Oklo inks 12-GW advanced reactor supply agreement with data center developer Switch

Initial deployments of the 50-MWe Aurora powerhouse reactor could begin as early as 2029, Oklo said today.

By Brian Martucci • Dec. 18, 2024

US LNG exports raise electricity bills, gas prices and emissions, DOE report concludes

Increasing natural gas exports “exposes a triple-cost increase to U.S. consumers,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

By Robert Walton • Dec. 18, 2024

Explore the Trendline➔

Electricity Supply and Demand

After nearly two decades of flat demand, U.S. electricity consumption reached an all-time high in 2024 and is expected to continue rising. This trendline brings together the best of Utility Dive’s coverage of emerging trends in supply and demand and the decisions being made today that will impact the power system for years to come. 

By Utility Dive staff

Grid constraints limit near-term data center growth in Northwest: NPCC panelist

Gas-fired generation could meet data centers’ immediate power needs and transition to backup generation over time, panelists told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 12, 2024

Google, Intersect Power to develop co-located energy parks with $20B of renewables, storage

Energy parks can provide grid services, but they face regulatory challenges, including uncertainty around the rules for co-located load, according to Energy Innovation. 

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 11, 2024

PJM expects summer peak load to grow 2% a year on average, driven by data centers

Meanwhile, it will be hard to build enough power plants and power lines to meet Virginia’s data center needs, according to a report written for state lawmakers.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 10, 2024

Clean firm generation is an important piece of the energy transition, but it’s no silver bullet

Due to the high cost of clean firm energy, it may be best considered as part of a broader generation portfolio that relies on much lower cost wind and solar most of the time.

By Michelle Solomon • Dec. 5, 2024

Meta seeks up to 4 GW of new nuclear power to help meet AI, sustainability objectives

 The Facebook and Instagram parent aims to deploy new nuclear generation capacity to power its data centers beginning in the early 2030s, it said Tuesday.

By Brian Martucci • Updated Dec. 5, 2024

Renewable energy developers urge PJM to drop fast-track interconnection plan

The PJM Interconnection’s proposed Reliability Resource Initiative, if approved, will be challenged at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and in court, the developers said.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 4, 2024

When TOU rates aren’t enough: BGE, other utilities expand active managed charging for rising EV load

With over 3 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads, managed charging pilots need to be scaled before infrastructure upgrade costs start rising, analysts and utility executives agree.

By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 4, 2024

A costly lesson in supply and demand: How to address PJM’s capacity shortages

The first law of holes says that you should stop digging when you’re in one. It’s time to stop retiring dispatchable resources if we don’t want the hole we’re in to get any deeper.

By Michelle Bloodworth • Dec. 3, 2024

Duke pauses consideration of DOE loan program with Trump election, new Congress

Given the uncertainties around future Department of Energy lending, it makes sense to delay a review of potential benefits from the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment program, Duke Energy told North Carolina regulators.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 2, 2024

ECP plan to buy 5.3 GW could drive up PJM capacity prices, Public Citizen, others tell FERC

Energy Capital Partners should disclose whether it intends to divert the plants’ output to supply data centers, according to Public Citizen, Private Equity Stakeholder Project and the Sierra Club.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 27, 2024

EPRI, Kraken advance DER interoperability standards to boost virtual power plant deployment

“Without interoperability standards, VPPs cannot reach scalability, affordability, and reliability as soon or as efficiently as they will be needed,” said Arshad Mansoor, CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 27, 2024

Constellation asks FERC for PJM rules on data centers and other co-located load

In a complaint, the independent power producer contends Exelon utilities are blocking co-located projects at Constellation’s nuclear power plants in Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 26, 2024

New York City faces potential electricity resource shortfalls in 2033, 2034: ISO

Transportation and building electrification, along with commercial projects like data centers and chip fabrication, are driving peak demand higher, according to the New York Independent System Operator.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 26, 2024

Affordability, data center growth and more: 9 state utility regulators reveal their top challenges

Utility commissioners from across the U.S. say their most pressing issue is balancing affordability with the utility spending required to meet demand growth and maintain reliability.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 26, 2024

EPA proposes tightening NOx limits for new gas-fired power plants

The outlook for the standards — last updated in 2006 — is unclear under the incoming Trump administration.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 25, 2024

Data center boom fuels demand for nuclear projects

A shift in how tech companies like Google and Amazon meet their energy needs is creating opportunities for construction firms equipped to handle atomic power work.

By Sebastian Obando • Nov. 25, 2024

Ratepayer advocates press FERC for PJM capacity market changes, citing ‘crushing’ prices

A complaint filed on Monday comes as the PJM Interconnection is preparing to propose capacity market reforms, such as reflecting reliability must-run units in its next two auctions.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 19, 2024

Texas report recommends low-interest loans for advanced nuclear, similar to gas plant fund

The report, released Monday by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, says the state can become a global leader in advanced nuclear energy with funding and a new regulatory regime.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 19, 2024

Oklo reactor pipeline swells to 2.1 GW as demonstration project advances

The advanced reactor company has completed key milestones for its first planned deployment and added up to 750 MW in potential future orders, CEO Jacob DeWitte said on Oklo’s Q3 2024 earnings call.

By Brian Martucci • Nov. 18, 2024

Trump taps North Dakota Gov. Burgum to run Interior, new national energy council

President-elect Donald Trump said his administration will “dramatically” increase baseload power generation, which “will reduce the cost of electrical bills that continue to skyrocket for citizens and small businesses.”

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 18, 2024

Natural gas supply is a bulk power reliability risk this winter: NERC

Gas producers have taken “a multitude of proactive measures to prepare for winter weather," Natural Gas Supply Association CEO Dena Wiggins said.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 15, 2024

Generative AI deployment at Diablo Canyon is a first for US nuclear power sector: PG&E

The NVIDIA-supported search and data retrieval application is the start of a series of AI-powered solutions vendor Atomic Canyon aims to deploy across the nuclear industry, CEO and co-founder Trey Lauderdale said.

By Brian Martucci • Nov. 14, 2024

Biden administration sets plan to triple US nuclear energy capacity by 2050

The road map aims for 200 GW of net new capacity from newly built reactors, restarts of plants retired for economic reasons and power uprates of existing reactors, the White House said Tuesday.

By Brian Martucci • Nov. 13, 2024