On November 21st, 2025, the Niskanen Center, together with two experts from the Center for International and Strategic Studies, submitted joint comments to the Department of Energy’s Speed to Power Request for Information (RFI), identifying ways the agency can bolster the grid to keep energy affordable and reliable while supplying AI data centers with the power they need.
Our recommendations focus on the fastest grid improvements DOE can support using existing federal programs and available funds. These include reconductoring transmission lines to increase the power-carrying capacity in existing routes, and increasing the capacity of high-voltage direct current “seams” between grid interconnections. We also encourage the department to take a leadership role in promoting the flexibility of data centers to reduce grid strain, and to support states that want to develop new generation and storage solutions with technical assistance, grants, and other tools. Lastly, we touch on the limitations of the authority that Congress has granted the Department of Energy to accomplish its goals to bolster the grid, and suggest clarifications and additional authorities Congress can provide to achieve true “speed to power.”
The RFI’s primary focus on “speed” limited the types of investment and expansion we believe are needed to equip the grid for the future. In particular, the department left unaddressed the financial impact that potential actions could have on ratepayers and taxpayers. Our view is that affordability and investment in longer-term solutions, such as new transmission capacity, must be a part of any federal effort to improve the grid. DOE should take a more holistic approach and prioritize strategic transmission investments that address known, long-term grid constraints while protecting consumers from unnecessary costs. Rapid, reactive investment tied primarily to accommodating data-center load forecasts risks misallocating capital if future technologies shift how much — and where — demand ultimately materializes.
The nation’s power grid has well-documented structural weaknesses and decades of underinvestment that DOE is uniquely positioned to address. Strengthening high-voltage direct current seams with modern technology; reconductoring existing corridors; and upgrading aging infrastructure would create the backbone of a prudent system capable of supporting economic development, data-center growth, and ratepayers for decades to come. The systemwide upgrades that we have suggested would expand transfer capability, improve reliability, and increase operational flexibility — benefits that would accrue across regions and scenarios. By focusing on these foundational needs, DOE can help bend the cost curve of future rate increases and reduce the risk of stranded or underused assets.
