Drew Maloney Discusses Affordability, Grid Reliability, and Tech Partnerships on POLITICO Energy Podcast

Drew Maloney Discusses Affordability, Grid Reliability, and Tech Partnerships on POLITICO Energy Podcast

Drew Maloney Discusses Affordability, Grid Reliability, and Tech Partnerships on POLITICO Energy Podcast

WASHINGTON (March 02, 2026) - Today, the POLITICO Energy podcast published an interview featuring EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney in conversation with reporter Zack Colman.

Maloney and Colman discussed electricity prices, the need to fix PJM's generation shortfall, grid reliability, coordination with the White House and technology companies, and the "vibe shift" among policymakers toward building new energy infrastructure.

During the episode, Maloney addressed:

• Electricity prices and regional realities: "Sixty-eight percent of the states in the country have kept their prices below inflation. It's a state-by-state and region-by-region issue, and we've been focused at EEI on keeping those prices low while maintaining reliability for every American."
• A 'vibe shift' toward building: "This is going to be a unique time period. When we look back, we'll say this was the time when regulated utilities, working with data centers, were able to do an enormous amount of building to the grid-more generation-and make our energy grid even stronger than it is today."
• DOE issues $26.2 billion loan to Southern Co.: "DOE announced a $26 billion loan guarantee with Southern Company-the largest loan to a regulated utility in history. It's expected to result in $7 billion in savings for customers in Georgia and Alabama. That's exactly what we should be doing: building and deploying new technologies on the grid and enhancing the grid overall. I think everyone recognizes that the grid we operate is the most important engine we have in America."
• Protecting customers as data centers grow: "Nineteen states have already passed large-load agreements, with nine more pending. It has the potential to enhance the reliability and modernization of the grid, because you're taking new investment, putting it onto a fixed system, and allowing us to put even more technologies on and make the grid more reliable than it is today."
• Working with tech companies and stakeholders: "Every day our members and our trade association are interacting with people in the data center coalition-Meta, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic. We are engaged in discussions with them all the time. We are constantly talking to folks at the National Energy Dominance Council in the White House, at DOE, and at Interior. These conversations are ongoing. We all have the same goal: to get as much generation online as possible, keep it as affordable as possible, and make sure electricity continues to be a reliable source of power for businesses, industries, and families."
• Fixing PJM and building new generation: "The challenge in PJM is that nobody's building new generation. The administration, we, and the governors all agree we need more steel in the ground in the PJM Mid-Atlantic region. We need more generation. At EEI, our utilities are ready to build it. We just have to continue working with state governments to make that happen."
• Reliability and investment in the grid: "The grid is the most important economic and national security engine that we have. We're investing $200 billion a year in the grid to make sure it works."
• Proven performance under stress: "Take Winter Storm Fern-the ice storm that went across the Southeast and into the Mid-Atlantic-we were able to get most of the power back up within seven days. We were 90% restored. You look at the winter storm we just had in blizzard conditions in Boston and New York, and the grid held up well. Our industry has invested over time in new technologies and resilience that make the grid as reliable as possible."
• The importance of an all-of-the-above energy approach: "The United States is blessed with an abundance of different resources, and depending on where you are in the country, some resources are better than others. Our focus is on identifying the best resource in the area and making sure it contributes to reliability and affordability."

The full interview is available on the POLITICO Energy Podcast and it can be watched here.