Energy

White House Seeking Emergency Power Auction for Nation’s Largest Electric Grid

High-level discussions involved how to accelerate the construction of more than $15 billion in new power generation.
White House Seeking Emergency Power Auction for Nation’s Largest Electric Grid
Electrical transmission poles and lines in Commerce, Calif., on Aug. 7, 2025. Mike Blake/Reuters
Troy Myers
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President Donald Trump’s administration and a bipartisan, mid-Atlantic group of governors teamed up on Jan. 16, calling for an emergency power auction and for the nation’s largest grid operator to lower its prices.

In the power auction, companies would bid on 15-year contracts for new electricity generation capacity, creating new power plants to meet energy demands driven by artificial intelligence (AI).

Troy Myers
Troy Myers
Author
Troy Myers is a regional reporter based in St. Augustine, Florida. His background includes breaking, criminal justice, and investigative writing for local news, producing on a national morning newscast in Washington, D.C., and working with an award-winning, weekly investigative news program. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his dog at the beach.