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Wright links rising electricity prices to lack of new dispatchable capacity and peak shortfalls
Summary
Wright said electricity prices rose about 30% nationwide in the past five years and argued that intermittent generation supplies little at peak hours; he used New England's winter stress as an example and urged building dispatchable capacity to support new industry.
Secretary Chris Wright told attendees that over the past five years U.S. electricity prices have risen roughly 30% while overall generation has barely increased, and he attributed the trend to barriers to building dispatchable, firm capacity. "Why over the last 5 years, electricity prices nationwide have gotten about 30% more expensive," he said, linking higher costs to a constrained ability to build large, dispatchable plants and to policy choices that favor intermittent sources without adequate firm backup.
Wright urged decision‑makers to focus on peak hours when reliability matters for manufacturing and economic expansion, noting that in a recent New England cold spell wind, solar and batteries supplied only a small fraction of critical‑hour power. He argued that states that plan for demand growth and build new capacity will see price relief over time.
