Lawmakers urge NRC to address several issues in draft licensing framework for advanced reactors

Concerns include “inconsistent application of new programs and terminology,” the 20 senators and 44 House members said.

By Robert Walton • July 18, 2023

Gas-fired generation accounted for 70% of unplanned outages in Winter Storm Elliott: PJM

The PJM Interconnection on Monday offered 30 recommendations to improve winter-time operations, including possibly setting capacity values for gas-fired power plants at levels that match their performance.

By Ethan Howland • July 18, 2023

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

The meaning of an ‘optimal’ clean energy investment is changing as prices rise, analysts report

Inflation Reduction Act incentives and supply-demand imbalances have developers and off-takers recalculating the value of clean energy.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2023

DTE Electric agrees to speed Michigan coal plant retirements, renewable and energy storage buildout

DTE will add 3.8 GW of renewables and 780 MW of energy storage by 2030 under a settlement agreement released Wednesday.

By Ethan Howland • July 13, 2023

Westinghouse, 6 other companies get DOE vouchers to help accelerate advanced nuclear technologies

According to DOE, voucher recipients “do not receive direct financial awards. Vouchers provide funding to DOE laboratories to help businesses overcome critical technological and commercialization challenges.”

By Larry Pearl • July 5, 2023

$6.6B Mountain Valley Pipeline gets green light to finish construction

The much-delayed pipeline got permission from federal regulators to move ahead after years of legal challenges.

By Julie Strupp • July 5, 2023

Republicans seek FERC conferences to assess grid effects of EPA’s proposed power plant carbon limits

“EPA clearly lacks the expertise to project accurately the impact of its rulemaking on electric reliability without deeply informed and engaged participation from FERC,” said Sens. John Barrasso and Shelley Moore Capito.

By Ethan Howland • July 5, 2023

Renewables make up 16% of District of Columbia electricity sales, new data shows

The biennial fuel assessment shows “solid progress towards securing a cleaner fuel mix for residents and businesses,” according to regulators.

By Robert Walton • July 5, 2023

As Texas sweats, its electric grid has remained stable, in part due to renewables

The Public Utility Commission of Texas continues to develop a new dispatchable reliability reserve service and approved an 83% pay raise for the board of the state’s grid operator on June 29.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2023

Vistra-Energy Harbor deal poses market power risks, say Ohio rate payer advocate, PJM market monitor

“Vistra currently has market power in the PJM energy and capacity markets … and adding the Energy Harbor nuclear units to its fleet will increase the incentive to exercise market power,” PJM’s market monitor said.

By Ethan Howland • June 26, 2023

Arizona Public Service reaches settlement with ACC, will raise rates to recover Four Corners investment

The utility will also be allowed to earn a higher return on equity after a court determined regulators overstepped their authority in lowering the ROE to punish the utility for customer service issues. 

By Robert Walton • June 26, 2023

A 360-degree approach to industrial sustainability: Parmacotto and Enel X Global Retail

Climate change is not some future state — it’s here today, and the scientific predictions are increasingly dire.

June 26, 2023

Gas-fired capacity surges this year, solar poised to boom: FERC report

About 113,700 MW of solar, wind and gas-fired generation is highly likely to start operating by April 2026 but could be offset by about 44,100 MW of power plant retirements, according to the report.

By Ethan Howland • June 23, 2023

Conventional generation outages set a record in 2022: NERC

The performance of wind and solar resources must also improve, NERC said, particularly as they place “increased operational demands on the now smaller fleet of conventional generation.”

By Robert Walton • June 23, 2023

NRC authorizes first US high-assay low-enriched uranium enrichment plant critical for advanced reactors

The start up of HALEU operations in Ohio is a “significant step in establishing commercial production” in the U.S., said Jon Carmack, DOE’s deputy assistant secretary for nuclear fuel cycle and supply chain.

By Stephen Singer • June 22, 2023

In a reversal, Arizona regulators approve 575-MW Salt River Project gas plant expansion

A larger expansion of Salt River Project’s Coolidge Generating Station was denied in 2022, primarily due to its potential impact on a nearby Black community.

By Robert Walton • June 22, 2023

Four non-transmission solutions for clean energy with new power lines in the permitting ‘Valley of Death’

Smart technologies, storage, overbuilding and distributed resources can move the energy transition ahead until workable reforms bring new transmission online, stakeholders agreed

By Herman K. Trabish • June 21, 2023

ERCOT expects record peak demand Wednesday as Texas regulators continue work on reliability standard

 The grid operator for most of Texas anticipates sufficient resources as it forecasts demand near 83 GW on June 21, but observers note coal and gas plant outages are higher than anticipated.

By Robert Walton • June 16, 2023

Power plants remain vulnerable to outages in extreme cold, despite warnings, FERC and NERC find

Most power plant outages during Winter Storm Elliott were caused by problems with freezing, fuel supply, and mechanical and electrical issues, echoing challenges from previous cold spells, FERC staff said Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • June 16, 2023

EPA could set tighter NOx limits for new gas-fired power plants under proposed consent decree

The standard for new gas-fired power plants hasn’t been updated in more than 16 years, so it no longer reflects achievable emission limits, according to the Environmental Defense Fund and Sierra Club.

By Ethan Howland • June 15, 2023

More regional transfer capacity is key to mitigating grid reliability risks: ACORE panel

Ensuring that electricity markets properly value demand response is also an important approach, experts said at a discussion hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy.

By Robert Walton • June 14, 2023

As states differ on the benefits of Bitcoin, is there a solution to its climate and power-system impacts?

Bitcoin miners’ 24/7 electricity need and financial focus raise red flags for climate activists about increased fossil fuel use, but some miners are starting to see a new solution in clean energy.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 8, 2023

How to communicate rising energy costs to utility customers

Advice for how to use the right message to share rising energy prices, improving customer satisfaction.

June 5, 2023

FERC approves PG&E plan to spin off 5.6 GW in advance of possible minority stake sale

“We've actually seen pretty robust inbound interest in the asset, and so we do expect a fairly competitive process,” Carolyn Burke, PG&E Corp. CFO, said.

By Ethan Howland • June 2, 2023

DOE targets nuclear fusion pilot plant design in 5 to 10 years as it announces $46M in funding

The money will go to eight companies and is part of an agencywide initiative to accelerate the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector.

By Stephen Singer • June 1, 2023