America’s Energy Infrastructure Report
The American Society of Civil Engineers report (2025) indicates that the Energy sector received a grade of D+ .
This grade reflects concerns related to capacity, future needs, and safety. The downgrade from the previous report was also due to these concerns.
In the larger context of U.S. infrastructure, which received an overall grade of C, the D+ for Energy highlights several key issues that are also prevalent in other sectors:
Aging Infrastructure: Similar to sectors like Drinking Water (C-), Inland Waterways (C-), and Wastewater (D+), the Energy sector is grappling with aging assets. The report notes that 70% of power transformers and transmission lines are 25 years or older, and 60% of circuit breakers are over 30 years old. This mirrors the situation in drinking water, where many pipes laid post-World War II are reaching the end of their design life, and inland waterways, where 80% of lock and dam infrastructure exceeds its 50-year design life.
Increasing Demand: The Energy sector faces rapidly increasing demand due to electrification, driven by electric vehicles (EVs) and data centers. Data centers alone are expected to demand 35 GW of electricity by 2030, up from 17 GW in 2022. While the sources don't explicitly state similar demand increases for all other sectors, the mention of population growth impacting infrastructure needs and increased travel patterns affecting roads suggest demand pressures exist across various categories.
Need for Modernization and Investment: The Energy sector requires significant modernization and expansion of its transmission and distribution (T&D) network to handle increased demand and connect new renewable generation sources. This aligns with the broader theme of insufficient funding across many sectors, including Drinking Water, Inland Waterways, Roads (D+), Transit (D), and Wastewater, where sustained and increased investment is necessary to reach a state of good repair. The report mentions that transmission investments have increased, and the IIJA and IRA are supporting renewable technologies and grid hardening, similar to how the IIJA has boosted funding for ports and hazardous waste cleanup. However, like many other sectors, the Energy sector still faces a substantial investment gap.
Resilience to Extreme Weather: The Energy sector is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which have accounted for 80% of electricity outages since 2000. This vulnerability to natural disasters is a recurring theme across infrastructure categories, including Broadband (C+), Dams (D+), Drinking Water, Inland Waterways (impact of drought), Ports, and Roads. The need for resilient technologies and grid hardening measures in the energy sector mirrors the discussions about hardened features for broadband and resilience planning for ports and drinking water. Interregional connections are also crucial for energy reliability during extreme weather.
Transition to Renewables: The Energy sector is undergoing a transformational shift towards renewable energy sources to meet net-zero greenhouse gas emission goals, while natural gas still plays a dominant role. This transition requires energy storage solutions. While other sectors may not be undergoing the same type of energy source transition, the emphasis on sustainability in sectors like Ports (exploring alternative fuels) and Wastewater (limited adoption of sustainability frameworks) indicates a broader awareness of environmental considerations.
Data Availability: The report notes that the Energy sector, along with others like stormwater and schools, lacks extensive public data on key performance indicators. This lack of robust data hinders proactive discussion and effective asset management, a challenge also highlighted for Wastewater regarding operation and maintenance costs and condition data .
The recommendations for the Energy sector to raise its grade – adopting a federal energy policy, requiring stringent codes and standards, designing efficient infrastructure, adjusting electricity rates, and assigning state coordinators for grant processes – echo the general recommendations for U.S. infrastructure. These include sustaining investment, prioritizing resilience, and advancing forward-thinking policies and innovations.
The investors we work with at High Line are hyper focused on investing across the energy, infrastructure, and industrial services sectors. As government funds pair with private capital, the tailwinds these sectors are already seeing materialize, we believe, are a once in a generation investment theme.
The Energy sector's grade serves as another indicator of the overall need for sustained attention and investment across all infrastructure categories to ensure the nation's long-term economic competitiveness and quality of life.
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