WASHINGTON, D.C. — Diverse energy sources are vital to keeping costs down, policymakers said at a Feb. 25 Axios Live event.
The big picture: With the artificial intelligence explosion driving rapid data center expansion, the resulting energy demand is raising concerns about supply — and who will pay the bills.
Axios' Chuck McCutcheon and Ben Geman spoke with former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), co-chair of Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future National Leadership Council; and Alex Fitzsimmons, acting undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Energy and director of its office of cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response.
Driving the news: The Trump administration has announced a "ratepayer protection pledge" that calls on Big Tech to cover its own electricity needs amid the data center boom.
"The hyperscalers realize that if they want to be politically or economically sustainable in the long term, they have to do what President Trump said, which is bring your own power, and then some," Fitzsimmons told Geman.
Yes, but: The administration's announcement was short on specifics.
Virginia has found some strategies for data center expansion and expenses, McAuliffe told McCutcheon.
"Loudoun County, Virginia, today, gets about $990 million in tax revenue from our data centers," McAuliffe said. "That is a third of Loudoun County's budget."
Diverse energy sources are essential, McAuliffe added.
The Democratic Party "needs to get better on gas," he said. "We need more gas infrastructure in the country with AI data centers, [which are] going to require three times more energy."
"So what do we do? I'm building turbines, I'm building wind farms, I'm putting solar in, but I've got to meet the demand today."
It is "the single largest loan that the Department of Energy has ever made … [and] the single largest loan the federal government has ever made outside of the financial crisis."
"That loan is going to save ratepayers in Alabama and Georgia $7 billion" over its lifetime, Fitzsimmons told Geman.
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In a View From the Top conversation, NEMA president and CEO Debra Phillips and Deni Miller, ABB U.S. & Mexico distribution solutions business line leader and U.S. electrification business lead, discussed concerns about permitting bottlenecks with Axios publisher Nicholas Johnston.
The electrical industry "is ready" to meet the moment, Phillips told Johnston, "but we can't do it alone."
"We need our grid partners [and] we need our policy partners to create an environment where we can expand, grow, meet the growing demand for electricity — which we think is going to be 55% between now and 2050."
Just 72 hours after the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran, the war has already consumed nearly the entire Middle East, reached the gates of Europe and raised new fears of attacks on American soil.
Why it matters: The sheer geographic scope of the war is staggering — directly involving at least 11 countries, disrupting the global flow of oil and gas, and rattling markets worldwide.
The Iran conflict abroad threatens to worsen the affordability crisis at home, as an oil price spike ripples through to pump prices Americans see every day.
Why it matters: This has become one defining tension of President Trump's second term — foreign policies that could undercut core domestic promises to lower prices for American consumers, just months ahead of midterm elections.
A Saudi oil refinery — one of the world's largest — suffered "limited" damage overnight from an Iranian attack, per the kingdom's press agency and multiple news reports.
Why it matters: "The attack on Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran's sights," Torbjorn Soltvedt, a top analyst with risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said in a note.
Crude oil prices soared to their highest level in slightly over a yearin early trading in Asian markets Sunday night.
Why it matters: The surge from the Asia markets' opening is an early concrete sign that prices at the pump could go up because of supply disruptions from the strikes against Iran.
A Waymo robotaxi picking up a passenger near Sunday morning's mass shooting in Austin blocked an ambulance from reaching the scene, according to a bystander video. Waymo and EMS officials confirmed the video shows the company's vehicle blocking the ambulance.
Why it matters: The incident raises fresh questions about how autonomous vehicles operate near chaotic emergency scenes — and whether the technology is fully prepared for unpredictable, high-stakes situations.
A coalition of OPEC, Russia and allied oil-producing nations agreed Sunday to boost output by a larger-than-expected amount in a move that could help offset any shortfall from Iran amid this weekend's strikes.
Why it matters: The OPEC+ boost of 206,000 barrels per day is an early sign of how producers and companies will respond to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as the world ponders the effect on oil prices.
President Trump said Sunday the U.S. military destroyed nine Iranian warships and is in the process of destroying the rest of Iran's navy.
Why it matters: The U.S. strikes target Iran's ability to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply flows.
