House passes permitting reform bill with anti-offshore wind amendment

The amendment was “absolutely critical for preserving the Trump administration’s ability to continue its much-need reviews of ocean wind projects,” said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.

Court agrees to rehear $14B climate funding freeze case

The nonprofit recipients of $14 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants frozen by the EPA are scheduled to have their case reheard by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in February. 

Energy evolution: Meeting the demands of an AI-powered world

By pairing human expertise with AI-driven insights and forging collaborations across industries, we can build an energy ecosystem that is reliable and affordable for all, EPRI’s Remi Raphael writes.

PJM capacity prices hit record high as grid operator falls short of reliability target

A 6.6-GW shortfall could trigger a backstop procurement to bolster PJM’s reserve margin, according to Jefferies analysts.

DOE orders 730-MW TransAlta coal plant in Washington to keep running

The Department of Energy could issue similar emergency orders for at least five other coal-fired power plants set to shutter at the end of the month, according to Earthjustice.

Turing test-inspired tool compares virtual power plants to gas peakers

EnergyHub’s “Huels test” asks whether a grid operator can distinguish between a gas peaker plant and a VPP based on their operational characteristics. To pass, the VPP must match the visibility, “schedulability” and availability of a peaker.

Large load tariffs could streamline interconnection by shrinking queues: Enverus

“Anyone with an acre of land they think they could put a data center on is putting in an interconnection request,” said energy research analyst Adam Robinson.

Manufacturers prefer price hikes over reshoring to combat tariff effects

A survey revealed 86% of manufacturers plan to pass on at least some of their cost increases. Raw material price increases averaged 5.4% for 2025 but are projected to see an overall increase of 4.4% in 2026.

Hybrid heating: A bridge to decarbonization or a road to obsolescence for gas utilities?

Combining heat pumps with gas furnaces can help manage winter peaks, lower energy costs and cut carbon emissions. But this approach requires well-structured regulatory frameworks and cost-recovery mechanisms, West Monroe experts write.

2025 on track for record storage deployments: WoodMac

“Despite new federal policies and tariffs, the market fundamentals remain exceptionally strong,” said Allison Feeney, a research analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

Ford scraps EV plans, shifts to stationary energy storage

Ford will convert plants in Kentucky and Michigan to produce lithium iron phosphate batteries, including 20-foot DC container systems of the type used by data centers, utilities and large-scale industrial and commercial customers.

SK On pivots to stationary energy storage after Ford joint venture ends

The manufacturer says it will continue to supply EV batteries to Ford. However, it plans to focus more on “profitable and sustainable growth” in the U.S. by selling to other customers as well, including stationary energy storage systems.

New role for nuclear power emerges in New York energy plan

New York’s recently-approved energy plan indicates that new nuclear power plants could lower the cost of reaching a carbon-free power system by 2040, Clean Air Task Force advocates write. 

SBTi opens pilot for power sector net-zero standard

The Science Based Targets initiative is looking for companies in the energy industry to test the practicality and usefulness of the draft framework.

Power producers ask FERC to reverse MISO’s $280M capacity auction ‘adjustment’

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator faces two complaints over its handling of a software error that affected the results of its last planning resource auction.

ISO-NE opposes refund to BP Energy Retail Co. for $6M in billing errors

Eversource Energy and the Retail Energy Supply Association urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a resettlement for all affected power suppliers.

Clean energy industry preps ahead of impending FEOC guidance

The foreign-entity-of-concern guidance is likely to be “taxpayer-friendly” and should be released by the end of January, according to an analysis from strategy firm Capstone.

Russia-linked hackers breach critical infrastructure organizations via edge devices

“The targeting demonstrates sustained focus on the energy sector supply chain,” Amazon’s threat intelligence team wrote in a blog post Monday.

Coordinating short-, ultra-long-duration storage unlocks maximum clean energy value

The United States needs to integrate short-duration energy storage with multi-day storage to build a secure, reliable grid, Noon Energy’s Aric Saunders writes.

Grid operators, ratepayers shouldn’t fear flexible data centers: GridCARE

The startup says its analysis shows that if a 1-GW data center incorporates “just modest amounts of flexibility,” it could reduce costs by 5% across all customer classes or unlock more than $1.35 billion in capital for the utility.

Tribal nations regroup after loss of federal funding for clean energy

“We know the demand for energy is only going to continue in the coming years,” said Clara Pratte, founder of the solar company Navajo Power. “And in terms of tribal communities, we have to be players in this world.”

Updated Dec. 16, 2025

FERC poised to issue decision on colocating large loads in PJM

The agency’s plan to issue an order at its Dec. 18 open meeting is likely a boon for nuclear and gas-fired power plant owners that want to sell electricity to colocated data centers, analysts said.

CISA updates cybersecurity benchmarks for critical infrastructure organizations

The agency streamlined and supplemented goals it first issued in 2022 for critical infrastructure operators, including utilities, grid operators and power providers. 

Thermal batteries are ready. Our electricity rules aren’t.

Exposing thermal batteries to real-time market signals would help lower system costs and strengthen America’s manufacturing base and AI infrastructure, write Katherine Hamilton and Isaac Brown of the Thermal Battery Alliance. 

Grid-scale battery energy storage systems face heightened risk of cyberattack

Experts warn that state-linked threat groups are actively searching for ways to disrupt the industry amid growing power demand in the U.S.