Rightside Radio host Phil Williams was joined by the founder of a strategic consulting firm late last week in a conversation about regional power grids across the country. Prior to founding B-Strategic, Brad Viator, was a high-ranking executive with the national trade association The Edison Electric Institute.
Williams asked Viator if the current grid is sustainable and meets current needs.
According to the executive, it depends on where you live.
“Energy for forever has been a regional issue,” said Viator. “It comes down to what sort of energy supply you have in your region and what sort of energy transmission distribution and delivery you have in your region. There are very much haves and have-nots when it comes to the energy grid. There are parts of the country that are very well equipped for growth and there are parts of the country that can’t handle, you know, one more kilowatt of demand. ”
Viator explained that the Southeast’s power grid is more prepared for severe weather than its neighbors.
“It is a patchwork quilt and a regional story I’ll tell you, since you’re broadcasting from the Southeast. The Southeast is ready. The Southeast has a very stable energy grid that has been making investments in the systems for generations and generations. They haven’t turned their back on coal. They haven’t turned their back on natural gas. They’ve built only two new nuclear plants in this country in the last 40 years. So they’re making investments in infrastructure. Some other jurisdictions are not.”
He also noted some of the regions and states that could face power grid issues, including Texas and California.
“My home state of Texas is a mess with what they’ve got,” said Viator. “They are not prepared for any growth. We saw that after Winter Storm Uri. California has a similar problem there. Gavin Newsom is getting on the phone and saying, hey, if you wouldn’t mind turning your thermostats up to 85 degrees so we can get through the night, that’d be fantastic. You know, that’s what they have to do. New England’s a similar problem, but there are big sort of industrial regions of the country that are pretty well equipped from the Southeast. The Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, even big chunks of the Midwest are in a good place.”
“But the Northeast, really down to D.C., California, and Texas are in a whole world of hurt.”
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
