CTC Global
Theodore Paradise serves as the Chief Policy and Grid Strategy Officer at CTC Global. He has over two decades of experience in the energy sector and is a recognized thought leader in transmission policy, as well as development and operation of power generation, transmission, and distribution systems. Prior to joining CTC Global, he was a partner at the global law firm of K&L Gates, ranked in the Legal 500, and advised clients on energy policy and legal issues. Theodore held executive roles with a G&T developer, and spent several years overseeing planning, interconnection, and operations regulatory issues at an RTO.
The electric utility industry has moved past the era of predictable one percent growth. As we reach the middle of 2026, however, the question is no longer whether new load is coming, but rather how providers can build fast enough to meet the demand. This month, we spoke with eight leaders currently navigating unprecedented growth challenges to discuss the strategies and infrastructure we all need to modernize the grid.
The scale of the current challenge is significant. In Virginia, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative is managing five GW of contracted data center load against a foundation where the current peak is only 1.2 GW. In New York, Con Edison is executing a $17 billion investment plan to ensure the grid remains resilient as the city electrifies its buildings and transportation. However, as Rajesh Kumar of NYPA and Jacob Lucas of Eversource emphasize, a central challenge is the timing mismatch; while large loads can be commissioned in eighteen months, transmission and generation projects require significantly more time to complete.