Accelerating Energy: Powering Business Through the Energy Transition

Hosted by Sidley Austin LLP

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May 2026

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About the show

Welcome to Accelerating Energy, a new podcast powered by Sidley Austin LLP. Join us as we drill down on critical, and late-breaking, energy transition topics from all corners of industry. Each episode will introduce you to guests with unique perspectives as we investigate the business, legal, and policy concerns of this fast-evolving landscape. Accelerating Energy is hosted by Ken Irvin and Cliff Vrielink, partners in Sidley’s global Energy practice.

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12 recent

May 4, 202634 min

Reliability vs. Reality: Can the Grid Keep Up?

With strained supply chains, stubborn inflation, and the exploding demand from AI and data centers, the pressure on today’s power grid is unlike anything the industry has seen in decades. While solar, energy storage, and natural gas are all expanding rapidly, the question remains: are we building a system that can actually keep up? In episode 12 of Accelerating Energy, former PJM Chief Risk Officer Carl Coscia joins Sidley partner Ken Irvin to unpack the high-stakes tradeoffs between reliability and affordability. From volatile capacity markets to the rising cost of capital, they explore what’s really driving today’s energy crunch — and whether the solutions on the table are setting us up for resilience or risk. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

February 3, 202652 min

Powering the Surge: How PJM, the White House, and States Are Responding to Explosive Load Growth

Electricity demand across PJM is accelerating at a pace few anticipated, driven by AI, data centers, and advanced manufacturing. What was once a long-term planning challenge has become an immediate test of market design, grid reliability, and regulatory authority. In response, the White House has stepped in, urging faster generation development and greater investment certainty. PJM is deploying new reliability tools. States are increasingly acting to protect consumers as capacity prices rise. Yet despite gigawatts of generation approved for interconnection, much of that supply is not arriving fast enough — or in the right form — to meet near-term needs.The result is a high-stakes question facing policymakers, developers, and market participants alike: how do we move faster without breaking the system we rely on?In episode 11 of Accelerating Energy, Sidley partner Ken Irvin sits down with Terence Healey of Sidley’s Energy practice and Todd Snitchler, President and CEO of EPSA, to unpack PJM’s evolving approach to large loads, the implications of FERC’s co-location order, the White House’s intervention, and the expanding role of states in an increasingly stressed power market.Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

January 5, 202632 min

Managing the Surge: The Debate over FERC’s Large-Load Interconnections

As data centers continue to put stress on the nation’s electricity grid, federal regulators are moving quickly to stave off overwhelming it. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is now considering major reforms for large-load interconnections and has launched an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. Final comments were due on December 5, and final action is expected by April 30, 2026. But conflict is threatening the process, as developers, utilities, state commissions, and other major players remain sharply divided over jurisdiction, cost allocation, reliability, and the pace of interconnection.What themes are emerging from the comments on FERC’s large-load interconnection rulemaking? How should FERC set guidelines that respect state jurisdiction while still ensuring consistency and transparency? And how is the large-load interconnection landscape likely to evolve in the near term?In the tenth episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner Ken Irvin is joined by Jessica Hogle, head of government relations and regulatory affairs at GridCARE, a startup accelerating speed-to-power for AI data centers by unlocking spare capacity on the existing grid. Together, they dig into the key takeaways from the comment record, the federal-state jurisdictional tensions, the risks of stranded costs, and how affordability and technology trends may inform FERC’s next steps.Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

November 5, 202550 min

Energy Policy in Motion: What DOE Section 403 Instruction to FERC Means for Data Center Power Supply

DOE Secretary Wright’s Federal Power Act Section 403 direction to FERC calls for a sea-change in the way large energy users — especially data centers — interconnect to the power grid. In the ninth episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner Ken Irvin is joined by colleagues Terence Healey, a partner in Sidley’s Energy practice, and Peter Bruland, a senior managing associate in the firm’s Supreme Court, Appellate, and Litigation Strategies practice. Together, they examine how this rulemaking may affect the cooperative federalism balance and change the large load interconnection process, transmission planning, capacity markets, and the pace of new infrastructure deployment. Hear what to expect and how to stay positioned for what’s next in the power-hungry data economy. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

October 7, 202531 min

Deal Disruption or Market Opportunity? The Impact of Texas Senate Bill 6 on Project Finance

Demand for electricity is surging in America, driven largely by AI data centers and other energy-intensive users powering the digital economy. This rapid growth has heightened concerns among businesses and consumers over rising costs and grid reliability. In response, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 6 (SB6), a sweeping overhaul of how the state regulates large power users and behind-the-meter projects such as solar, battery storage, and data centers. These changes could significantly influence the state’s energy future. But what does SB6 mean for renewable energy project financing in Texas? How might it affect solar, storage, and other emerging projects? And how can investors position themselves to take advantage of the new opportunities?In the eighth episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner Ken Irvin welcomes Chris Panaro, Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel at Nomura, a global leader in wealth management, investment management, and investment banking. Together, they discuss how SB6 is reshaping the financing and infrastructure development landscape in Texas. Their conversation examines the structural shifts investors are seeing in project financing, the evolving allocation of risk to developers, and whether these policy changes are encouraging new capital to flow into Texas energy projects. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

