PPL
Wendy Stark is Chief Legal Officer at PPL. Tom Flaherty is Senior Advisor at EY-Parthenon and author of Bright Moves: How U.S. Utility Innovation is Driving the CleanTech Transition.
A big question mark surrounds how to manage large data center load and whether there is enough utility infrastructure that can be built in time to handle predictions of huge quantities of energy needed. Managing the expectations and reality is front and center.
Of course, the artificial intelligence boom raises many questions on affordability, timing, resources, and more. So PUF went to an expert on all issues in this arena and found answers as well as questions on how to handle what is here and what is coming.
PPL Chief Legal Officer Wendy Stark is at the epicenter of handling these large load queries for her utility. EY Parthenon’s Tom Flaherty found out how Stark is balancing developers’ demands with customers’ needs.
Tom Flaherty: There’s an unprecedented data center boom. Is this level of growth continuing or could the momentum end?
Wendy Stark: It’s a great question, and a topic dominating our industry’s conversations right now for good reason. Our nation is in a global AI race with enormous consequences, and data centers are at the heart of it. At PPL, we’re not just responding to this trend, we’re helping to shape it.