waste disposal to the deployment of small modular reactors.In all, the president wants to quadruple nuclear power production by 2050.It is exciting. It is breathtaking. It is dramatic. It is needed.But is it feasible?Definitely some new reactors are likely to be built, driven by the big tech companies that are desperate for the power for their data centers and prepared to use some of their wealth to that end. Witness Microsoft’s commitment to restarting the undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, and Meta’s commitment to extend the life of the Clinton Plant in Illinois by 20 years.The question is whether the big techs go all the way and change the landscape by commissioning new-build nuclear plants. Also, will the administration provide “backstop” guarantees for first-of-a-kind new plants, especially SMRs?The United States Energy Association’s virtual press briefing, set for Wednesday, June 11, at 11 a.m. EDT, will examine the new golden age of nuclear power when senior reporters who cover energy will question nuclear power experts in a collegial atmosphere.These briefings, which are broadcast live on Zoom, are open to the press and the public. They are free, but registration is required.Following the briefings, a recording is available on the USEA website usea.org and the Energy Central website energycentral.com. Also, recordings can be found on Apple and Spotify.The briefings are organized and moderated by Llewellyn King in collaboration with USEA President and CEO Mark Menezes.On the June 11 expert panel:James Schaefer, Guggenheim PartnersScott Hunnewell, VP of New Nuclear, TVACyril Draffin, Senior Fellow for Advanced Nuclear, U.S. Nuclear Industry CouncilShanthi Muthiah, Managing Director and Senior VP, ICFJames Walker, CEO, NANO NuclearSteve Chengelis, VP, Energy Supply and Nuclear Development, EPRIBenton Arnett, Senior Director of Markets and Policy, NEIThe reporter panel:Matthew Daly, The Associated PressJennifer Hiller, The Wall Street JournalTim Gardner, ReutersMatt Chester, Energy CentralWilliam Freebairn, S&P GlobalMarkham Hislop, Energi (Canada)

The United States Energy Association will examine new, transformative technologies which are entering the electric utility space at its next virtual press briefing, set for Wednesday, May 7, at 11 a.m. EDT.

The format for these briefings is well-established: A panel of experts is interviewed by a panel of senior reporters who cover energy. Ideally, reporters get information for a story they can write that day or bank for future stories.

The May 7 briefing will look at a panoply of new technologies coming down the pike for utilities, including the incorporation of AI agents in many aspects of their operations, small modular reactors, fusion, new conductors, new low-head hydro, solutions to inertia problems, storage in all forms, and distributed energy applications and tools.

These new technologies are being developed at a time when electricity is rising in importance and demand is increasing with AI data centers and new uses.

As usual for this briefing series, Mark Menezes, USEA President and CEO, and a Deputy Secretary of Energy in the first Trump Administration, will be on hand to contribute his experience and deep knowledge of energy and electric utilities. Journalist and broadcaster Llewellyn King, who is well known in the energy and electric utility sectors, organizes and moderates the briefings.

“This time round, we have an extraordinary lineup of experts and senior energy writers,” King said.

On the experts panel:

• Ted Ko, Founder and Executive Director, EPDI
• Ron Schoff, Director of R&D, EPRI
• Jason Huang, CEO and Co-founder, TS Conductor
• Chris Ritter, Division Director, Scientific Computing and AI, Idaho National Laboratory 
• Key Han, President and Chief Scientist, DD Motion
• Ravindra Vora, CEO, Transventure Energy LLC 
• Kevin Wolf, CEO and Co-founder, Windharvest.com
• Bryan Spear, CEO, Technosylva
• Whit Irvin Jr., President and CEO, Q Hydrogen

On the reporters panel:

• Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
• Vijay Vaitheeswaram, The Economist
• Matt Chester, Energy Central
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Evan Halper, The Washington Post

The tumult produced by President Trump’s global tariffs has added a new urgency to the United States Energy Association’s next virtual press briefing.

The briefing, which is set for Wednesday, April 16 at 11 a.m. EDT, will examine the utility industry under the rubric of “New Challenges, Old Trajectories.” It will be broadcast live on Zoom and is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

This briefing, part of a monthly series, will be especially critical because of the impact on the electrical supply chain of the Trump tariffs. This could outweigh the administration’s easing of environmental regulations and its coolness to the trajectory of carbon reduction that utilities have been following.

There is also the question of electricity imports which are so important to New England and other states along the northern border.

At least one Canadian province, Ontario, has talked about cutting off electricity imports even if electricity is exempted from the tariffs.

Particularly at stake is bulk electrical equipment, including transformers and turbines which are imported. Supply chains were already stressed as the industry looks to build new generation, improve and upgrade transmission, and meet rapidly increasing demand.

Aluminum from Canada is of concern because it is vital in transmission expansion and upgrading.

Some utilities are wondering if they will get the government funds they obtained through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Rural electric cooperatives are concerned about whether they will get their approved low-interest loans and grants from the Agriculture Department under its rural electrification program.

The tumult produced by the tariff war has serious consequences for the utilities as well as their customers.

There will be a banquet of subjects about which senior journalists will be questioning an expert at the briefing. At times of uncertainty, every bite of knowledge is vital.