August 14, 202538 min

Speed to Power or Policy Paralysis? The OBBBA and America’s Clean Energy Future

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is now law, marking a major shift in U.S. energy policy and the beginning of a broader effort to rewire America’s energy future. With its passage, the OBBBA rolls back many key clean energy tax incentives and reestablishes a focus on fossil fuel development. This seismic shift comes just as the stakes for U.S. leadership in climate and technology continue to rise. How can policymakers and businesses keep pace with an evolving energy landscape? As AI drives unprecedented demand for reliable power, could current policies send investment abroad? And can the U.S. lead on both decarbonization and innovation? In the seventh episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner Ken Irvin speaks with Mark James, interim director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment and associate professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Together, they unpack what made it into the OBBBA, assess its impact on U.S. competitiveness in the global AI race, and explore the federal government’s role in meeting the demands of new and emerging energy-intensive technologies. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

April 21, 202525 min

Investing in Tomorrow: How Innovative Investments Will Begin Fueling the Energy Transition

All of a sudden there’s a new landscape for energy transition. The new administration is reducing the workforce of several federal agencies, including the EPA, where administrator Lee Zeldin is committed to eliminating 65 percent of what he calls the agency’s wasteful spending, and President Trump just signed four executive orders that direct different agencies of the federal government to revive American coal. State governments, businesses, and financial stakeholders will need to navigate all of this agency change to meet their existing energy mandates. Will there be a new way forward for battery, wind, and solar energy technologies? And are there long-term investment strategies and out-of-the-box energy opportunities for investors to support the ongoing energy transition? In the sixth episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin, speaks with John Skrinar, a partner at Cresta Fund Management, a company dedicated to assisting stakeholders and funding businesses to achieve a strong return on their investments, while creating a more sustainable future. Together, they discuss how investors can drive the energy transition forward through finding innovative investment opportunities which utilize proven technologies but also balance out the bottom line for stakeholders. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

February 21, 202527 min

Sustainable Success: How Utility Companies Can Thrive in Turbulent Times

The countdown has begun on statewide zero-emission mandates. Blue state governors have created strict timelines for implementing their renewable energy objectives. And these mandates will significantly impact operations for utility companies and the United States power grid. Will power-hungry data centers and extreme weather events impede success for these goals? And what will be the impact of the Trump administration, which has just declared an “energy emergency,” and is promising to increase drilling and end support for electric vehicles? How likely is the nation to meet its long-term energy requirements? In the fifth episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin, speaks with Tom Vaccaro, Clean Energy Development Director at National Grid, a company that has ties to both the U.S. and European energy sectors and finds solutions to keep energy systems clean, fair, and affordable. Together, they discuss the ins and outs of energy consumption and how utility companies are navigating the energy transition and a rapidly evolving grid. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.

November 18, 202434 min

Taking Charge: Can Battery Energy Storage Systems Unlock the Full Potential of Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy can be intermittent, making it a challenging power source for power grid operators to manage. But the burgeoning technology of battery energy storage systems (BESS) is poised to help fill those critical gaps. BESS is expected to quintuple in capacity by the end of this decade. These systems play a crucial role in the renewable energy life cycle, ensuring a stable supply of electricity to customers, data centers, the national grid, and energy needs worldwide. But the installation costs for some large-scale systems are high, along with a number of maintenance and environmental issues to consider. In the fourth episode of Accelerating Energy, Pat Wood, CEO of Hunt Energy Network, a developer and operator of distributed energy resources in Texas, talks with host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin. Pat, the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under President George W. Bush and of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, discusses what’s in store for battery energy storage systems and how industry stakeholders can offset the barriers to their wider use.

April 3, 202436 min

Tackling EV Infrastructure. Why Truck Manufacturers Are in for the Long Haul.

The future of commercial transportation is zero-emission. More than one million medium- and heavy-duty trucks are expected to hit the highways by 2031. But as the fleet of commercial zero-emission vehicles begins to grow, the infrastructure needed to power these trucks is struggling to keep up. In response to this reality, a coalition of major truck manufacturers have launched an initiative to help speed the deployment of charging stations nationwide. In the third episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner, Ken Irvin, speaks with Dawn Fenton, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Volvo Group North America, a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer committed to shaping the future of sustainability transport and infrastructure solutions. Together, they discuss what businesses should know about the nascent zero-emission commercial transportation industry and what Volvo Group North America and its partners are doing to accelerate electric-charging infrastructure development. Executive Producer: John Metaxas, WallStreetNorth Communications, Inc.