Southeast Energy Policy Forum
The annual Southeast Energy Policy Forum, hosted by the Center for Energy, Transportation and Environmental Policy housed at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, convenes industry leaders, nonprofits, ORNL, TVA, and government officials for accessible policy analysis, insights on policy process, and policy-centered technical discussions about emerging technologies.
The forum is ideal for leaders of private-sector energy producers and consumers, public utilities, policymakers, regulators, and sustainability managers. Past keynote speakers have included former Governor Phil Bredesen, U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, and former high-level DOE officials.
2025 Southeast Energy Policy Forum
Knoxville, TN | August 5-6, 2025
Day One: Tuesday, August 5
Energy Demand and Energy Security
12:00 to 5:30 p.m.
After years of flat or declining electricity demand, the Southeast now expects growth due to electrification and automation and the expansion of Al data centers. What do electricity demand forecasts look like in the Southeast, and what’s our level of confidence in them? We’ll kick off Day One with these questions to set the stage for the supply challenges facing the electricity industry.
One potential way to satisfy our economy’s appetite for electricity is nuclear power. So why aren’t we building more nuclear in this country? We’ll convene experts from the worlds of nuclear engineering, regulation, and financing to share what’s being considered to accelerate development.
Day One wraps up with keynote speaker Dr. Jeff Waksman from the U.S. Department of Defense, whose duties include oversight of nuclear projects Pele and TRISO. A networking reception will give forum participants the opportunity to exchange news and perspectives on the day’s discussions.
5:30 p.m. Networking reception
Day Two: Wednesday, August 6
Strategies for Our Energy Future
9:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Hear from the CEOs of TVA and Georgia Power about their ambitions for meeting large load growth in the Southeast. Take a quick dive into Large Language Models (LLM), their contribution to the surge in energy demand, and how they’re likely to evolve. Two “hyperscalers” that generate some of the growing electricity demand – Google and Amazon – will discuss their pursuit of clean baseload power to support Al and data center growth.
While nuclear is one option to satisfy growing electricity demand, there are other tools in the toolbox. We’ll have a panel discussion on grid expansion, battery storage, and grid reliability and learn from utilities about their experience with the behind-the-meter tools they’re using to manage demand.
2025 Advisory Board
