U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty will deliver a keynote address at the 2026 Southeast Energy Policy Forum, hosted August 11-12 by the Center for Energy, Transportation and Environmental Policy at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs.
The annual forum brings together leaders from government, industry, higher education and the nonprofit sector to examine the policy and market forces shaping the Southeast’s energy future.
This year’s gathering comes as the region faces rapidly growing electricity demand, expanding data center development, renewed investment in nuclear energy, and growing questions about grid reliability and infrastructure.
Hagerty, who represents Tennessee in the U.S. Senate, will speak on the intersection of America’s energy and national security policy priorities. He joins a two-day program featuring more than 20 leaders and experts from across the energy landscape.
Tristan Abbey, administrator of the Energy Information Administration, will deliver a keynote address highlighting the Administration’s forecast of changing energy markets. Featured speakers also include Kevin Book, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, and Vanessa Z. Chan, vice dean of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science and former chief commercialization officer at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Together with experts from industry, government, and academia, they will examine five areas shaping the region’s future:
- Data Center Growth, Deployment and Market Development: Examining AI-driven energy demand, data center expansion, pipeline development and changing market dynamics.
- Energy Markets, Reliability and Infrastructure: Exploring fuel and energy price volatility, infrastructure needs and risk management for the electricity sector.
- Nuclear Energy and Fuel Recycling: Discussing opportunities to reprocess and reuse the nation’s nuclear fuel, including in the Southeast.
- Policy, Community Impact and Stakeholder Alignment: Highlighting strategies for balancing large-scale energy development with community priorities and public policy considerations.
- Rural electric cooperatives, including how different types of cooperatives face varied financial and resilience challenges, and how population growth creates opportunities for these important local providers.
The Southeast Energy Policy Forum provides a platform for policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and other experts to exchange ideas, examine competing perspectives and build connections across sectors.
The forum will be held in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus. Registration is now open. General admission is $500, government and nonprofit registration is $300, and faculty and students may attend free of charge.
To learn more about the Southeast Energy Policy Forum, view the agenda or register, visit the event website.