As coal burn declines, rising power demand will be primarily met by renewables: EIA

The electric power sector could install more than 26 GW of battery storage next year, helping support a renewable resource base that is expected to supply almost a quarter of 2027 consumption, EIA said.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 12, 2026

ConEd joins utilities seeking to loosen New York restrictions on owning generation

The company says reforms would boost renewables and help it achieve resource adequacy and environmental compliance targets. It has also asked regulators to expand distribution and transmission-connected storage options.

By Brian Martucci • Nov. 12, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

Constellation pursues hybrid capacity contracts alongside nuclear uprates

The offering gives Constellation “a new way to pair the existing fleet with incremental capacity” by adding batteries, generation and demand response, CEO Joe Dominguez said.

By Brian Martucci • Nov. 11, 2026

FERC’s LaCerte weighs in on midterms, PJM and utility monopolies

“The only way we're going to get out of the affordability mess is by building more things,” said David LaCerte, a commissioner at the agency.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 11, 2026

Are data centers really paying their share? AES Indiana’s Google deal highlights a thorny question

While local grid infrastructure projects are fairly easy to trace back to a specific data center, regional system upgrades raise more complex questions about who benefits and cost allocation across jurisdictions, one expert told Utility Dive.

By Charles Paullin • Nov. 10, 2026

Most generators prepared for extreme cold, but risks remain: NERC

Despite improvements to cold-weather operations, the grid “continues to face serious reliability risks during the winter period,” NERC President and CEO Jim Robb said.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 10, 2026

Arizona’s longest-tenured utility commissioner on large loads, affordability and Western markets

“We have been talking for years that growth must pay for growth, and I think customers are asking for proof [of that],” Lea Márquez Peterson told Utility Dive on the sidelines of NARUC’s annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 9, 2026

PPL increases capital plan to $25B with proposed Kentucky gas plant

The company projects some 50 GW of potential load growth, mostly from data centers, across Kentucky and Pennsylvania. CEO Vincent Sorgi suggested those states could see a influx of projects due to restrictions in other regions.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 9, 2026

Inside the ‘pressure cooker’: Electric utility regulators gather in wake of electoral earthquake

Newly elected leaders and customers are “questioning our foundational regulatory approaches,” Ann Rendahl, president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, told her peers and industry stakeholders.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 9, 2026

The next wave of energy storage capacity is already on the grid

One study found $98M in missed revenue across 30 batteries. Better software controls can help capture it.

By Scott Blalock, General Manager, Global Software Operational Technology, Valo • Nov. 9, 2026

Duke Energy to stay course on data center-fueled growth plan after ‘historic’ election

The company’s large-load pipeline of 15.4 GW has remained virtually unchanged since the first quarter of 2026 as it pursues a $103 billion spending plan heavily focused on new natural gas generation.

By Emma Penrod • Nov. 6, 2026

Exelon, Invenergy complaints at FERC seek capacity market changes

Exelon asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order PJM to adopt a “prompt” capacity auction, while Invenergy wants the Midcontinent grid operator to let HVDC merchant lines receive capacity payments.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 5, 2026

APS expects sales to double by 2041, plans extending coal use to 2038

Arizona Public Service expects peak demand will grow about 3.4% annually over the next 15 years, driven by industry and data centers, the utility said in an integrated resource plan filed Friday with regulators.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 4, 2026

Trump ban on foreign grid components sparks industry concern over cost, practicality

Stakeholders applauded the order’s intent to secure the grid but said restrictions based on geography, rather than function and capability, miss the point and threaten investment.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 4, 2026

Caterpillar expands production of engines and turbines to meet data center demand

The heavy machinery and power equipment maker saw its order backlog reach $78 billion during the third quarter, almost double what it was a year ago.

By Nathan Owens • Nov. 3, 2026

PSEG Power plans 200-MW nuclear uprate as company eyes data center deals

But one of the units at the Salem plant in New Jersey, which is jointly owned with Constellation Energy, faces an extended outage to deal with degraded equipment, according to federal filings.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 3, 2026

PJM’s revised data center backstop procurement plan reduces utility risks: ICF

The planned procurement could be for as little as 630 MW, down from an initial 6,800-MW target, after utilities in the PJM Interconnection’s footprint lowered their large-load forecasts, Jefferies analysts said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Nov. 4, 2026

Hitachi’s nuclear revenue rises as SMR delivery date approaches

The bulk of the Japanese conglomerate’s Energy segment business is in electrical grid equipment. Sales are strong, but inflation and long delivery timelines bear watching, company executives said.

By Brian Martucci • Oct. 30, 2026

States must take a critical eye to gas plants proposed over clean energy

The key question for regulators is no longer whether utilities can simply find a reason to install another gas turbine, write experts from Environmental Defense Fund and Minnesota’s CURE.

By Hudson Kingston and Will Scott • Oct. 30, 2026

GE Vernova in $9B deal to buy high-voltage manufacturer as gas turbine orders slow

The acquisition of Trench Group will help GE Vernova capitalize on rising electricity demand, company executives said.

By Brian Martucci • Oct. 29, 2026

AEP increases investment plan 30% on generation, transmission spending

American Electric Power’s contracted large loads jumped 22%, to 84 GW, mainly on a 10.4-GW data center in Ohio being developed by SB Energy, company officials said Wednesday.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 29, 2026

Chinese-linked solar developer loses appeal over Texas grid interconnection

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit said Texas has a “free lane” to enforce restrictions on foreign-owned companies’ access to the state’s electric grid in a ruling that could have implications for other states and market participants.

By Meris Lutz • Oct. 29, 2026

FirstEnergy data center pipeline increases to 26 GW in Q3

Two FirstEnergy utilities reserved combined-cycle turbines for a 1.2-GW data center-focused project in West Virginia and issued a solicitation for an additional 3 GW, company officials said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 29, 2026

CMS Energy CEO predicts data center ‘progress’ after midterms

Garrick Rochow blamed political “spin” for permitting setbacks in an earnings call. He did not address the more than $300 million the utility says it has spent to keep an aging coal plant running under DOE ‘emergency’ orders.

By Brian Martucci • Oct. 28, 2026

DOE announces $10.1B in loans to Constellation, Alliant, for 3.7 GW

Both loan packages could be used to finance uprates at existing generation facilities, which Energy Secretary Chris Wright called “commonsense” energy policy.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 28, 2026