The AI power buildout: who’s paying?

After two decades inside the utility machine, I’m using this publication to expose the truth about the industry’s biggest bet ever: powering AI.

I’ve spent most of my career designing energy systems and structuring deals — Fortune 10s to single-family homes — plus a stint as DC’s energy chief, where I earned EPA’s 2014 Climate Leadership Award. My forthcoming book, BLACKOUT, INC., part memoir and part financial thriller, comes from that experience.

But while the book is coming, the machine isn’t waiting. Hundreds of billions of dollars are flowing through utilities to power AI data centers — and the hype is at full throttle from tech companies, utilities, media, and even sources you’d expect better from. I’ve had enough. I’m calling bullshit.

Expect a behind-the-scenes view of who’s building what, who’s profiting, and who’s actually paying. Original reporting, are-you-kidding-me stories, and the machinery behind your power bill in plain English.

Have something you think I should see? Signal: @sambrooks.01