U.S. Energy Secretary talks AI, energy prices with FOX43 News

CARLISLE, Pa. — Artificial intelligence was a central focus of this week's Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, with Trump administration officials arguing that advancing AI technology is critical to maintaining the United States' military advantage.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told FOX43 in a one-on-one interview that artificial intelligence is now inseparable from both national security and the nation's energy strategy.

"Artificial intelligence is central to the future of the defense industry and the future of militaries," Wright said. "If China leads in AI, they'll be the dominant power in the 21st century. Nobody wants that, and we cannot let that happen."

Wright said the Department of Energy plays a key role in that effort through the nation's 17 national laboratories while also overseeing the country's energy infrastructure.

As AI development accelerates, data centers have become a growing point of debate nationwide because of their increasing electricity demands. Critics argue the facilities could contribute to higher utility bills, prompting states like New York to consider or enact moratoriums on new data center construction.

Wright rejected the argument that AI and data centers are driving electricity prices higher.

"People are selling fear that AI is what's driving up energy prices. That is absolutely false," Wright said. "What's driven up expensive energy in New York State is green energy mandates."

He instead blamed Democratic-backed energy policies.

"Democrats have tried to force our electricity grid to close our coal plants and build intermittent, unreliable weather-dependent energy sources," Wright said. "That's what's driven up electricity prices."

Energy prices have risen in Pennsylvania as well despite a friendlier policy towards greenhouse gases. Gov. Josh Shapiro extended the lifespan of two Western Pennsylvania coal plants earlier this year, and the Commonwealth left the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative last year.

The comments come as Pennsylvania lawmakers continue debating how to manage the rapid expansion of data centers. This week, the state Senate overwhelmingly advanced legislation that would allow municipalities to impose an 18-month moratorium on new data centers, citing concerns over electricity and water consumption.

"One campus alone is projected to require more electricity than the region's largest power plant currently generates," Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe County) said during debate on the bill.

Electricity prices have also become a major issue across the 13-state PJM Interconnection regional grid, where Pennsylvania exports more electricity than any other state but has also seen significant increases in electricity costs. Gov. Shapiro has negotiated a cap on PJM capacity prices while continuing to push for broader reforms of the regional transmission organization.

Wright said PJM also needs significant changes, arguing it has not done enough to encourage reliable electricity generation.

"We're trying to reform PJM so they prioritize dispatchable, secure, affordable energy resources," Wright said. "It's been a battle, and hopefully that'll turn the corner because we should not be imposing expensive energy on Americans."