Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground

When the heads of three of the power sector’s biggest trade associations shared a stage at Experience POWER on Sept.

30, the most notable thing was how little they disagreed.

Whether the question was data center backlash, grid security, or what to do about gas-plant emissions rules, the answer came back to the same point: […] The post Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground appeared first on POWER Magazine .

Search Sign In Home Trends Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground Trends Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground Aaron Larson When the heads of three of the power sector’s biggest trade associations shared a stage at Experience POWER on Sept.

30, the most notable thing was how little they disagreed.

Whether the question was data center backlash, grid security, or what to do about gas-plant emissions rules, the answer came back to the same point: The grid needs a lot more infrastructure, it will cost more than the old infrastructure did, and no regulatory shortcut will let the sector avoid either fact.

The session, “Inside the Issues,” was moderated by Mark W.

Menezes, president and CEO of the United States Energy Association (USEA) .

It brought together Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) ; Tom Falcone, president of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC) ; and Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) .

Co-ops, the largest public power systems, and the corporate buyers that include the hyperscalers all feel load growth differently.

They still arrived at similar conclusions.

Falcone said that growth projections at today’s level did not exist three years ago, and that he would not have predicted them.

Some LPPC members, he said, “have to double or triple in size over the next 10 years.” He also said that 18 months ago he would not have expected people to be coming to LPPC members and saying, “You shouldn’t be building this.” The members’ answer is consistent: “Hey, we serve the needs.

We aren’t the ones permitting the projects.

We aren’t the ones deciding the land use.” Search Sign In Home Trends Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground Trends Data Centers, Gas, and Who Pays: Power Association Leaders Find Common Ground Aaron Larson When the heads of three of the power sector’s biggest trade associations shared a stage at Experience POWER on Sept.

30, the most notable thing was how little they disagreed.

Whether the question was data center backlash, grid security, or what to do about gas-plant emissions rules, the answer came back to the same point: The grid needs a lot more infrastructure, it will cost more than the old infrastructure did, and no regulatory shortcut will let the sector avoid either fact.

The session, “Inside the Issues,” was moderated by Mark W.

Menezes, president and CEO of the United States Energy Association (USEA) .

It brought together Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) ; Tom Falcone, president of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC) ; and Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) .

Co-ops, the largest public power systems, and the corporate buyers that include the hyperscalers all feel load growth differently.

They still arrived at similar conclusions.

Falcone said that growth projections at today’s level did not exist three years ago, and that he would not have predicted them.

Some LPPC members, he said, “have to double or triple in size over the next 10 years.” He also said that 18 months ago he would not have expected people to be coming to LPPC members and saying, “You shouldn’t be building this.” The members’ answer is consistent: “Hey, we serve the needs.

We aren’t the ones permitting the projects.