Geopolitics and the Energy Transition: How Energy Security, Supply Chains and Conflict Are Reshaping the Transition in 2026
Energy Transition Group Co-Chair George Humphrey collaborated with corporate attorneys Kitty Xie, Khan Tran and Alexis Kilik on a Multilaw article about the effects of geopolitical uncertainty on the global energy transition, contributing analysis of the changing U.S. energy market. The authors discuss how shifts in federal policy have altered the outlook for renewable energy, offshore wind, clean hydrogen and carbon capture projects, while nuclear power and geothermal development continue to receive federal backing. They also address the growing electricity demands of data centers that power artificial intelligence (AI) and challenges involving generation capacity, grid interconnection, permitting, financing and project delivery. The piece additionally identifies considerations for sponsors, lenders and offtakers evaluating energy and data infrastructure investments, including developer experience, technology readiness, regulatory pathways and the ability of proposed generation sources to provide reliable power.