This is one of the largest investments in the AI and energy sector in recent U.S. history.

Set at Carnegie Mellon University, the Energy and Innovation Summit will bring together tech giants and energy firms including Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, ExxonMobil, BlackRock, SoftBank, and Anthropic.

The focus is fixed on securing the power needed for AI’s expansion and strengthening America’s standing in the global tech sector.

“America must lead the world in artificial intelligence. That’s not optional. It’s national security,” Trump reportedly told aides last week ahead of the summit. His latest strategy directly responds to China’s $1.5 trillion AI pledge and its rapid construction of solar-powered data centres.

A major highlight of the summit will be Blackstone’s anticipated $25 billion announcement for data centres and energy infrastructure across Pennsylvania.

This project alone is expected to create 6,000 annual construction jobs and 3,000 permanent positions, driving both economic growth and AI infrastructure expansion.

But the conversation won’t just revolve around dollars. U.S. officials are drafting executive orders to cut through the bureaucratic gridlock currently slowing down data center projects. Key proposals include streamlining Clean Water Act permits, opening federal land for infrastructure, and fast-tracking connections to the overstretched power grid.

Mike Sommers, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, voiced cautious optimism: “Executive action is good, but real durable permitting reform requires an act of Congress, not just an executive order.”

At the core of Trump’s energy strategy is a surprising comeback, nuclear power. Microsoft and Constellation Energy are reviving the long-shuttered Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor, now rebranded as the Crane Clean Energy Center. 

Scheduled to reopen by 2027, a year earlier than planned, the plant will supply 835 megawatts of carbon-free power to Microsoft’s AI data centers under a 20-year contract. 

This is one of the first nuclear restarts in American history and could serve as a blueprint for AI-energy integration nationwide.

The urgency of these investments is impossible to ignore. America’s power demand is soaring after two stagnant decades, largely driven by AI and cloud computing data centers mushrooming across the country. 

Data centers are expected to triple their electricity consumption by 2035, jumping from 3.5% to 8.6% of total U.S. power usage.

The stakes are geopolitical too. As China rapidly scales its AI capabilities, the U.S. faces pressure to match its rival’s speed and scale. Trump’s AI Action Plan, ordered in January and due for public release on July 23, labelled ‘AI Action Day’ by insiders, aims to solidify America’s role as the “world capital of artificial intelligence.” 

The plan, impacted with input from the National Security Council, focuses on leveraging fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and deregulation to rapidly expand infrastructure.

Big Tech is no longer waiting for gradual grid upgrades, as firms are working to secure power supplies, even exploring unconventional deals like Microsoft’s involvement in reviving nuclear power plants.

Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, CEO of Mubadala, Rene Hass, CEO of Arm and board director of SoftBank as well as other top executives including Larry Fink of BlackRock, Darren Woods of ExxonMobil, Brendan Bechtel of Bechtel, and Dario Amodei of Anthropic will gather at tomorrow’s summit, as AI begins to depend on kilowatts, not just on code.

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Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy Nicole Chulick joined Vice President of Ghana H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and other Ghana government officials to formally inaugurate the Kasoa Bulk Supply Point (BSP) today.  

The U.S. government funded the $50 million power substation as part of the MCC-Ghana Power Compact.

“With the inauguration of the Kasoa Bulk Supply Point here today, we mark the successful completion of the MCC Ghana Power Compact. This was a nearly six-year, $316 million commitment by the American people to improve Ghana’s energy infrastructure and support long-term economic growth,” said Chulick during the inauguration event.

Following the event, Chulick toured the new facility with Vice President Bawumia. The Kasoa BSP will reduce outages in the power system, help stabilize voltages, and improve the quality and reliability of power supplied to the Awutu Senya East Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana.  

The Kasoa BSP is now the second largest-capacity BSP in Ghana. The 435-megavolt ampere (MVA) gas-insulated power substation will serve 250,000 ECG customers. 

It will also reduce technical losses in the power transmission and distribution system, contributing to the financial viability of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in the long term.

The $316 million MCC Ghana Power Compact invested in new power infrastructure and reforms to provide more reliable, affordable electricity to Ghanaians.  

It also supported programs designed to improve energy efficiency and expand opportunities for women in the power sector.  Ghana’s Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) implemented the partnership with the Government of Ghana.

Energy Infrastructure Improvements

The MCC Ghana Power Compact successfully improved the country’s power sector through the construction of four power substations: the Pokuase BSP, the Kasoa BSP, the University of Ghana Medical Center Primary Substation at Legon, and the Ellen Moran Primary Substation at Kanda.  

These new power substations directly serve the 37 Military Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, University of Ghana Medical Center, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the National Mosque, and over 800,000 utility customers.  Compact projects upgraded the power system in 10 markets in Accra and Tamale.

Under the compact, ECG has also developed two new information technology systems: the Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multimeter Management System (MMS), to modernize the utility and help reduce commercial losses.

Supporting Energy Efficiency

The MCC Ghana Power Compact also established the Air Conditioner and Refrigerator Test Laboratory at the Ghana Standards Authority. The first of its kind in West Africa, the laboratory will help enforce standards to eliminate the importation of inefficient appliances that waste energy. 

As part of the compact, twenty regulations for energy efficiency standards and labels have been updated to reflect new technology and await promulgation in Parliament.

The compact also supported the installation of more than 14,000 new energy-efficient streetlights with metered management systems, replacing old, inefficient lighting and setting a new standard for energy savings.  

Finally, the compact helped develop a curriculum for teaching energy efficiency in schools. As a result of the Compact, a partnership with three major technical universities will establish energy auditing centers to strengthen Ghana’s position as a leader in West Africa for energy efficiency.

Inclusion

As part of the MCC Ghana Power Compact, more than 600 female students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) participated in mentoring and training for professional growth and development. Three hundred of these students found internship positions at leading energy sector institutions.  

These internships have played a crucial role in helping employers embrace a more inclusive workforce and sustain the effort to provide more opportunities for women to thrive in occupations in the power sector typically dominated by men.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has since adopted a gender policy, action plan, and new targets for greater female employee recruitment and promotion. ECG will also partner with USAID’s Engendering Utilities Program to continue making progress on creating a more inclusive, diverse energy sector workforce.

The inauguration of the Kasoa BSP marks the final major milestone under the MCC Ghana Power Compact and successful completion of the program that has benefited hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians. The compact end date is June 6, 2022.

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