Surging Energy Demands Threaten U.S. Grid Stability

Increased electricity demand, driven by AI and EVs, poses a challenge for the U.S. electrical grid, warns NERC. Amid aging infrastructure and retiring coal plants, the grid risks struggling to meet future needs.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) isn’t mincing words—our electricity demand is skyrocketing, and the grid? Well, it’s struggling to keep up. Across the U.S. and Canada, the situation’s getting dicey, with over 115 gigawatts of coal capacity on the chopping block in the next ten years. John Moura, NERC’s director of reliability assessment, calls this a ‘profound change,’ and he’s not wrong. Summer demand alone is expected to jump by 15% in the same timeframe. Yikes.

What’s driving this surge? Oh, just a few things like AI (because robots need power too), crypto mining (those digital gold rushes aren’t free), electric vehicles (goodbye, gas stations), and heat pumps (because Mother Nature’s mood swings are getting wilder). Winter demand isn’t slacking either, with a projected increase of 149 gigawatts. Our old-school infrastructure? It’s like trying to run a smartphone on a rotary phone’s wiring—not exactly cutting it. Sure, renewable energy and nuclear power are tossed around as fixes, but nuclear’s got its own baggage (waste disposal, anyone?) and public trust issues. NERC’s bottom line: if we don’t act fast, energy shortages could be knocking on nearly every U.S. jurisdiction’s door. And trust me, no one wants to answer that.