More interruptions, infrastructure of aging, dunuma dysfunction: Bofa warns America from 30 % to 46 % “after its helpful age”

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The electrical network is the backbone of modern America. It occupies everything from homes and hospitals to data centers and electric cars. But according to a detailed analysis of Bank of America Institute, the network is striving under increased demand, infrastructure of chronic aging, and the growing division of East and West, leaving 31 % of transport lines and 46 % of the distribution infrastructure “exceeds its useful life.” The consequences of it: more interruptions, high prices, and an increase in the risk of defects on both parties to the network.

The most disturbing fact of deep diving in Bofa is the amount of the late network to replace it. In 2024, 67 % of facilities spending on transmission and distribution – 63 billion dollars – for alternatives and promotions, increasing more than $ 32 billion allocated to new lines and sub -stations. This unbalanced investment refers to a network that fights to keep pace with it, not only with basic maintenance, but with si stress from users and new devices.

The consequences that the Americans feel every day: the power outage occurs frequently, with the transmission failure steadily climbing.

Data from the North American reliability company (NERC) indicates a clear decrease in the reliability of the network, leaving many consumers with a less reliable system than the system that their fathers knew at the beginning of the millennium. Simply, Bofa says, “The reliability of the network is the worst today than it was in the early first decade of the twentieth century.”

Increase in demand – from EVS to Amnesty International

Why does the demand increase sharply? The BOFA report determines four main forces that push the growth growth to an unknown area, with the expectation that the American electrical demand will generally grow at an annual rate of 2.5 % until 2035, which far exceeds 0.5 % annual growth in the previous decade.

The first is an electrical building. Since cities across states such as California, Massachusetts and Colorado Ban fuel in the new construction, homeowners use more electricity for heating and hot water.

Second, the mutation in the data centers, which is shipped by the thirst sector of artificial intelligence. In a world driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence and broadcasting services, data centers appear as “super -energy consumers”. These establishments already represent up to 2 % of global electricity, but Bofa exposes them to 15 % to 23 % annually by 2030.

Third, after years of external exercise, American manufacturing is in the return position. Paid with the support of federal and state policy, spending on factories infrastructure was 234 billion dollars in 2024 – jumped by 21 % over the previous year, and doubled the average previous years.

Finally, electric cars change the game to order on the residential and public network. Nearly 5 million EVS are already on American roads, a number that represents 2 % of the total passenger vehicle fleet. Bofa EVS 9.7 % of new vehicle sales in 2024, and even if this figure remains flat, the EVS number will increase with an annual growth rate of approximately 15 % to 22 million on the road by 2030.

If each American family “all electric”-which leads to a gas paid, hot water, and vehicles-the monthly consumption will be three times, from 875 kW to 2,803 kW an hour. Such a seismic shift will overwhelm large areas of the current network without huge promotions.

Geography issues: The West makes, the East takes

There is a less integrated but decisive issue, which is the division of production and consumption between the eastern coast, the western coast and the southwest. While the network is one of the national assets, its parts do not always match the population centers. Most renewable energy is created in states, including Texas, California, Akllahoma and its neighbors. These “energy -producing countries” provide more than half of the wind and solar energy in the country, however, the hot dots are an overwhelming majority on the eastern coast.

This geographical incompatibility means long -distance transport lines under the installation pressure. Many are advancing, and a few of them are replaced by the required speed. The deportation of this gap, high-voltage transmission lines-high voltage-old and unreliable, which increases pressure with demand growth.

Interruptions and reliability: Why should the Americans care?

The clear result of all these factors? More interruptions and less reliability. Although the facilities invest approximately $ 100 billion annually in the basic infrastructure, the Bofa analysis is likely to satisfy customer satisfaction to its lowest levels if the current replacement and expansion is not accelerated. The interruption of transmission has become more frequent, and the decrease in the elasticity of the network – especially against weather events or electronic attacks -.

It is worth noting that the national transportation needs of the Ministry of Energy warns that the American transmission capacity must grow by 64 % by 2040 to meet the “moderate” pregnancy expectations, assuming that the country continues to target the adoption of the ambitious clean energy.

While the national electricity prices have been often stable after inflation adjustments, California offers a glimpse of what is happening when the infrastructure is strained at increased costs. Over the past seven years, the electricity prices in the field of retail in Golden Site have increased by 68 %, with an average of now twice the national standard. This has led to a 5 % decrease with consumers and companies, while highlighting the flexibility in the real world to use energy in response to high prices and reliability concerns.

Political response: canceling restrictions in exchange for investment

Politics makers strongly realize a tight rope that is now walking. On the first day of his term, President Trump declared a national energy emergency, aimed at simplifying the infrastructure that permitted and modernizing the accelerating network – especially for traditional energy projects such as natural gas. While this represents an axis of climate -focused policies in the previous administration, the network financing is still from the two parties, from Bofa’s point of view: the network publishing office, which was formed under President Biden, granting $ 14.5 billion in grants until 2023 and 2024, under $ 36.9 in private investment.

Artificial intelligence, which occupies everything from Chatbots to independent compounds, is a unique challenge. The International Energy Agency estimates that artificial intelligence servers use about 63 TwH of electricity in 2024, or 15 % of the total demand for the data center – a number of TWH is expected to exceed 2030 as technology standards. But most data has been used so far in artificial intelligence training Gen z love known to speak to their Chatbots Throughout the day as a kind of Rafik El HedimIt is expected that it will overcome it in the coming years.

The ruling of BOFA research is clear: without promotions and expansion, the American network will have a grille under the weight of increasing demand and old devices. Gigawat’s growth on the scale of investment will require not only in new energy, but in updating transmission and distribution channels. Until then, expect more interruptions – a medium gap between the place where energy is produced and the place of need.

For this story, luck The artificial intelligence is used to help with a preliminary draft. Check an editor of the accuracy of the information before publishing.



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