Consumers Energy plans over $17B in capital spending in next 5 years

Executives did not provide a substantive update on the DOE’s “emergency” orders to continue running a 1.6-GW coal plant the company had planned to retire, but they hinted that they would eventually shut it down to “drive cost savings.”

By Brian Martucci • Feb. 6, 2026

EPA reconsiders Good Neighbor Plan that limited power plant emissions

The agency seeks to roll back the Biden-era program to cut ozone-forming emissions of nitrogen oxides from power plants and industrial facilities. This pollution often affects downwind states’s ability to meet Clean Air Act requirements.

By Jeffrey Kinney • Feb. 6, 2026

Manufacturers say AEP Ohio still inflating data center demand after halving forecast

AEP cut its large load forecast by more than 50% after regulators approved a new large load tariff. But the trade group said it does not reflect PJM’s load forecast methodology. 

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 6, 2026

Xcel Energy pursuing large load tariffs in 4 states amid data center growth

The company expects to sign contracts on 6 GW of data centers by the end of 2027, CEO Bob Frenzel said. Xcel is partnering with NextEra Energy and GE Vernova to speed its development of new generation.

By Emma Penrod • Feb. 6, 2026

Utilities face cost-recovery risk as infrastructure costs, demand rise: Morningstar

With metal costs soaring, utilities will pay more for key grid parts such as transmission lines, distribution feeders and transformers, analysts with the ratings agency said.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 5, 2026

House lawmakers press FERC on affordability, reliability and gas

Commissioners cited inadequate transmission infrastructure as a major concern. A gas-fired project in the PJM Interconnection needs $1 billion in grid upgrades to come online, said Commissioner David Rosner.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 4, 2026

TVA pursues 6.2 GW of new generation, citing data centers, population growth

Data center demand “climbed to 18% of our industrial load in 2025, and we are projecting data center growth to double in our region by 2030,” said CEO Don Moul.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 4, 2026

Tariffs lifted nonresidential construction costs 3.2% in 2025

Trade policy will “continue to put upward pressure on certain materials” in 2026, said the chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors. In December, copper wire and cable jumped 22% year over year. Iron and steel were up 12%.

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 3, 2026

Gas, electricity prices spiked year over year in November: EIA

The residential price of electricity rose 5.5% in November compared with November 2024, while the price of gas rose 88.5%, according to the Energy Information Administration.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 2, 2026

The AI boom needs power. Tariffs can make it fair.

Large load tariffs can be used to deliver community benefits, lock in clean, reliable power and strengthen energy resilience, writes Ava Community Energy’s Olivia Vasquez.

By Olivia Vasquez • Feb. 2, 2026

Coal plant owners say DOE ‘emergency’ order to run it violates Constitution

By mandating the generator’s availability to operate, the order “constitutes both a physical taking and a regulatory taking” of property by the government without just compensation or due process, they said in a request for rehearing. 

By Ethan Howland • Updated Feb. 2, 2026

2026 US power sector outlook

Read Utility Dive's road map to the year ahead for FERC, affordability, renewable energy, distributed energy resources and more. 

By Meris Lutz • Jan. 30, 2026

Customers, don’t expect electric bill relief in 2026: ‘The cake is baked.’

Energy affordability has long been a problem for the poorest Americans, but now middle-income families are starting to feel the squeeze.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026

GE Vernova Q4 gas turbine orders surge 74%

Wind turbine orders increased 8% in 2025 — mainly outside the U.S. — despite the Trump administration’s efforts to stifle offshore wind development.

By Brian Martucci • Jan. 30, 2026

PJM prepares to call on data center, large load backup generation to avoid blackouts

However, it is unclear how much generation could be available, and the grid operator doubts it will be needed during the ongoing bitter cold.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Jan. 30, 2026

NERC forecasts peak demand to rise 24% on new data center loads

“The system is changing faster than the infrastructure needed to support it,” said John Moura, NERC's director of reliability assessments and performance analysis.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026

Republican, Democratic senators call for project certainty at permitting reform hearing

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said permitting talks could resume if the Trump administration stops its moves to thwart wind and solar projects.

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 29, 2026

FERC in 2026: Rising costs cloud regulators’ options on data centers, transmission and more

DOE’s colocation proposal and transmission planning reforms will set FERC’s agenda this year against a backdrop of rising concern over affordability, former commission chairmen and experts say in our 2026 outlook.

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 29, 2026

US coal generation jumped 31% during Winter Storm Fern: EIA

Gas generation in the Lower 48 states increased 14%, while solar, wind and hydropower contributions declined from the week before, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 29, 2026

DOE expands use of emergency orders amid winter freeze

Waivers issued Monday for the PJM Interconnection, New York ISO and Duke Energy build on emergency directives the Department of Energy ordered over the weekend.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 27, 2026

GHG Protocol proposal risks slowing clean energy expansion

Proposed changes to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol would make it more difficult for companies to report renewables use and could discourage procurement, according Lesley Hunter and Jeffrey Gorham of the American Council on Renewable Energy.

By Lesley Hunter and Jeffrey Gorham • Jan. 27, 2026

In 2026, virtual power plants must scale or risk being left behind

The AI data center frenzy is shifting utilities’ focus to large-scale generation. But advocates say flexible, distributed energy resources still provide the biggest bang for the buck, according to our 2026 DER outlook.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 27, 2026

The new equation for energy security in 2026

Energy systems will be shaped by those who build resilient, diversified portfolios that balance reliability, policy, emissions, cost and independence, writes Honeywell Process Technology CEO Ken West.

By Ken West • Jan. 26, 2026

MISO regulators seek stakeholder review for DOE ‘emergency’ orders cost allocation

The U.S. Department of Energy has failed to show there are reliability benefits from keeping power plants from retiring in the Midcontinent region, state utility regulators told FERC.

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 26, 2026

Winter peak demand could hit new highs, prompting DOE emergency orders

Grid operators that sought permission to run generators at maximum capacity said they have adequate power supplies, but they made their requests in light of potentially record-high winter peak demand this week.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 26, 2026