Trump’s unlikely clean power legacy

2026-06-04 · Source: Semafor · Field: Energy & Utilities — Renewable Energy Systems, Energy Markets & Policy · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

Portuguese power company EDP plans a \$5.3 billion investment in US renewables over the next three years, representing over half its total capital expenditure. CEO Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade is focusing on solar and battery storage projects, primarily to meet the surging power demands of Big Tech's data centers for AI. This significant buildout is proceeding despite the Trump administration's "energy dominance" strategy, which previously led to revoked offshore wind leases for EDP and has blocked at least 150 onshore wind farm projects. EDP is mitigating risk by only advancing projects with decade-plus power contracts, citing the limited number of genuinely bankable projects as the main constraint. The US market's rapid expansion, with projects in the hundreds of megawatts, contrasts sharply with Europe's slower, tens-of-megawatts scale, attributed to regulatory hurdles and unaddressed energy security lessons.

Key takeaway

For executives overseeing AI infrastructure development, the US market presents a robust opportunity for securing clean energy, driven by substantial data center demand. You should prioritize long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for solar and battery storage projects to de-risk your energy supply, as providers like EDP are focused on bankable, decade-plus contracts. Be aware that while political headwinds exist, market forces are currently driving significant renewable buildouts, making the US a prime location for scalable, green energy solutions for your AI operations.

Key insights

AI data center demand is driving a significant US clean energy buildout, overriding political opposition and regulatory hurdles.

Principles

• Market demand can override political opposition.
• Long-term contracts de-risk renewable energy investments.
• Regulatory environments significantly impact energy project scale.

In practice

• Prioritize solar and battery storage for US renewable projects.
• Secure decade-plus power contracts for data center energy supply.
• Evaluate regulatory efficiency when comparing energy markets.

Topics

• Renewable Energy Investment
• AI Data Centers
• US Energy Policy
• Solar & Battery Storage
• Power Purchase Agreements

Best for: Investor, CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Executive, Director of AI/ML, Policy Maker

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Semafor.