About this episode

The episode discusses the complex factors driving rising electricity prices in the US with insights from experts Doug Arent and Robin Millican.

Concerns about the affordability of electricity in the US have been rising along with prices. And while the headlines have pointed to AI and data centers as the underlying factors, the exact causes are more complex. The problem reflects a convergence of pre-existing structural failures, including inefficient infrastructure planning, utility incentives that are misaligned with cost efficiency, slow permitting times, and storm damage and wildfire costs. And now, higher electricity demand, including from data centers, is accelerating all of these pressures and adding some of their own. Today on the show, Bill Loveless speaks to Doug Arent and Robin Millican about their recent reports for the Center on Global Energy Policy that examine the structural roots of rising electricity prices and look at approaches to improving grid investments and resilience. Doug is a global fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy and the emeritus executive director at the Foundation for the National Laboratory of the Rockies, a nonprofit established to support the Department of Energy lab, where he served for nearly 30 years, rising to the role of deputy associate director. Robin directs research…

People in this episode

Host: Bill Loveless

Guests: Doug Arent, Robin Millican

Topics covered

• electricity prices
• infrastructure planning
• utility incentives
• grid investments
• energy policy
• data centers
• affordability

Keywords

• electricity affordability
• rising prices
• structural failures
• energy demand
• grid resilience
• utility costs
• data center impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Center on Global Energy Policy, Foundation for the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Breakthrough Energy, Department of Energy

Places: US

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