On the expert panel:

• Markham Hislop, CEO, Energi Media, Canada
• David Naylor, President, Rayburn Electric Cooperative
• Jan Vrins, Partner, Clarum Advisors
• Kevin Brancato, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, TechnoMile
• Jason Rodriguez, CEO and Co-Founder, Zpryme and Froliq
• Karl Moor, Chief Executive Officer, Powerscape Global

On the reporters panel:

• Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
• Herman Trabish, Utility Dive
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes,
• Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
• Matt Chester, Energy Central
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS

Lee Zeldin, new Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has said, “It’s important for us urgently to do everything in our power to make sure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water. That’s something that keeps me up at night."

Environmentalists and many in the energy sector believe the Trump administration is doing just the opposite. It has taken aim at a raft of laws and regulations which protect the environment, including the National Environmental Policy Act, bulwark of a vast structure of environmental laws and protections since it was signed into law by President Nixon in 1970.

There is alarm in the utility industry about the administration’s antipathy to wind generation. Its enthusiasm for coal alarms clean air advocates who see it as a step backward.

There also is alarm about the future of transitional funding guaranteed during the Biden administration, under the Inflation Reduction Act, to enhance clean energy and finance transition from polluting fuels to green ones. That funding is frozen and the Department of Government Efficiency operatives have slashed employment in the Department of Energy’s loan office. What now?

The rural electric cooperatives are worried about $9 billion in financing they were to get from the Department of Agriculture for rural electrification projects.

Lesser laws like the Endangered Species Act, it is feared by their defenders, may be repealed or circumvented.

The United States Energy Association at its next virtual press briefing, set for March 5, at 11 a.m. EST, will examine what to expect from the Trump administration in its reshaping of environmental policy, and the nature and scope of the legal opposition. Court challenges have already been filed and many more are expected.

As usual, a panel of experts will be questioned by a panel of senior journalists who cover energy and the environment.

Journalist Llewellyn King organizes and moderates the press briefings, which are broadcast live on Zoom and last an hour. Mark Menezes gives welcoming remarks and is on hand to share his deep knowledge as president and CEO of USEA and as a former deputy secretary of energy.

The Experts:

• Andrew Wheeler, former Administrator, EPA
• Tom Falcone, President & CEO, Large Public Power Council

• Karl Moor, Chief Executive Officer, Powerscape Global
• Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Director, Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, The Heritage Foundation
• Derek Murrow, Senior Director, Federal Power, Climate and Energy, NRDC
• Brad Molotsky, Partner, Duane Morris

The Reporters:

• Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
• Markham Hislop, Energi (Canada)
• Evan Halper, The Washington Post
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS
• Matt Chester, Energy Central
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Peter Behr, E&E News

The Trump administration has made energy one of its cornerstone policies, hoping to produce "energy dominance."

While Christopher Wright, the new energy secretary, has won plaudits from the energy world, details of how the president’s energy agenda will unfold are still sketchy. What is known and what can be expected will be examined at the next United States Energy Association virtual press briefing, which is set for Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m. EST.

As usual, a panel of senior reporters who cover energy will question a panel of experts, this time on the president's energy plans. At these briefings, the questions are spontaneous as are follow-ups. Expert panelists are invited to interject their views, if these aren’t triggered by a question from a reporter.

Mark Menezes, president and CEO of the USEA, and deputy secretary of energy in the first Trump administration, will be on hand to share his knowledge.

The briefings are organized and moderated by journalist Llewellyn King and are conducted live on Zoom. They last a little over an hour, and recordings and transcripts are available afterwards on both the USEA and Energy Central websites.

Briefings are free and open to the press and the public, but registration is required.

Experts Panel

• Linda Willard, Energy Practice, Dentons

• Dan Brouillette, former Secretary, US Department of Energy

• Bob Deans, Director of Strategic Engagement, Natural Resources Defense Council

• Shon Hiatt, Director of the Business Energy Transition Initiative, University of Southern California

• Spencer Pederson, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, National Electrical Manufacturers Association

• Alex Beehler, Former Assistant Army Secretary for Energy and the Environment

• Scott Segal, Co-chair of the Policy Resolution Group, Bracewell LLP

Reporters Panel

• Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal

• Evan Halper, The Washington Post

• Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News

• Ken Silverstein, Forbes

• Matt Chester, Energy Central

• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS

While electric utilities and consumers will be cruising comfortably in the middle and distant future with new transmission, new generation, AI management, DER and new technologies, particularly nuclear, in the form of small modular reactors and maturing fusion, their immediate future is a road filled with potholes.

This promises to be a year when the utilities will be stressed as never before with rising demand, worsening weather, and no quick fixes. It will be yet another year for utilities to tighten their seatbelts and make do with what they have.

Consider:

To examine these challenges, the United States Energy Association will hold its first of the year virtual press briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 11 a.m. EST.

As usual, a panel of senior reporters who cover energy for national and trade outlets will question a panel of experts. Reporters will have a story they can write that day and information they can bank for future use.

Also as usual, the briefing on Zoom is open to the press and the public — and some questions from the public will be taken via the chat function.

Journalist Llewellyn King has organized and will moderate the briefing. Mark Menezes, USEA President and CEO, will be on hand to welcome participants, review the mission of the USEA, and lend his expertise as a former deputy secretary of energy to the discussion.

Participation is free but registration is required.

The Experts:

The Reporters: