The Trump administration has urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to grant expedited reviews for data center grid connections, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing a draft proposed rule sent to the agency by Energy Secretary Chris Wright that would limit the reviews to 60 days, a drastic shift for a process that currently can drag on for years.
Shares of independent power producers, which increasingly sell electricity to data centers, rose in early trading: Talen Energy (NASDAQ:TLN) +5.8%, Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG) +5.7%, Vistra (NYSE:VST) +3.7%, NRG Energy (NRG) +2.7%.
Nuclear companies helped by the AI boom also move higher, including Oklo (OKLO) +10.3%, Centrus Energy (LEU) +7.8%, Nuscale Power (SMR) +6.9%, Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE) +5.3%.
Under the proposed rule, data centers could win an accelerated review if they include new power plants or agree to reduce usage in response to regional grid strain during high-demand periods such as heatwaves, according to the report; a data center that would be located next to an existing power plant would require a study to determine if that generation capacity is needed to maintain grid reliability.
Wright said his plan is in keeping with President Trump’s goals of “revitalizing domestic manufacturing and driving American AI innovation, both of which will require unprecedented and extraordinary quantities of electricity,” as well as substantial investment in U.S. power grids.
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