US power, tech companies lament snags in meeting AI energy needs

NEW YORK: U.S. electrical systems are not expanding fast enough to meet rapidly growing power needs of technology like Generative AI, prompting data center businesses to sometimes bypass utilities, executives said at an energy conference this week.

Layers of regulations, citing and permitting processes, and frequent legal fights brought by environmental and community groups, have slowed new power projects from connecting to the grid, and posed a threat to profits by traditional power companies like regulated electric utilities.