Existing power plants are ‘bedrock’ in supplying data centers: Constellation CEO

Constellation Energy expects Texas’ Batch Zero large load interconnection process will resume without “meaningful delay.”

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 7, 2026

Data center power sales drive $220M increase in TVA’s net income

The federal utility’s total operating revenue was $10 billion over the first nine months of the fiscal year, up 3% year over year, with a net income of $965 million.

By Diana DiGangi • Aug. 6, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

By Utility Dive staff

NRG nears 1.2-GW hyperscaler deal amid Texas data center pause

President and CEO Robert Gaudette said NRG’s approach to delivering customer-backed capacity would thrive in a more restrictive environment for data center development. 

By Brian Martucci • Updated Aug. 6, 2026

Duke Energy to issue $10B in equity to capture gas generation growth opportunity

President and CEO Harry Sideris said the company is deploying more than $1 billion per month to meet “record demand.” Advocates in North Carolina say the utility has exaggerated growth projections to justify its spending plan.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 6, 2026

PSEG offers large load supply proposals in PJM’s bilateral contracting process

Also, Public Service Enterprise Group is “encouraged” by potential changes to the utility business model in New Jersey, CEO Ralph LaRossa said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2026

Southern Co. contracted large load rises to 17 GW

Recently announced projects include a 3.2-GW OpenAI data center near Savannah, Georgia. The contract includes 1 GW of “flexible demand response” for peak shaving — the first such flexibility provision the company has codified with a data center customer.

By Meris Lutz • Aug. 4, 2026

Dominion offshore wind project cost rises nearly $300M

The increase is due to revised network upgrade costs assigned by the PJM Interconnection, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in April and updated turbine installation projections, executives said.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 3, 2026

AEP secures 13 GW of gas turbines as generation ‘central’ to growth plans

Turbines are “a scarce resource and will become increasingly more valuable,” AEP’s Bill Fehrman said. “We're going to continue to be aggressive in our positions on this.”

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 3, 2026

PJM files backstop auction plan at FERC to meet capacity shortfall

The proposal aims to fill a capacity shortfall driven by surging data center demand, which could grow by 70 GW by 2038, according to the PJM Interconnection. The success of the plan depends on states taking steps to protect their retail customers from cost shifts, it said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 3, 2026

Exelon ‘high probability’ data center load falls 40%

The drop to 11 GW reflects Exelon’s ability to weed out speculative projects through “transmission security agreements,” said CFO Jeanne Jones.

By Ethan Howland • Updated July 31, 2026

Under pressure, Entergy looks to mitigate cost of $1.8B Texas gas plant purchase

“We know that Cottonwood isn't the shiniest new plant out there,” Entergy CEO Drew Marsh told analysts. The deal is “increasingly in doubt,” one says.

By Robert Walton • July 30, 2026

FirstEnergy data center contracts surge 50% in Q2

Mon Power, a FirstEnergy subsidiary, plans to assess a surcharge on its customers to help finance $2.7 billion in generation it is building in West Virginia, mainly for a data center.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Aug. 3, 2026

CMS Energy plans to sell renewable assets to focus on regulated utilities

The Jackson, Michigan-based company said the move would simplify its corporate structure, net about $500 million and set it up to generate nearly all of its earnings from its regulated utilities after 2027.

By Brian Martucci • July 29, 2026

Behind the New York data center pause is legislation that could impact existing facilities

Legislation that’s been put on the back burner while the moratorium is in effect would require large data centers to procure at least a third of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and might impact those with water-intensive cooling, analyses show.

By Joe Burns • July 28, 2026

PJM board proposes backstop capacity auction, data center curtailment plans

FERC’s response to the proposals will likely “influence utility capital investment, data center development timelines and the allocation of reliability risks and costs,” ClearView Energy Partners said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated July 28, 2026

BNEF chip-based model pegs US data center demand at 207 GW by 2033

A base model anticipates U.S. data center demand of about 118 GW by 2030. As potential demand and proposed data center size both grow, so does the complexity in forecasting, analysts said.

By Robert Walton • July 28, 2026

CenterPoint says 14 GW likely eligible for Texas’ ‘Batch Zero’ large-load interconnection

The utility expects 50% load growth by the end of 2029, largely driven by data centers navigating Texas’ new large-load interconnection process, company officials said Tuesday.

By Robert Walton • July 28, 2026

Utility profits in the crosshairs amid affordability concerns

As states target utilities’ return on equity, Pepco’s rate case in Maryland, where the consumer advocate is arguing for an ROE cut, is being closely watched.

By Herman K. Trabish • Updated July 29, 2026

NextEra on track to close Dominion merger by late 2027, executives say

The Virginia State Corporation Commission has scheduled the first public hearing on the proposal for this November. Separately, NextEra is also working to sign final agreements with the U.S. and Japan for 9.5 GW of gas-fired “hubs” in Texas and Pennsylvania.

By Emma Penrod • July 27, 2026

FERC will impose reforms if PJM fails to adopt changes by September, chairman warns

There appears to be broad support for strengthening the independence of the grid operator’s board, possibly by moving to an advisory stakeholder process, and giving states more influence. Some also called for codifying the public interest in PJM’s mission.

By Ethan Howland • July 24, 2026

Renewables, storage can meet one-third of US industrial heat demand: report

The UC Berkeley analysis should be welcome news for a manufacturing industry that is heavily reliant on natural gas, with its volatile prices, said Jose Dominguez, one of the report’s authors.

By Meris Lutz • July 23, 2026

GE Vernova gas turbine backlog climbs to 116 GW

GE Vernova is taking reservations for 2031 deliveries now, said CEO Scott Strazik. He spoke of an increasingly diverse customer base, including data centers.

By Brian Martucci • July 23, 2026

People are critical infrastructure, too. Utilities must do more or lose talent to tech.

With so much riding on America's AI ambitions, utility workforce strategy must have a place alongside generation, transmission and capital planning, writes Stefan Hirniak, president of Specialist Staffing Group US.

By Stefan Hirniak • July 23, 2026

DOE’s new power export rule at odds with ‘energy emergency’ findings: Public Citizen

“Any export of power ... necessarily makes that power unavailable to domestic customers,” potentially contributing to inadequate supplies for a region, Public Citizen said. 

By Ethan Howland • July 23, 2026

FERC eyes ‘grid-enhancing technology’ incentives: Chairman Swett

Data centers, competition in the transmission sector and PJM Interconnection governance reform were other key topics at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

By Ethan Howland • July 23, 2026