The Smart Energy Initiative recently hosted its 13th annual energy briefing addressing energy issues and the increasing demand for power. In this photo, left to right are: Kevin Wong, general manager, Emergent Energy and SEI board vice chairman; Steve Krug, principal, Krug Architects and SEI board chairman; Dave Velazquez, president and CEO, PECO, and event speaker; Asim Haque, senior vice president of governmental and member services, PJM Interconnection and event speaker; Michael Cromer, VP energy & sustainability, Pennoni and SEI programming chairman; and Tijo Joseph, director of operations, Warren Energy and SEI programming vice chairman. (Credit: Chester County Economic Development Council)
The Smart Energy Initiative recently hosted its annual energy briefing – updating attendees about pressing energy issues, as well as the challenges and opportunities for providers and consumers.
This was the 13th year for the energy briefing by the Smart Energy Initiative, which is a program of the Chester County Economic Development Council. The briefing is designed to provide business and community leaders with insights about energy markets, alternative sources, growing demand, policies and opportunities in Pennsylvania and nationally, according to a press release.
David Velazquez, president and CEO for PECO and Asim Haque, senior vice president of governmental and member services at PJM Interconnection shared their insights during the event held at the economic development council’s Uwchlan Township headquarters on Thursday.
“After years of seeing flat energy demand, the rise of AI and the need for data centers has pushed demand to new levels that are unprecedented,” Velazquez said in a statement. “Paired with retiring power plants and a backlog of new generation to be sited and interconnected, we’re at a pivotal juncture. We are seeing a delicate balancing act emerge as we move through this energy transition.”
To meet the increasing demand for power, Velazquez pointed to the need for federal and state policy makers and the energy industry to focus their efforts on developing streamlined approaches for siting and permitting to bring new electric generation online, and for the buildout of new electric transmission infrastructure.
“While there are challenges, PECO plans to be part of the solution, and our laws and regulations need to provide more flexibility in procurement options that are financially sound,” Velazquez said. He added that the utility is engaging with policymakers and industry colleagues to push a commitment to building and preserving baseload electric generation capacity.
“Our core challenge is finding a mechanism for providing long-term financing for new power plants. We remain encouraged that our political leaders understand the urgency of this issue,” he added.
In his presentation, Haque provided an overview of PJM and its role as grid operator for the 13-state and Washington D.C. region it serves, as well as its focus on reliability for PJM’s 65 million consumers. PJM’s “core mission,” Haque said, is to maintain the reliability and security of the bulk power system for those PJM serves.
“Today, we are seeing electricity demand increase substantially across the region, due largely to data center growth. At the same time, electricity supply is decreasing primarily based on state and federal decarbonization policies,” he said in a statement. “Our goal is to help address these supply and demand challenges by working with all of our stakeholders on solutions that support reliability and affordability for consumers.”
