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ATLANTA—America needs to double or triple the transmission of electric power within the next 10 to 20 years to meet rapidly rising demand, a grid expert told electric cooperative leaders at PowerXchange.
“There's a lot of transmission that needs to be built quickly," said Zachary Zimmerman, research and policy manager at Grid Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based power sector consulting firm.
Speaking at a March 10 breakout session titled “Power Surge: Tackling the Energy Demand Challenge," Zimmerman said the era of slow load growth that marked much of the last decade is over.
Nationwide electric demand is forecast to increase by nearly 16% by 2029, according to a recent Grid Strategies report. That growth, Zimmerman said, is being spurred by data centers, manufacturing and, in some areas, electrification of transportation and other industries.
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Energy-intensive data centers are the biggest drivers of increased demand, with 80 gigawatts of load growth predicted over the next five years, he said. That compares with less than 20 gigawatts from manufacturing and electrification of cars and other products now powered by other means.
Electric co-op leaders said they are experiencing growing demand for power firsthand in the communities they serve.
In South Carolina, unprecedented load growth is coming from data centers, which are under contract for 1.8 gigawatts of electricity, said Cole Price, executive vice president of member services at Central Electric Power Cooperative, a generation and transmission co-op in Columbia, South Carolina.
That comes on top of strong demand from the state's auto manufacturing industry and growth in the electric vehicle sector, Price said. Co-ops also serve other large manufacturers, including Samsung and its suppliers.
“We're working with our co-op members to ensure we meet load growth responsibly," said Price, whose G&T serves 19 distribution co-ops.
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Industries that consume a large amount of electricity must pay for the increased generation they demand, he said, adding that the companies “must put their money where their mouth is."
In Nebraska, electric utilities' biggest expected load—nearly 50%—is coming from hydrogen producers, whose product is used for aviation fuel, fertilizer and other products, said Courtney Dentlinger, vice president of customer service and external affairs at the Nebraska Public Power District.
Ethanol production, data centers and agriculture processing also are driving up demand, she said.
Planning for load growth is essential to ensure that costs aren't passed on unfairly to other customers, she said. At the same time, co-ops shouldn't shy away from the opportunities that come with burgeoning demand, Dentlinger said.
“We want to enable economic development," she said. “That's part of our mission."
“We're the ones that electrified America in the first place," she added. “We can do this again. We've got this."
