The Energy Grid - Part 2

davidcogd
Jan 2
2 min read

In the First Part of this Series (12/29/25), Cogport compared Demand and Supply on the U.S. electricity grid. It is suggested that you view that report for background.

Here is a Quick Summary:

Existing Usable Capacity ………………….. 596,507 Megawatts (MW)

Current Demand ………………………….… 466,000 MW

The U.S. is currently consuming 78% of Usable Capacity.

That is a dangerously high demand level situation versus capacity. It leaves little room for events that could affect supply.

The future looks even more ominous:

New Capacity Under Construction ………... 14,222 MW

Future Added Demand by 2028 …………… 92,200 MW

Summary of current and future Supply/Demand before 2028:

Usable Capacity ……………………………… 610,700 MW

Future Demand ………………………………. 558,200 MW

The 2028 forecast would result in demand at 86% of Usable Capacity.

That is an untenable situation.

The projection of demand by 2030 is 870,000 MW. This totally blows out the expected capacity of 610,700 MW planned by 2028.

The U.S. needs to add 260,000 MW in capacity by 2030.

There are no plans on the books that come close to filling this need.

Neither the Utility Companies nor Government Policy are stepping up to this critical issue.

Consider the long lead time to build a new energy plant – it is obvious that immediate action must start.

Achieving 260,000 MW of new capacity in real terms:

A policy to address what types of energy sources to use to provide the best economic and environmental benefits.
An incentive for Funding of new plants – Utility companies are not able to justify new investment based on current returns.
This is why Utility companies are telling new AI Data centers:

“Bring your own generation”

“Wait 5–10 years”

“We can’t guarantee firm power”

Major Factors in Policy Making