Natural gas isn’t going away, not matter how much some people may want it to. A new report highlighted by Utility Dive finds that maintaining electric reliability requires firm, dependable natural gas supplies and stronger coordination between the gas and electric sectors:

This shouldn’t be controversial. As electricity demand surges from any number of factors including data centers, manufacturing growth, electrification, and extreme weather events, grid operators aren’t asking for less reliability—they’re asking for more.

And when temperatures plunge or demand spikes unexpectedly, natural gas generation continues to serve as a critical backbone of the electric system. Multiple reliability assessments have identified growing gas-electric interdependence as a major factor in maintaining grid stability.

Yet even as reliability concerns grow, pipeline projects face delays, permitting remains challenging, and some policymakers continue acting as if firm generation can simply be wished into existence.The lesson from reliability experts, regulators, and grid operators keeps getting clearer: If you want reliable electricity, you need reliable fuel.

The electric sector’s reliability depends on firm natural gas supply. Period. That means maintaining and expanding the infrastructure that delivers natural gas to power plants when demand is highest—not pretending those needs disappear because they’re politically inconvenient. The fact is that the energy transition may be evolving but the laws of physics have not.