The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the departments of Energy and Interior will play key roles in the Trump administration’s efforts to spur new power supplies and cut energy costs.

President-elect Donald Trump, set to be sworn in on Monday, is returning to the White House amid surging electricity demand, partly driven by planned data centers, new manufacturing facilities and electrification of the building and transportation sectors.

That reality — starkly different from the flat demand growth during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021 — will drive the incoming administration’s power-related policies, according to experts.

At the same time, there are more barriers to new power supply than probably during any previous era, such as state policies that make it hard to build infrastructure, according to Devin Hartman, director of energy and environmental policy at the R Street Institute, a market-oriented think tank. “You just cannot reconcile massive barriers to new supply with growing demand, and the situation that you inherit in the power sector is also the same set of conditions that constrain decarbonization,” he said.

Hartman contends there is significant overlap between Republican priorities for lowering energy costs and boosting reliability with Democratic desires for developing clean energy. Those goals, for example, can all be facilitated by new transmission, he said.

Trump moves quickly on nominations

At least three agencies — the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the departments of Energy and Interior — will play major roles in the Trump administration’s efforts to spur new power supplies and slash energy costs. The Environmental Protection Agency will also have a role in those efforts.

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