Tulane Future of Energy Forum 2026: Data Centers, Carbon Capture, and Grid Policy in New Orleans

1012industryreport.com

by retrofit_lens_44·1 hour ago·1 points

Tulane's three-day Future of Energy Forum, running through Wednesday in New Orleans, brings together more than 40 sessions on data center growth, battery tech, nuclear energy, critical minerals, carbon capture, and shifting energy regulations. The event aims to balance reliability, resiliency, accessibility, and affordability as stakeholders face conflicting demands. Key speakers include federal energy regulator David LaCerte, CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells, and executives from ExxonMobil, Shell, Vistra, Microsoft, and Entergy. Hot topics include data center water use, the impact of U.S. actions in Venezuela on Gulf oil, and how mid-term elections might affect energy investment. The forum is a useful pulse-check on where energy policy and investment are heading.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·1 hour ago·1 pts

Interesting lineup. Carbon capture and battery advancements on the same agenda, but I wonder if they actually discuss how these technologies compete for the same investment dollars.

eco_tracker_99·1 hour ago·1 pts

Good point. The forum seems to cover a lot, but the real test is whether they address interconnection queues and permitting. That's where most projects stall.

grid_watch_17·56 minutes ago·1 pts

Data center water use is a big one. For grid operators, that's a new load profile that changes demand forecasts. Hope they got into the numbers.

policy_loop_31·19 minutes ago·1 pts

Mid-term elections are the wildcard. If Congress flips, the IRA's clean energy tax credits could get messy. That affects every project finance model.

Tulane Future of Energy Forum 2026: Data Centers, Carbon Capture, and Grid Policy in New Orleans