The Trump administration is pressing federal energy regulators to fast-track connections for data centers to the power grid, aiming to cap reviews at 60 days in a bid to speed construction tied to the AI boom. In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy Secretary Chris Wright framed the proposal as essential to keeping electricity affordable and reliable while enabling large new loads, including AI facilities, to connect “in a timely, orderly and non-discriminatory manner.” The move follows FERC’s earlier rejection of a plan for Talen Energy to directly supply an Amazon data center from a Pennsylvania nuclear plant and comes amid surging electricity demand from data centers, new factories and EVs. Industry groups welcomed a predictable “shot clock,” while states and consumer advocates are likely to scrutinize potential cost shifts to ratepayers. The draft would allow expedited treatment for projects paired with new generation or that agree to curtail power use during grid stress, with co-located projects subject to reliability studies. Executives say the change could de-risk timelines for hyperscale build-outs but raises questions about who pays for upgrades to already strained transmission networks.
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