Over the next 15 to 20 years, Missouri’s energy demands are expected to increase about 3% annually.
“That’s an incredible amount of additional electricity that’s needed,” Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Kurt Schaefer told Missourinet.
He said there’s not much extra power capacity to go around. Everyday items like electric cars, cell phones, data centers, artificial intelligence, medical records, and manufacturing are all sucking up Missouri’s energy supply.
The state is developing a new comprehensive energy plan that Schaefer said will support economic growth, electricity demands, and ensure that power is affordable.
Missouri’s current plan is about ten years old.
“It’s time to do a new comprehensive plan so that Missouri stays ahead of the game and that we make sure that we’ve got ample power for economic development and for our state’s security, as well as making sure that those things are affordable for consumers,” he said.
Schaefer said the roadmap is also intended to attract more business and people.
“States that do not have sufficient amounts of electricity to handle economic development will just be left out of the game. And that’s just the reality of it. Things like Meta, Google, those are the entities right now that are really racing to build these facilities. They’re looking at states all over the country and Missouri wants to be competitive in that race,” he said.
Missouri is seeking a contractor to analyze the state’s current and projected energy resource needs, and to produce a comprehensive energy plan by next July.
According to Schaefer, the plan will include future public hearings.
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