George Mason Sets October 7 Forum on Energy Security and AI Power Demand

George Mason University’s eighth annual Mason Energy Forum takes place October 7, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Van Metre Hall in Arlington, Virginia. Registration begins at 8 a.m.; the first keynote starts at 9 a.m. Registration is full, and the official pages specify neither a timezone nor a livestream link for watching remotely.

Check-in is not the keynote

The official agenda places the symposium in Multipurpose Room 126 at Van Metre Hall on Mason Square. Registration and refreshments run from 8 to 8:30 a.m. in the lobby, followed by opening remarks from Richard Kauzlarich and Ellen Laipson until 9 a.m. Times here follow the organizer’s published schedule.

The university describes the daylong event as free and open to the public, but its October 5 notice now says it is full. The schedule ends with closing remarks from 3:45 to 3:55 p.m., then a 4-to-5 p.m. reception celebrating the Schar School’s 10th anniversary.

Supply security before new energy sources

The morning begins with vulnerabilities in existing energy supplies. Retired Admiral Charles Richard, president of the Institute for Defense Analyses, delivers the 9-to-9:45 a.m. keynote, “Maritime Security and the Iran War.” Its stated focus includes strategic choke points, naval escort capacity and physical supply vulnerabilities.

Two subsequent panels address maritime governance and the Iran war’s consequences for energy producers and consumers. At noon, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow David Hart joins Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell for a working-lunch conversation on energy security, technological innovation and American leadership.

the interconnectedness of national security, energy policy, and local infrastructure for commercial space and data centers

Richard Kauzlarich, describing what organizers hope attendees will appreciate

The afternoon puts feasibility and costs on the agenda

The university identifies growing electricity demand from AI and data centers as a forum topic, alongside advanced nuclear power and space-based energy. The detailed agenda gives afternoon sessions to space infrastructure, nuclear power and geothermal solutions, rather than listing a separate AI-demand panel.

• 1–1:30 p.m.: Antares Chief Nuclear Officer Rian Bahran delivers “Space as the New Energy Frontier,” addressing space’s emerging role in energy.
• 1:30–2:30 p.m.: “Space as Economic Infrastructure” examines the feasibility, economics and governance of space-based energy infrastructure. Schar School adjunct professor Hina Kazmi moderates.
• 2:45–3:45 p.m.: “Nuclear Power and Geothermal Solutions” evaluates small modular reactor viability and costs, natural-gas trade-offs, geothermal prospects and behind-the-meter microgrids.