https://www.newsmax.com/financ...dkt_nbr=010102lx9wpu

The Energy Department is set to announce it will spend almost $2 billion to try to get more electricity out of the nation's aging and stressed power grid, as President Donald Trump's administration steps up efforts to avoid blackouts amid rapidly growing energy demand spurred by artificial intelligence.

The money will go toward 31 projects across 26 states that are expected to produce more than 23 gigawatts of additional electricity capacity — enough to power 16 million homes. The projects will use new technologies such as sensors and other devices to measure real-time weather conditions to ensure safe transmission or direct power away from congested or overloaded paths, the department said.

The upgrades could improve power reliability and lower electricity costs for about 100 million Americans, officials said.

“These investments will get more out of the infrastructure we already have, move more electricity across the grid, and help deliver affordable, reliable and secure power that will fuel American prosperity for decades to come," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

Wright was set to announce the grant program Thursday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Associated Press obtained program details before its public release.

The announcement comes amid warnings that rapidly growing power demand from AI is putting pressure on U.S. power supplies, as massive new data centers come online faster than new power plants can be built. It also comes as electricity bills rise faster than inflation in many parts of the U.S., blamed in some areas on demand from data centers.

Growing opposition to data centers in communities across the country has complicated the plans of some of the world’s largest companies and become an issue in the midterm election landscape.

President Donald Trump continues to support data centers, while politicians from both major political parties have criticized them and many communities have tried to block them. Trump, a Republican, said last month that U.S. communities that don’t have data centers will “end up being backwards and poor.”

In the meantime, Congress and some states are trying to push regulators to require utilities to use technology and new components to make grids more efficient and better able to serve new customers without additional power sources.

Utilities — which have seen rising profits and share prices during the data center-fueled energy boom — tend to stay away from such efficiencies because they make more money from building new power plants and grid infrastructure projects that are more expensive and take longer to complete, utility critics say.

Projects being announced Thursday will involve component enhancements on more than 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) of transmission lines and technological enhancements across nearly 21,000 miles (34,000 kilometers), the department said.

Projects were prioritized based on those that can be put into operation quickly, officials said. Money for the grants comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted by Congress under then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The government's $1.9 billion in funding will be matched by $3.35 billion in cost-share funding from the recipients, the Energy Department said.

President Donald Trump has vowed to “unleash” the nation's energy sector in his second term, aiming to increase record-setting domestic oil and gas production, reduce pollution restrictions on power plants and keep coal-fired power plants operating beyond their retirement dates.

His administration has pushed to help tech giants build and connect data centers to power plants and high-voltage power lines and convert Cold War-era uranium enrichment plants into data center and power plant complexes.

The Environmental Protection Agency this summer issued a plan that would change how the public learns about and comments on proposed AI data centers.

quote:

Energy Department to Spend $2 Billion on Aging Power Grid

So we're spending $2 Billion tax payer dollars to benefit privately owned data centers.

quote:

expected to produce more than 23 gigawatts of additional electricity capacity — enough to power 16 million homes.

Or two data centers.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

Energy Department to Spend $2 Billion on Aging Power Grid

So we're spending $2 Billion tax payer dollars...

I see that you're unfamiliar with government estimates which they intentionally deflate to minimize the congressional budget rules and get lemmings to go along with it:

when the consumer or industry has to spend money, they're off by a factor of 10 to 60.

when the government has to spend money, they're off by at least a factor of 5.

I'd wager the DOE will spend at least $10 billion of tax payer dollars.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Here's a thought: Make the data centers supply their own power. And make it meet all EPA requirements.

If there is a real national security and strategic interest, so be it. If it's to enable more idiotic picture and video generation, then force the power to come from coal or nuclear and see how much "we the people" want it then.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

Energy Department to Spend $2 Billion on Aging Power Grid

So we're spending $2 Billion tax payer dollars to benefit privately owned data centers.

quote:

expected to produce more than 23 gigawatts of additional electricity capacity — enough to power 16 million homes.

Or two data centers.

That’s incredibly humorous and sad at the same time!

On a side note, not sure why if we are spending the money we can’t get new stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Here's a thought: Make the data centers supply their own power. And make it meet all EPA requirements.

Things seem to be headed in that direction.

Ratepayer Protection Pledge becomes the Ratepayer Protection Act



https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2100358393298931986

I hope that data center electricity demand doesn't spike general electricity rates. I'd rather data centers charge customers for their services to pay for utilities that don't raise rates based on increases to demand relative to supply.

quote:

hope that data center electricity demand doesn't spike general electricity rates.

It already has here in Missouri, to pay for all of the infrastructure improvements.

I’m going to guess that the AI will be used to decide who gets power. What could go wrong?

IMO the Data Center bubble is getting to the point where I expect it will bust in another 5 years or so. They already have systems going Rogue and it wont be long before one of these rogue systems kill some people.

There is also the True and Hidden function for these Data Centers. Which is Control of every single Human on the Planet. What you chose to eat, what you chose to say, and how you vote will be determined by the manipulation of the data fed to the Public in the morning news and what appear to be are typical Youtube videos and messages on Social Media.

China is building nuclear and coal power plants, meanwhile selling solar panels to the USA. That’s ridiculous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_China

Installed photovoltaic (solar) capacity reached 1,286 gigawatts (GW) by mid-2026, making up 31.5% of China's total power generation capacity.

A) The grid had issues long before data centers.

B) Dispersed modular nukes are the right fix. (And make a data center pay for one, if they need one.)

For those in this industry, what kind of tax credit could incentivize redevelopment of old industrial facilities?

They could help dead mill towns instead of consume farmland.

The sunk cost is going to be an issue - we all know this will get wildly more efficient.)

The hr is more smoke up the american peoples ass's
As far as the dc things. We can produce more power, but not water. Think about that.
And no i don't want to hear about the closed loop bs. They are sucking water like there is no tomorrow. Something else to think about.