Trump’s Energy Department warns of widespread blackouts
Americans could face up to 800 hours of power outages annually by 2030 due to retiring capacity and rising demand, DOE report warns.
Image for illustrative purposes
USA: The US Department of Energy (DOE), under President Donald Trump’s administration, has issued a stark warning: Americans may face up to 800 hours of blackouts per year by 2030 if energy policies remain unchanged. The report, released on 7 July, highlights the risk posed by the retirement of 104 GW of power-generating capacity without timely replacement.
Although 209 GW of new capacity is planned by the end of the decade, only 22 GW is expected from firm baseload sources such as coal or natural gas. The DOE cautions that even without these retirements, the risk of blackouts in certain areas would still be more than triple.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright labelled the current direction as “unstable and dangerous,” criticising previous policies that phased out reliable power sources. He called for a new approach focused on “energy addition,” supporting all forms of secure and affordable generation.
Driving the surge in demand is the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centres and advanced manufacturing, both requiring constant and high energy supply.
To maintain grid reliability, the report urges an update of evaluation methods, warning that current peak-hour tests underestimate the risk by ignoring the strain placed on neighbouring grids.
This report responds to President Trump’s executive order on electric grid security and is expected to guide federal interventions to shore up power reliability across the US.
Source: Fox Business
#blackouts#Chris Wright#Donald Trump#US Department of Energy#USA#warning