Arabic version: رؤساء شركات المرافق لا يرون تباطؤًا في الطلب على الكهرباء

According to Cnbc, utility executives and energy-focused investors at the Edison Electric Institute’s annual conference in Arizona said they do not anticipate a slowdown in internal electricity-growth expectations. The executives cited data centers as a major demand driver, alongside electric vehicles, reshoring manufacturing and broader electrification.

CNBC reported that none of the utility leaders it spoke with indicated a downturn in electricity-demand estimates, including Exelon’s Calvin Butler, Entergy’s Drew Marsh and Edison Electric Institute head Drew Maloney. The report said data-center construction may face political and permitting risks, but projects that do not proceed in one state could move elsewhere.

Texas was identified as a key market because of the size of its data-center and energy sectors. Governor Greg Abbott has put a pause on data-center permitting, according to the report. Grid-connected projects require approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, while certain environmental permits are handled by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. CNBC said Louisiana and Oklahoma could seek projects that are not built in Texas.

Goldman Sachs said midterm election results pose only modest risks to AI investment for now. The firm expects Democratic governors in states accounting for more than one-third of planned U.S. data-center capacity to impose moratoria on new facilities, but said such measures would likely affect projects not yet permitted and leave most planned 2027 construction unaffected. Goldman Sachs expects data-center construction spending to remain strong next year and sees AI-related hardware spending reaching about $1.4 trillion by the end of next year.