Calfee Energy and Utilities Attorney Matthew Barbara Quoted in Washington Examiner Article "AI's Thirst for Power Presents Major Challenges to Energy Grid"

Mentioned and Quoted

Calfee Energy and Utilities Associate Attorney Matthew B. (Matt) Barbara was quoted in the April 19, 2025, Washington Examiner article by Callie Patteson, "AI's Thirst for Power Presents Major Challenges to Energy Grid," which explores the escalating energy demands of AI data centers and their implications for the U.S. power infrastructure.

As AI technologies advance, data centers – especially those supporting AI workloads – are consuming increasing amounts of electricity. To address this growing demand, some tech companies are considering co-locating data centers directly with power plants through a method known as "behind-the-meter" connections. This practice allows the data center facilities to bypass the traditional grid interconnection process and gain faster access to energy. However, it raises concerns about fairness in the energy grid and potential cost shifts to other consumers.

In discussing the challenges posed by the rapid growth of AI data centers, Matt noted, "The real issue that's driving colocation is the need to address the immediate load growth that's associated with the addition of the data center. And that immediate load growth can be quite substantial in some cases."

Matt further explained, "This creates a need, a localized need for generation, whereas in the past, load growth was much more gradual." He continued, "It was associated with population growth, industry growth, and that could be supported by projecting generation additions and system upgrades through planning processes."

The 11-page article includes quotes from industry experts Joseph Bowring, president of Monitoring Analytics and independent market monitor for PJM, former FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee, and former Kentucky Public Service Commission Chairman Kent Chandler.

Read the full Washington Examiner article.

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