Powering AI/Examining America's Energy and Technology Future: U.S. House of Representative Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Hearing

The Subcommittee on the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security of the United States House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee (“Committee”) held a June 4th Hearing titled:

Powering AI: Examining America’s Energy and Technology Future (“Hearing”).

The purpose of the Hearing was to examine electricity demand growth, including increasing data center and artificial intelligence (“AI”) usage and its impact on the following:

• Energy
• Regulatory
• Geopolitical

A Memorandum addressing the Hearing authored by the Energy and Commerce Committee Majority Staff noted by way of introduction:

…after years of minimal growth, electricity demand in the United States is projected to grow nationally at a significant pace and rate through the end of the decade. This growth will come from a surge in the number of data centers and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) by data centers onshoring of industry and manufacturing and increase electrification.

The Memorandum notes the benefits (i.e., local and state-wide economic developments) and problems (increased demand for electrical power to a projected scale that has not been experienced in the United States for decades).

The ability of the electric grids to meet such demand is stated to be complicated by certain state and federal policies, corporate commitments, and regulations targeting the existing dispatchable generation.

The Committee Memorandum notes that issues addressed at the Hearing included:

• Impacts of increased load growth from data centers, including AI, on grid reliability and affordable electricity.
• The pace and scale of demand growth from data centers and their impacts on utility planning.
• National security, development, and economic impacts of data center growth.
• Policies and regulations that affect affordable, reliable power as load growth increases.

The scheduled witnesses included:

• The Honorable Tony Clark
  • Senior Advisor, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP
• Mr. Tom Hassenboehler
  • Chair, Advisory Council, Electricity Customer Alliance
• Mr. Philip Dion
  • Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions, Edison Electric Institute
• Dr. Melissa Lott
  • Professor, Climate School, Columbia University

A link to the Committee majority staff Memorandum and prepared witness statements are linked here.