Daniel W. McInerney
Business Manager
Industry and IBEW News
The January 2026 blackout in Caracas during US military operations against Venezuela demonstrated how cyber warfare targeting industrial control systems has become a precision weapon in modern conflict. Experts warn that widespread adoption of insecure distributed energy resources like residential solar inverters creates decentralized vulnerabilities, while examples like Stuxnet, Industroyer, and Volt Typhoon show nation-states are actively pre-positioning within critical infrastructure networks.
The Trump administration suffered three court losses last week in its campaign against offshore wind, as federal judges lifted stop-work orders on major projects. Industry advocates and even some oil industry figures have grown alarmed by the administration's anti-wind vendetta, which threatens to restrict power supply at a time when electricity demand is surging from data centers and other sources.
US electricity consumption is forecast to reach record levels in 2025 and 2026, driven primarily by surging demand from data centers and AI workloads. EIA projects total power demand rising from 4,110 billion kilowatt-hours in 2024 to over 4,260 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026, marking the first time since 2007 that demand has risen for four consecutive years.
Wind and solar generated 30% of EU electricity in 2025, surpassing fossil fuels at 29% for the first time, driven by a surge in solar installations that grew 20% for the fourth consecutive year. Energy think tank Ember reports coal power fell to a record low of 9.2%, though gas generation rose 8% due to lower hydropower availability, lifting import costs to 32 billion euros.
Microsoft announced a "Community-First AI Infrastructure" policy ensuring communities won't bear the full cost of electricity consumption and grid expansion from its data centers, following Trump administration pressure. The company's commitment comes as IEA estimates US datacenter electricity demand could triple by 2035, from 200 to 640 terawatt-hours annually.
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