Energy policy upheaval: Natural gas plant construction delayed by five years, AI computing power costs face new challenges

SignatureVerifier · 2026-01-17T15:00:10+00:00

The Trump administration's strategy to promote AI development focuses on natural gas rather than renewable energy, but the construction cycle for natural gas power plants has been extended to five years, posing a challenge to the AI industry that relies heavily on electricity. Power supply delays could impact industry competitiveness, and there is an urgent need to address infrastructure development issues.

SignatureVerifier

2026-01-17 15:00:10

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【Crypto World】The Trump administration’s recent stance is clear—advancing AI development relies on natural gas, not renewable energy. It sounds pragmatic, but problems follow. According to the latest reports, the construction cycle for a natural gas power plant has been extended to five years, which is undoubtedly a blow to the AI industry that urgently needs large amounts of electricity.

It is important to note that AI computing centers have an almost bottomless demand for electricity. From mining to large model training, energy costs directly impact the competitiveness of the entire industry. If the power infrastructure cannot keep up, cheap natural gas is useless. Currently, the global race is to position AI infrastructure, and whoever has cheaper electricity wins. What does a five-year plant construction cycle mean? It means that investment decisions made today will only bear fruit in 2030. Such lag is fatal to any industry.

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