Brouillette Warns of ‘Energy Emergency’

The KBH Energy Center co-hosts the former U.S. energy secretary for ‘Focus on Energy’ series

Energy policy, national security, and the future of nuclear power took center stage Feb. 20 as the KBH Energy Center welcomed former U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. The event, co-hosted by UT’s Strauss Center for International Security and Law, provided students, faculty members, and industry leaders with a ringside seat to the ongoing energy policy battle on Capitol Hill.

In discussion with KBH Energy Center Executive Director Jack Balagia, Brouillette implored a packed house to think about the country’s current energy needs as urgent.

The speaking engagement was part of the KBH Energy Center’s “Focus on Energy” series, which highlights the leadership of The University of Texas at Austin in energy research, policy, and industry collaboration. The center is a collaboration among the McCombs School of Business, Cockrell School of Engineering, Jackson School of Geosciences, and UT School of Law.

“It’s hard to avoid the notion that there’s an emergency for energy production,” Brouillette said, citing increased demand as the artificial intelligence revolution takes hold and data centers proliferate. “We’re going to be about 25 to 30 gigawatts short by 2030 at the latest. That’s six New York City-sized grids that we have to build in five years.”

He says today’s regulatory environment is a major obstacle to building these grids. “The average time to get a basic permit for infrastructure here in the U.S. is five years,” Brouillette said. “If you want to build a transmission line or a major pipeline, it’s 10 years. You don’t have to be a Ph.D. economist to understand that we have a problem.”

Brouillette served as the 15th U.S. secretary of energy from 2019 to 2021 and as deputy secretary during the preceding the two years. His time in the Department of Energy coincided with KBH Energy Center founder Kay Bailey Hutchison’s tenure as U.S. ambassador to NATO. The two worked closely together on energy policy due to the intensifying geopolitical implications of American energy independence — a trend that has continued.

“There seems to be a focus, when you think about energy policy, to view it almost exclusively through the lens of climate and emissions, rather than through the national security lens, which I think the president is wearing,” Brouillette said.

Energy independence has impact well beyond U.S. boarders, he said, noting that U.S. liquefied natural gas exports have played a critical role in reducing European reliance on Russian gas during the war in Ukraine.

“Are we still in a position and are we still prepared as a country to help our European allies maintain their independence from Russian sources of supply?” Brouillette asked. “I sure hope so.”

He said meeting future grid demand will require an “all of the above” approach to energy generation, incorporating oil and gas, renewables, and nuclear to ensure stability, affordability, and exporting prowess. This strategy involves rethinking regulation around nuclear power, which today is dominated by a new generation of reactors — smaller, safer, highly advanced, and unable to be weaponized.

“What is hindering the development of nuclear energy today?” Brouillette asked. “In my view, we’re still stuck in the Oppenheimer era of nuclear technology with regard to the regulatory regime that we place around it.”

In closing the event, Hutchison thanked her longtime Washington colleague for sharing his knowledge and insights and pointed to UT’s potential to become “the academic center for energy in America.”

“I want to emphasize the importance of programs like this,” Brouillette said. “When it comes to the amount of change happening, the people that energy policymakers turn to are often found in these types of programs.”