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US Secretary of the Interior nominee warns of "electricity crisis" and "AI arms race"
Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, has warned that the US will lose the "AI arms race" to China unless it boosts electricity generation from fossil fuels and stabilizes its power grid.
Electricity crisis and roadblocks
Burgum, a billionaire businessman and former governor of North Dakota, told US senators that the country has an "electricity crisis" due to weaknesses in the grid and "roadblocks" stopping companies from building fossil fuel plants that can supply round-the-clock power.
The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow
He added that the balance is "out of whack" and that the Trump administration would allocate more public land to drilling for oil and slash tax breaks favoring renewable energy companies that produce "intermittent and unreliable power".
Demand for electricity on the rise
Demand for electricity is growing at unprecedented rates in the US, driven by soaring demand from data centers for artificial intelligence processing, which the Department of Energy predicts will triple in the next three years.
Losing the AI arms race to China
"This is a big deal," Burgum said. "We need to have baseload power to make sure our computers keep running. Without baseload, we’re going to lose the AI arms race to China, and if we lose the AI arms race to China, that’s got direct impacts on our national security."
National Energy Council
If confirmed as Trump’s "energy tsar", Burgum will have sweeping powers to push through the president-elect’s vision to "drill, baby, drill".
Executive order on AI infrastructure
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to open up federal land for AI infrastructure, with the proviso that power would be drawn from clean electricity sources. This is part of the Democratic leader’s effort to curb emissions and counter climate change.
Carbon capture storage and fossil fuels
Burgum suggested that new technologies such as carbon capture storage could eliminate the emissions produced by fossil fuels. However, there are questions around the commercial and technical feasibility of the technology.
Restricting fossil fuel production
He stated that restricting US fossil fuel production would not produce any environmental benefit, as less scrupulous governments would fill the supply gap.
Conclusion
The debate surrounding the role of fossil fuels in the US energy mix is a complex one, with passionate arguments on both sides. While some argue that fossil fuels are necessary to ensure a stable energy supply, others claim that their production and use are detrimental to the environment.
FAQs
Q: What is the "AI arms race"?
A: The "AI arms race" refers to the competition between the US and other countries, particularly China, to develop and deploy artificial intelligence technology.
Q: What is baseload power?
A: Baseload power refers to a consistent and reliable source of electricity, often generated by fossil fuels, to ensure a stable energy supply.
Q: What is carbon capture storage?
A: Carbon capture storage is a technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other industrial sources, storing them underground to prevent them from entering the atmosphere.
