US building more fossil fuel infrastructure than in a decade as power demand surges

The US is building more fossil fuel infrastructure than it has in a decade, The Verge reports today, citing a new report. Renewable energy growth is slowing even as electricity demand accelerates nationwide, sharpening near term tensions between reliability and climate goals. Demand is climbing at its fastest pace in more than a decade as data centers, factories, and electric vehicles plug into the grid, according to The Verge.

The trend marks a break from recent expectations that renewables and storage would dominate additions and suggests extended reliance on gas and other fossil fuels across the country to meet near term load growth, The Verge notes. Watch for updated grid forecasts, utility resource plans, and any federal or state responses to the reported shift. [Developing. This article will be updated.]