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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched an initiative to speed up the development of large-scale power transmission and generation projects as AI exerts immense pressure on the power grid.
The DOE announced the Speed to Power initiative, aiming to accelerate the development of such projects, starting with a Request for Information (RFI) to get input into near-term investment opportunities, project readiness, load growth expectations, and infrastructure constraints.
The DOE is also requesting stakeholder input on how to best use its funding programs and authorities to expand energy generation and transmission grid capacity.
In May, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast that annual electricity consumption in the country will increase this year and in 2026, surpassing the all-time high reached in 2024.
Prior to this, electricity consumption was essentially flat for nearly two decades, with much of the recent and forecasted growth coming from the commercial sector, which includes data centers, and the industrial sector, which includes manufacturing establishments.
Said US energy?secretary Chris Wright in a release: “With the Speed to Power initiative, we’re leveraging the expertise of the private sector to harness all forms of energy that are affordable, reliable and secure to ensure the United States is able to win the AI race.”
According to the DOE, the RFI supports US President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders, Unleashing American Energy and Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, to inform how Federal resources will be used to address grid infrastructure constraints and meet new demand.
Trump’s administration has continued to support the use of fossil fuels, with the DOE claiming risks that blackouts could increase by 100 times by 2030 if the country continues to shutter power sources and fails to add additional firm capacity.
At the same time as the initiative from the DOE, the country’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted unanimously to approve a suite of actions focused on modernizing the nation’s Bulk Power System. According to the FERC, this comes in the face of threats in cybersecurity, supply chain risk management, and extreme cold weather.
Said FERC chairman David Rosner: “The reliability and security of our country’s electric system is essential to our economic prosperity, national security, and everyone’s wellbeing.
“The actions we are taking today are necessary to ensure our grid is resilient for all Americans today and in the future.”
