USEA To Hold Press Briefing on Data Centers Upending Electric Utilities

The United States Energy Association’s next virtual press briefing will be on Wednesday, August 20, at 11 a.m. EDT.

WASHINGTON , DC, UNITED STATES, August 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A tsunami of demand is about to wash over the electric utilities, threatening not only their ability to meet the supply of power, but possibly the structure of the industry.

The driving force behind the power crisis are the data centers which are spreading across the country with a concentration in Virginia and Texas.

The United States Energy Association will examine this evolving challenge at its virtual press briefing on Wednesday, August 20, at 11 a.m. EDT.

A panel of senior journalists who cover energy — Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal; Ken Silverstein, Forbes; Timothy Gardner, Reuters; Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News; and Matt Chester, Energy Central -- will  question industry leaders in an hour-long examination of the proliferation of data centers and their impact on the electric utility industry.

The reporters will question these experts:

Karen Omelas, 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

According to Llewellyn King, the syndicated columnist and broadcaster who organizes and hosts these virtual press briefings on behalf of the USEA, “The data centers are ramping up electricity demand to levels unseen since the 1950s and 1960s, which were driven by post-war construction and the spread of air conditioning.”

He added, “If the data centers commission power directly from merchant generators, whether they are wind farms or nuclear plants, where does that leave the utilities?”

Big tech’s data centers are exacting customers: They require steady power 24/7 and they emphasize carbon-free electricity from renewables and from nuclear.

King said, “With their California roots, carbon-free is the choice of the big techs. But they will waive that for reliability.”

The data centers which serve the burgeoning AI industry already are supported by sophisticated battery storage, and they are keen to bring nuclear power online as quickly as possible. Big tech is financing the restarting of old decommissioned reactors (like Three Mile Island, Unit 1 and Palisades), putting money into small modular reactors and supporting fusion.

King said, “David Naylor, president and CEO of Rayburn Electric, a rural electric association northeast of Dallas, told me that if all the data centers which want power from him are accommodated, it would triple or quadruple his operation.”

USEA virtual press briefings are open to the public, but registration is required.

Register here: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2YWf-gqJQm-1J0oZg47xBw

 

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