Executives at an energy conference this week revealed the challenges facing U.S. electrical systems in meeting the growing power needs of technologies like Generative AI. Brad Stansberry, leading the financial management practice for the power and utility industry at KPMG, criticized the regulatory and permitting processes, describing them as “abysmal,” at the AI: Powering the New Energy Era summit in Washington.
Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer at data center developer Aligned, highlighted the challenges faced by his company in securing adequate power supplies, stating, “We always assumed there would be power, but obviously that assumption was woefully inaccurate, so now we’re chasing where power is.”
Michael Keyser, head of the National Renewables Cooperative Organization, noted the challenges in getting infrastructure projects approved and built swiftly, saying, “It’s difficult to get anything built quickly.”
Regulated power utilities also expressed frustration with the slow regulatory process. Brian Bird, chief of electric utility and natural gas company NorthWestern Energy, indicated that having technology companies take the lead in power generation could potentially ease the burden on utilities and facilitate system expansion, stating, “If you’re driving that bus, it’s actually going to be easier for us.”
