‘Unprecedented’ electricity demand could drive up emissions — report

By Zach Bright | 04/09/2024 06:24 AM EDT

The EFI Foundation found utilities may rely on gas in the short term to ensure grid reliability, resulting in “potential conflicts” with emission reduction goals.

The sun shines over towers carrying electrical lines in South San Francisco, California.

The sun shines over towers carrying electrical lines in South San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The country’s electricity demand will skyrocket in the next few years, jeopardizing efforts to transition to a carbon-free grid, according to a new report from the EFI Foundation.

The report — released Monday and sponsored by energy companies — is based on a workshop with nearly 30 utility officials, systems operators, industry experts, and former policymakers and regulators. It found that new natural gas plants may be necessary to meet growing demand and provide reliable power in the short term, which could “present potential conflicts to pursuing decarbonization goals.”

“Among the technologies for addressing load growth today, it is particularly difficult to find ones that are readily available, reliable, and clean, with large capacity,” the report said. “Participants observed that natural gas partially fills such a gap because of its reliability and affordability but does not provide the emissions reduction benefits of emerging clean energy technologies.”

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The nonprofit EFI Foundation is led by former Obama-era Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. Its report comes after a study last month found that utilities could likely meet growing demand with renewable electricity and energy efficiency gains, leaving newly built gas plants to become “stranded assets.”

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