Representatives for prominent utilities defended several of the Inflation Reduction Act’s renewable energy tax credits and their effects on reliability during a House hearing Wednesday, even as Republicans eye repealing those subsidies.
The House Energy and Commerce hearing on artificial intelligence power was intended, at least partially, as a forum for Republicans to make their case why the country needs more “baseload” energy — which primarily means coal, natural gas and nuclear generation — to meet a projected surge in demand from power-hungry AI data centers.
But utility operators seemed to throw a curveball on Republicans’ plans when they said credits included in the Democrats’ 2022 climate law will be critical to increasing energy supply and keeping down costs over the next decade.
“We understand and we support the need to put our country on a sustainable fiscal path, but the immediate removal of [production tax credits] will not allow utilities to plan for and avoid increased costs, and this will also immediately harm rate payers,” said Todd Brickhouse, CEO and general manager of Basin Electric Power Cooperative.
