Panelists Urge ‘All‑of‑the‑Above’ — Nuclear, Gas and Renewables to Meet Growing Demand

Multiple witnesses and members at the hearing emphasized that no single technology can meet the projected rise in electricity demand and that firm, dispatchable resources remain essential as renewables and storage scale up.

Todd Brickhouse said Basin Electric is increasing its generation portfolio and plans $12 billion in capital spending over the next decade, but warned that abrupt policy changes would impede planning. Noel Black of Southern Company stressed that an engineered, interconnected grid “provides scale and value that other solutions can't match” and that regions differ in the resources and market structures best suited to meet growth.

Several lawmakers highlighted nuclear power as a key element of future reliability. Members from nuclear‑hosting states described recent projects and policy efforts to streamline licensing and financing. Witnesses noted that advanced nuclear and geothermal are promising but are multi‑year solutions that require policy certainty, and that the loan programs and tax incentives are important to make high‑cost, long‑lead projects financeable.

Panelists also discussed retirements and capacity: PJM estimated significant thermal retirements over the coming decade, and witnesses warned that simply replacing retired dispatchable plants with intermittent resources is not a 1‑for‑1 substitution because of differences in capability and availability during peak hours. Several witnesses recommended an “all‑of‑the‑above” approach that pairs rapid near‑term additions (wind, solar, storage) with actions to preserve or replace dispatchable capacity.