Arkansas’s energy landscape is changing faster than at any point in recent memory. Rapid load growth, large industrial recruitment, federal policy shifts, and evolving utility resource plans are converging to reshape the state’s energy economy.
Advanced energy in Arkansas includes electricity generation (solar, wind, nuclear, natural gas, bioenergy), energy efficiency, grid modernization, storage, distributed energy resources, electrification technologies, and the workforce and supply chains that support them. It spans rural and urban communities, agriculture and manufacturing, utilities, and entrepreneurs.
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) and the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) represent businesses, investors, and stakeholders working to modernize Arkansas’s energy system while strengthening economic competitiveness. In 2024, when the state’s two investor-owned utilities released Integrated Resource Plans projecting near-term generation shortfalls, it became clear that Arkansas needed an annual, data-driven snapshot of its energy system. This report was created to meet that need.
National forecasts underscore the urgency. Over the past three years, projected U.S. five-year peak load growth increased from 24 GW to 166 GW. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which serves most of Arkansas, projects significant summer peak growth through 2030. Demand is rising faster than infrastructure can be built.
This report is not advocacy; it is a baseline. It compiles publicly available data, highlights trends, and identifies emerging risks and opportunities. Readers seeking deeper analysis, legislative updates, or policy resources can find expanded materials at AAEA’s website.
This first edition establishes a benchmark. Future editions will track how Arkansas responds.
Arkansas’s energy landscape is changing faster than at any point in recent memory. Rapid load growth, large industrial recruitment, federal policy shifts, and evolving utility resource plans are converging to reshape the state’s energy economy.
Advanced energy in Arkansas includes electricity generation (solar, wind, nuclear, natural gas, bioenergy), energy efficiency, grid modernization, storage, distributed energy resources, electrification technologies, and the workforce and supply chains that support them. It spans rural and urban communities, agriculture and manufacturing, utilities, and entrepreneurs.
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) and the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) represent businesses, investors, and stakeholders working to modernize Arkansas’s energy system while strengthening economic competitiveness. In 2024, when the state’s two investor-owned utilities released Integrated Resource Plans projecting near-term generation shortfalls, it became clear that Arkansas needed an annual, data-driven snapshot of its energy system. This report was created to meet that need.
National forecasts underscore the urgency. Over the past three years, projected U.S. five-year peak load growth increased from 24 GW to 166 GW. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which serves most of Arkansas, projects significant summer peak growth through 2030. Demand is rising faster than infrastructure can be built.
This report is not advocacy; it is a baseline. It compiles publicly available data, highlights trends, and identifies emerging risks and opportunities. Readers seeking deeper analysis, legislative updates, or policy resources can find expanded materials at AAEA’s website.
This first edition establishes a benchmark. Future editions will track how Arkansas responds.
