Clarum Advisors talked with an array of industry leaders – utilities, data centers, developers, and vendors – to tease apart fact from fiction. In this article, we separate whether data center costs reach other consumers from the question of how, addressing both to inform solutions.

“We should avoid framing this as a choice between infrastructure and affordability. The real challenge is determining which investments produce the greatest customer value over time.”

“Australia and Great Britain offer two complementary, if not directly comparable, lessons for U.S. utilities and regulators.”

Puerto Rico offers a timely setting for the NARUC 2026 Annual Meeting and Education Conference in November, serving as a real-world case study for utility infrastructure reliability and resilience nearly a decade after major hurricanes devastated the island. The conference will address challenges of affordability, rapid infrastructure deployment, meeting customer needs, and much more.

“American businesses need stable regulatory environments to ensure they have an opportunity to engage in international commerce. That has been an important part of the basis of the NARUC International Program for decades.”

“Different countries have different solutions. I love that the International Committee provides the opportunity to talk directly to folks and create a space where we can understand what new technologies are available.”

“These countries that our first project dealt with in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union were going through massive political change, opening to more democratic processes and transparency.”

NARUC’s Committee on International Relations has provided help and best practices for almost thirty years as energy market development needs grew overseas. The Committee manages NARUC’s outreach activities across the globe, including partnerships with numerous countries. PUF’s Paul Kjellander spoke with NARUC Senior Director of Professional Development Erin Hammel, Committee on International Relations Chair and Nevada Commissioner Tammy Cordova, and NARUC Executive Director Tony Clark.

“Japanese energy policy rests on three pillars: reliability and energy security, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability. We must balance these three pillars while recognizing that Japan is an electrically isolated island importing fossil fuels.”

“National carbon goals are actively under discussion right now, and that is important, but they are not the primary driver of new clean electricity projects. The main driver is rapidly increasing demand for electricity across all sectors.”