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Exelon CEO warns US could face blackouts by 2027
Calvin Butler said the company needs state permission to build new power plants, arguing current investment has been too low to prevent outages.
Exelon’s CEO, Calvin Butler, warned that the United States could see electricity blackouts by 2027, and he is urging states to approve the construction of new power plants to expand supply, OilPrice reports.
Butler’s push is expected to face opposition from groups that argue the approach could shift risk onto utility consumers, especially compared with the current model where builders bear more of the risk.
OilPrice also cites a longer running debate about whether utilities are underinvesting in infrastructure, noting that the outlet’s analysis looked at industry capital expenditures from 2004 through 2024 and found investment still appeared too low, even after increases.
The article frames the stakes as whether utilities will build enough capacity to avert outages, and it says economists have suggested utilities can earn more by deploying excess capital, though the outlet argues underinvestment has been persistent.