Economics Daily

Electric Storm Rages Over Washington in AI Power Race

Everyone knows oil is a big deal in politics, but the same may be increasingly true of electricity.

Power lines during a winter storm in Dallas, Texas, US, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. US power grids are expected to grapple with unprecedented seasonal demand and the threat of blackouts after a damaging winter storm coated parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic in ice — leaving brutal cold in its wake.Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Ben Holland

January 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

I’m Ben Holland, an economics editor in Washington. Today we’re looking at the massive gap in power generation that’s emerged between key economies. Send us feedback and tips to ecodaily@bloomberg.net. And if you aren’t yet signed up to receive this newsletter, you can do so here.

Ahead of the past weekend’s winter storm, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright took an unusual step – lining up power produced on-site at data centers, among other places, to back up the national grid if needed.