2025.12.22 | Will AI Power Demand Leave Ratepayers With Billions in Debt?

The explosive surge in AI power demand is currently shattering obsolete utility planning models and forcing a direct collision between grid reliability and decarbonization efforts,. From Illinois facing imminent shortages to Georgia’s controversial 10-gigawatt gas expansion based on a 0.22% probability, we examine how the data center boom is driving a massive 24% spike in energy load,. This episode analyzes the escalating federal-state battles over aging coal plants and the looming threat of grid reliability being undermined by billions in "stranded debt" passed onto consumers. Listeners will gain critical insights into whether breakthrough technologies like commercial fusion can solve this crisis or if we are repeating the financial mistakes of the past,.