Power sector resources for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

On March 10, 2020, the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) released an ever-updating resource guide titled 'Assessing and Mitigating the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)' to support informed, localized decision-making in response to the emerging virus. It highlights key data points, stakeholders, and operational options to consider when determining operational status—while safeguarding the health and safety of employees, customers, and communities. Version 3, the latest update, was released on March 30. ・ The Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) is an industry collaboration that provides situational analysis on security threats to private-sector entities and encourages continuous information sharing via its secure portal (access requires credentials). ・ The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent, non-profit organization conducting research and development related to electricity generation, delivery, and use, released on March 27 a report analyzing the broad system-wide impacts of COVID-19—including effects on demand and operations—as well as guidance for control center operations. Industry Groups ・ American Public Power Association (APPA): APPA created a richly resourced landing page and began issuing weekly COVID-19 news summaries on March 26, detailing the pandemic’s impact on public power utilities across the United States. ・ Investor-Owned Utilities: The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), representing all investor-owned electric utilities, established an industry response center and provides social media updates under the hashtag #powerthrutogether on Twitter. ・ Electric Cooperatives: U.S. electric cooperatives launched a regularly updated landing page for COVID-19 information. This page—hosted by Cooperative.com—features content from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA); the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation; Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, a network of electric co-ops spanning 46 states; and the Federal Rural Electric Insurance Exchange. ・ Independent Power Producers: The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), actively engaged in the Power Sector Coordinating Council, stated it is working closely with member companies to understand how their operations will continue—and to share this information with government agencies and other stakeholders, as well as with the media and general public. EPSA CEO and President Todd Snitchler has posted regular updates on LinkedIn. ・ American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) maintains a dedicated COVID-19 advocacy and resources webpage. ・ Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) hosts a resource page aggregating information on how the pandemic is affecting the solar industry. ・ Energy Storage Association (ESA) operates a resource center featuring up-to-date information on regulatory developments potentially impacting the energy storage sector. U.S. Regulatory Resources Federal Response Resources ・ Department of Homeland Security (DHS): On March 28, DHS issued guidance on critical infrastructure workers, identifying essential personnel whose continued function is vital to maintaining continuity during the spread of COVID-19 across the United States. ・ U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): On March 27, DOE launched its Coronavirus Center, providing updates from DOE national laboratories and links to other federal agencies—including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health departments. ・ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of DHS, maintains a dedicated COVID-19 information and updates landing page. ・ Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): FERC launched a special COVID-19 landing page to keep the public and stakeholders informed about its actions in response to the coronavirus. ・ Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC): In March 2020, NRC created a webpage to publicly post ongoing updates regarding COVID-19. ・ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): EPA launched its COVID-19 landing page on March 26, 2020, compiling news and regulatory updates related to the pandemic.

AI Focus | U.S. electricity bills are rising—don’t simply blame AI

Title: Americans’ electricity bills are up. Don’t blame AI Link: None Summary Overview This article does not dispute whether AI data centers consume electricity—but rather focuses on identifying the *primary drivers* behind rising residential electricity bills in the United States. The author notes that ‘data center corridors’ like Ashburn, Virginia, indeed consume staggering amounts of power: on March 4, Donald Trump convened tech executives there and secured commitments to build or procure their own power supplies to avoid burdening residents’ bills. Yet nationwide, the larger contributors to higher electricity rates are aging grid infrastructure requiring massive upgrades, shortages of critical equipment such as transformers, surging raw material costs (e.g., copper), and supply-side pressures stemming from natural gas markets and clean-energy policies. The article presents counterintuitive data: even under optimistic projections, data centers will account for only about one-fifth of total U.S. electricity demand by 2030—and currently represent less than one-tenth. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study covering the five years through 2024 similarly concluded that data center load is *not* the main driver of rate increases. The author further emphasizes that major technology firms are not only building their own nuclear, solar, and energy storage capacity but also exploring ways for data centers to reduce load during peak hours—or even provide grid-support services. Thus, attributing current bill hikes solely to AI overlooks deeper infrastructure challenges and underestimates AI’s potential to *lower* electricity costs. Key Facts • Approximately 150 data centers operate in Ashburn, Virginia—consuming roughly as much electricity as Philadelphia, a city of 1.6 million people. • On March 4, 2026, Trump convened tech executives and secured pledges to “build, bring online, or purchase” dedicated power supplies to prevent U.S. residential electricity bills from rising. • Goldman Sachs projects that data centers will account for nearly half of incremental U.S. electricity demand growth over the coming years. • Even optimistic forecasts estimate data centers will constitute only ~20% of total U.S. electricity demand by 2030—and currently account for less than 10%. • A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study published last year found that, over the five-year period ending in 2024, rate increases were primarily driven by grid modernization investments and rising costs for power generation equipment and raw materials like copper. • Wood Mackenzie estimates that in 2025, demand for distribution transformers will exceed supply by 10%, while the gap for power transformers will reach 30%. • Lead times for critical grid equipment have stretched from approximately 50 weeks in 2021 to 120 weeks—or longer. • The Edison Electric Institute projects cumulative capital expenditures by its member companies will reach $1.1 trillion between 2025 and 2029—up from $765 billion in the prior five-year period. • Between 2019 and 2023, California’s large investor-owned utilities spent $27 billion solely on wildfire risk mitigation. • PG&E estimates that adding 1 gigawatt of new load could reduce residential electricity bills by up to ~2%. Core Viewpoints / Opinions ✓ Blaming AI for rising U.S. electricity bills is politically convenient—but economically inaccurate.

US weekly power output rises 1% from a year ago, EEI trade group says

16 hours ago

US power production totaled 74,445 gigawatt-hours in the week ended October 31, 2026, rising 1% year-on-year per the Edison Electric Institute. Regional variations included a 7.3% increase in the South Central region against a 5.1% drop in New England.

reuters

US weekly power output rises 1% from a year ago, EEI trade group says

FAQ