Affordability is the key buzzword ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and no cost-of-living concern has risen to the top of the political agenda like rising electricity prices. The Trump administration and Congress are trying to reform the electrical grid to increase the supply of power to meet soaring demand. Yet the different parties cannot agree on what’s causing the problem, the sources of energy to pursue, or how to overhaul the permitting process to allow more construction. This Washington Examiner series will look at the policy and politics of the grid. The first entry covered the roles played by renewable energy projects and retirements of fossil fuels. The second looked at the need for greater transmission. This third story addresses the demand caused by data centers and artificial intelligence.

The rapid growth of energy-intensive technologies is driving up energy demand in the United States, and with no signs of slowing, it threatens to push electricity prices higher for households.

The surge in energy demand is being fueled by the rapid expansion of data centers, artificial intelligence, electrification, and the reshoring of manufacturing, all of which have been linked to climbing electricity prices.