U.S. Energy and Electricity Prices

A new report from data-intelligence firm Sightline Climate finds that as much as half of the world’s AI data center capacity slated to come online in 2026 could be delayed, underscoring mounting collisions between Big Tech’s infrastructure push and the limits of electric grids and local tolerance. The analysis of 529 large projects since 2024 shows up to 11 gigawatts of capacity for 2026 remains only in the 'announced' stage with no visible construction—meaning those facilities would need dramatically accelerated timelines to hit schedule—while roughly 6 gigawatts came online last year and another 5 gigawatts are already under construction this year. Sightline says developers that locked in power and grid equipment early are still moving fast, but communities and regulators in U.S. states including New York, Michigan, Virginia and Oklahoma have introduced more than 10 new moratorium proposals in just the past month amid public anger over rising power prices and land use, with nine projects already canceled and many more delayed. The article notes that data center additions hit a record in 2025 and 2026 is still on track to surpass it, but warns that grid bottlenecks and local political pushback are now a material risk factor for AI buildouts that increasingly require city-scale electricity. For U.S. readers, the findings highlight how the AI boom is starting to hit hard physical and political limits in the power system that could affect electricity rates, reliability, and where future tech investment lands.