Lawmakers Scrutinize Power Sector's Future as Surging Demand Raises Alarms


In a hearing that underscored the mounting challenges facing the American power sector, industry leaders warned Congress that the nation’s power infrastructure is approaching a precarious juncture as unprecedented demand growth collides with retiring baseload generation.

At the House Energy Subcommittee hearing on March 5, titled “Scaling for Growth: Meeting Demand for Reliable, Affordable Electricity,” lawmakers heard from witnesses—including from PJM Interconnection, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Southern Co., and Duke University—who warned that demand is rising faster than new generation is being added and that retirements of dispatchable power threaten grid stability. But, while witnesses also emphasized that permitting and interconnection delays remain significant barriers to expanding capacity, the hearing generally revealed ongoing partisan divisions on energy policy.

https://www.powermag.com/lawmakers-scrutinize...es-alarms/

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