How AI and Grid Investment Are Creating a Talent Boom in US Energy Transmission
The AI revolution may be burning jobs in some areas, but it is rapidly creating a looming talent gap in transmission infrastructure and maintenance, while simulating new talent pathways. In the US alone, over a trillion dollars has been committed over a five-year period, with 2026 alone allocated roughly $208 billion – marking a 30% year-on-year jump across utilities. (Bloomberg, 2025)
How much money is the US investing in energy transmission?
$1.1 trillion across five years.
On a company level, AEP's numbers offer an example of the investment. Its own five-year plan carries a budget of $78 billion, 42% of which is allocated to transmission. Constellation's capex has more than doubled too, while NextEra's annual spend has reached $30 billion. (AmericanElectricPower, 2026), (S&PGlobalMarketIntelligence, 2026)
On top of this private investment, there is a layer of federal money. The Department of Energy has announced a $2 billion grid-hardening programme, plus incentives tied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) transmission planning reforms. (FERC, 2024) (DOE, 2024)
Which jobs are emerging from US energy transmission investment?
Skilled trades like electrical line installers, power engineers and lineworkers are booming.
With so much money flying around, the skilled trades in electrical transmission are positioned to reap the rewards. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 7% growth in electrical line installer jobs from 2024–34, with over 10,000 openings each year. (DOL, 2025)
Utility providers are hiring in real time: Georgia Power alone added more than 200 lineworkers last year, while Edison International is funding scholarships of up to $25,000 to build the future of the labour market. The payoff is real for new entrants to the energy transmission workforce, with journeyman lineworkers earning up to and over $100,000. (GeorgiaPower, 2026), (EdisonInternational, 2026)
Similar to other critical industries, the energy transmission sector is bracing and preparing for a wave of skilled workers entering retirement. Fortunately, the training pipeline is shorter than in some sectors; however, the retirement wave is likely to raise demand even further than it currently stands. (KTTC, 2022)
How do materials and manufacturing affect energy transmission buildouts?
Demand from AI data centres, EV electrification, and reshored manufacturing surged all at once, overwhelming an industry that lacked both the raw materials and factory capacity to keep up.
Manufacturers are now building new US plants as the only durable fix, even though these take years to come online. Demand for power transformers has spiked since 2019; generator step-up units alone are up 274%, while supply is bottlenecked by grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES), a material with almost no domestic production base. That combination has pushed lead times on large units to four years and prices up roughly 80%.
Since imports can't close the gap fast enough, companies like Hitachi Energy and Siemens Energy are investing in new US factories as a long-term fix. But these plants take years to build; Hitachi's won't open until 2028, so the shortage, and the manufacturing job growth tied to it, will likely persist for years. (PVMagazineUS, 2026)
Hiring in Energy Transmission now vs later?
Hire now while building the pipelines for tomorrow.
Every structural fix in energy transmission – apprenticeships, scholarships, trade school partnerships, new factory workforces – takes years to pay off. Hitachi's plant won't open until 2028. Apprenticeships run 7,500+ hours. Meanwhile, transmission buildouts, transformer orders, and hiring needs are happening now. That gap between 'when we'll have trained talent' and 'when we need talent' is exactly where a specialist consultancy like CMC comes in.
With a track record of connecting the best available talent with ambitious projects, we keep a keen eye on the industry as a whole and the emerging opportunities. If you're struggling to find the right lineworkers, installers, or power engineers, or you're one looking for a new role then schedule a call today.
References
Bloomberg News. (2025, October 7). AI-power boom to drive $1.1 trillion in US utility grid spending. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-07/us-power-companies-aim-to-spend-1-trillion-over-next-five-years
American Electric Power. (2026, May 5). AEP reports first-quarter 2026 earnings, reaffirms guidance and increases five-year capital plan [Press release]. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000004904/000000490426000031/a1q20268kpressreleaseex991.htm
S&P Global Market Intelligence. (2026, April). US electric utilities step up spending to power energy boom. https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2026/04/us-electric-utilities-step-up-spending-to-power-energy-boom
U.S. Department of Energy. (2024, October 24). DOE announces additional $2 billion to protect the grid against growing threats of extreme weather, expand transmission [Press release]. T&D World. https://www.tdworld.com/smart-utility/news/55238042/doe-announces-additional-2-billion-to-protect-the-grid-against-growing-threats-of-extreme-weather-expand-transmission
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (2024, May 13). Explainer on transmission planning and cost allocation final rule (Order No. 1920). https://www.ferc.gov/explainer-transmission-planning-and-cost-allocation-final-rule
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Line installers and repairers: Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/line-installers-and-repairers.htm
Georgia Power. (2026, April 8). Georgia Power highlights career opportunities during Lineworker Appreciation Month [Press release]. Nasdaq. https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/georgia-power-highlights-career-opportunities-during-lineworker-appreciation-month
Edison International. (2026). Edison International announces $25,000 Lineworker Scholarship recipients [Press release]. Barchart. https://www.barchart.com/story/news/3228602/edison-international-announces-25-000-lineworker-scholarship-recipients
KTTC. (2022, October 20). Critical careers: Electrical lineman shortage. https://www.keyc.com/2022/10/20/critical-careers-electrical-lineman-shortage
pv magazine USA. (2026, May 11). U.S. transformer market faces severe supply constraints as lead times extend to four years. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/05/11/u-s-transformer-market-faces-severe-supply-constraints-as-lead-times-extend-to-four-years/