Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
Energy-intensive data centres and investment in manufacturing are driving a surge in demand for power in the US, after a decade of nearly-flat demand growth. This is prompting a number of states to build new gas-fired power plants and keep coal-powered ones running for longer than planned. Plans to add more fossil fuel power threaten US plans to decarbonise its power supply by 2035. Analysis by consulting firm Grid Strategies anticipates total growth of nearly 5 per cent in power demand over the next five years, and the firm warns that it may take more than four years to bring new generation online, and even longer to build grid connections to share power between US regions.