2025.11.14 | 204% Spike! The Cost of Grid Reliability Under AI Demand

A catastrophic 204% spike in out-of-market payments (uplift charges) in PJM and a massive cascading failure that hit 95,000 customers in the Western grid reveal the intense stress facing US power infrastructure. As AI Demand is forecasted to push electricity use to 12% of the US total by 2028, these failures are occurring while wholesale natural gas prices are expected to jump 37% in 2025. We explore the difficult regulatory trade-offs, from Virginia approving $122 million for SMR site evaluation costs to North Carolina prioritizing new gas infrastructure for immediate grid reliability. Tune in to understand the fundamental decisions driving the future of electricity, the push for Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs), and the critical conflict between climate commitments and the necessary energy expansion.