DOE taps 10 advanced reactor companies for expedited nuclear pilot

Oklo and its subsidiary, Atomic Alchemy, are developing three out of the 11 projects DOE selected.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 13, 2025

EPA plans to revise coal-fired power plant wastewater rules

The plan is part of a broad Trump administration effort to ease environmental rules affecting the power sector. Previously, the EPA estimated the rule would cut pollution from coal-fired power plants by more than 660 million pounds a year.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 13, 2025

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

Renewable power purchase agreement prices rising in wake of One Big Beautiful Bill Act

The average price of new wind and solar power purchase agreements is up 4% since the OBBBA’s passage. Almost a third of developers surveyed said they plan to suspend or cancel projects as a result of the reconciliation bill.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 13, 2025

Multidirectional flows of power and information are the grid’s future

In the frenzy to meet rising energy demand, utilities and others often overlook the value of power system innovations, industry participants say.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 12, 2025

Allete sale would help fund clean energy investment for Minnesota

The proposed sale would inject a massive infusion of private capital into Minnesota Power, capital guided by a long-term perspective rather than short-term market pressures.

By Jigar Shah • Aug. 12, 2025

PJM launches fast-track push to set rules for adding data centers

Amid surging data center development, PJM stakeholders will explore options for adding large loads to the grid without threatening reliability. PJM aims to file a proposal at FERC by the end of the year.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 12, 2025

3 Arizona utilities set peak demand records

After years of stagnant demand growth, rising electricity consumption is showing up on the U.S. power grid.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 12, 2025

Texas PUC executes $216M loan for NRG 456-MW gas plant

The loan is the second finalized under the Texas Energy Fund In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program, approved by voters in 2023. The fund has faced setbacks, with about a third of initially-approved projects canceled or withdrawn amid escalating project costs and supply chain challenges.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 12, 2025

Why utilities should bring water into the data center energy conversation

For utilities, this is not only about supporting customer growth but also about protecting grid integrity and infrastructure investments in an increasingly resource-constrained environment.

By Pete Elliott and Richard Tribble • Aug. 7, 2025

Arizona utilities sign up for gas pipeline project, spurred by data center development

Arizona Public Service has 4.5 GW of committed large load in its interconnection queue and 20 GW of other potential large customers, Pinnacle West CEO Ted Geisler said Wednesday.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 7, 2025

We at PJM need realistic solutions, not politics, to take on energy challenges

Some public narratives have presented an inaccurate picture of the PJM Interconnection’s role in cost-effectively keeping the lights on. Here are the facts.

By Aftab Khan • Aug. 6, 2025

PSE&G large load pipeline jumps 47%, to 9.4 GW, much of it speculative

Most of the demand is from data centers, but the New Jersey utility only expects about 10% to 20% of the interconnection inquiries to come to fruition, Ralph LaRossa, CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group, the utility’s parent company, said Tuesday.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 6, 2025

Independent power producers hit back at utility critics over PJM price surge

“I'm still hard-pressed to find an example where a vertically-integrated utility has delivered a new generating project on time and under budget and had any accountability in the way that wholesale power generators do,” said the Electric Power Supply Association’s CEO.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2025

AEP expects to add 24 GW of load by 2030, mainly from data centers

More than half of the pending load is in Texas, where AEP Texas is set to interconnect 5 GW of cryptocurrency operations, per William Fehrman, AEP president and CEO.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 1, 2025

PPL Electric ‘advanced-stage’ data center pipeline grows 32%, to 14 GW

PPL supports legislation in Pennsylvania that would allow utilities to own power plants, CEO Vince Sorgi said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 1, 2025

Aggregations and data centers: If a resource shows up when the grid is straining, make it count.

Allow AI data centers to participate in grid stress management, and the capital will flow to the solutions that enable flexible, grid-supportive outcomes.

By Arushi Sharma Frank • July 31, 2025

Dynegy to pay $38M to settle charges it manipulated MISO’s capacity market

The case shows how easy it is for companies to manipulate regional transmission organization capacity auctions and underscores the need for stronger safeguards, said a consumer watchdog.

By Ethan Howland • July 31, 2025

PPL utilities reach agreement on adding 1.3 GW of gas-fired power, mainly for data centers

The agreement also pushes out the retirement date of a 297-MW coal-fired unit and withdraws an earlier proposal to build a four-hour, 400-MW battery electric storage system at another gas plant. 

By Ethan Howland • July 31, 2025

Data center flexibility can save money but may come with higher emissions: MIT

In Texas, where renewable energy is booming, data center emissions fell by up to 40% in the MIT modeling of flexible data center workloads. In other regions, however, emissions rose.

By Robert Walton • July 30, 2025

EPA aims to revoke ‘endangerment finding’ underpinning power, auto sector climate regs

The effort to end greenhouse gas-related rules that address climate change will likely face "significant legal pushback,” according to research firm Capstone.

By Ethan Howland • July 30, 2025

Want abundant energy? Ask who benefits from scarcity.

Achieving energy abundance requires reforming electricity markets, refreshing electric utility regulation and rethinking the way we pay for grid infrastructure.

By Arjun Krishnaswami • July 30, 2025

Nuclear specialist Oklo inks data center partnerships

The fission power company has been courting data center companies. Two partnerships announced last week could sharpen its advantage.

By Brian Martucci • July 29, 2025

DOE allows Talen to run oil-fired unit above limits to avoid outages amid heat wave

The unit is one of several owned by Talen Energy that were slated to retire in May of this year, before the company reached a “reliability-must-run” agreement to delay their shuttering to 2029. 

By Ethan Howland • July 29, 2025

Trump’s AI action plan calls for dispatchable resources and grid upgrades

The plan is in line with previous actions by the Trump administration to delay the shuttering of coal plants, but it also acknowledges the need for enhanced efficiency and transmission.   

By Meris Lutz • July 28, 2025

Reimagining the grid for the 21st century with virtual power plants

Why should we pay for new utility power plants when VPPs can meet our grid’s needs at far less cost?

By Richard Boehnke • July 28, 2025