FERC should order PJM to rerun last capacity auction: ratepayer advocates

Separately, Manu Asthana, PJM Interconnection president and CEO, plans to step down from his job at the end of this year, the grid operator said Monday.

By Ethan Howland • April 15, 2025

The power industry must oppose Trump’s coal bailout ... again

The executive order threatens to conflict with existing methods for accrediting generators, assessing resource adequacy, securing sufficient generation and setting wholesale prices. It’s also illegal.

By Ari Peskoe • April 11, 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

DOE agrees to give HALEU to 5 advanced nuclear companies

DOE’s willingness to dip into its own high-assay, low-enriched uranium stockpiles shows it’s serious about supporting next-generation nuclear technology, Nuclear Innovation Alliance Senior Analyst Erik Cothron told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • April 11, 2025

EIA expects more solar capacity, higher power prices

U.S. solar capacity will double in just four years, to 182 GW in 2026, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Thursday.

By Robert Walton • April 11, 2025

The AI infrastructure race hits a political reality check

The AI-driven data center boom has created demand for land, electricity and water, a dynamic that has spawned growing opposition from communities, utility grid operators and regulators.

By Joe Brettell and Jeff Berkowitz • April 10, 2025

Trump directs FERC, other agencies to add 5-year sunsets to energy-related regulations

The executive order is “impossible to implement [and] blatantly illegal,” according to Harvard Law School’s Ari Peskoe.

By Ethan Howland • April 10, 2025

PJM, Google partner to speed grid interconnection using AI

The initiative aims to integrate dozens of PJM interconnection-related databases and tools into a unified model of PJM’s network, helping to bring power supplies online faster.

By Ethan Howland • April 10, 2025

Liberty Energy to deploy modular gas-fired ‘power blocks’ at Pennsylvania industrial site

The rapidly deployable systems could support a scalable data center or other large-load industrial client using fuel sourced from the surrounding Marcellus Shale, the company said.

By Brian Martucci • April 9, 2025

Trump aims to boost coal, in part by ordering power plants to stay open

However, the executive orders will likely have little effect on coal-fired generation, according to analysts.

By Ethan Howland • April 9, 2025

Wind and solar generation overtook coal in the US last year: report

While U.S. coal generation has been falling, natural gas surged to set new consumption records, according to climate think tank Ember.

By Diana DiGangi • April 8, 2025

Utilities, state regulators urge FERC to approve MISO’s fast-track interconnection plan

However, independent power producers, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members and others said it favors incumbent utilities and should be rejected.

By Ethan Howland • April 8, 2025

US electricity demand will grow 50% by 2050, electrical manufacturer study finds

Data centers and transportation electrification will drive U.S. electricity demand about 2% higher each year for the next quarter century, according to a new analysis completed for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

By Robert Walton • April 7, 2025

LS Power eyes 300-MW colocated data center at Virginia power plant

The plan raises reliability and cost allocation issues, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday.

By Ethan Howland • April 7, 2025

SPP to rely on demand response to help bridge shrinking power supplies: CEO Nickell

“Excess generating capacity is dwindling, and it's dwindling to a point where it's becoming dangerous,” the Southwest Power Pool’s Lanny Nickell said Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • April 4, 2025

Largest US gas-fired power plant planned for data centers in Pennsylvania

The 4.5-GW, $10 billion project at the former Homer City coal-fired power plant could start operating by 2027, according to the project’s developers.

By Ethan Howland • April 3, 2025

A market-based path to unlocking interconnection queues

When a scarce resource like grid access is given away administratively rather than allocated based on economic value, the result is always the same: inefficiency, congestion and delays.

By Terry Harvill and August Ankum • April 2, 2025

PacifiCorp aims to add 4.7 GW renewables, 1.7 GW storage by 2031

Given changing federal policies, the utility company may keep several coal-fired units operating longer than expected, according to its latest resource plan.

By Ethan Howland • April 2, 2025

FERC review of PJM colocation rules for data centers, large loads may extend past mid-year: analysts

“Participants involved in co-location arrangements should pay the costs of any grid services they consume and the arrangements must be reliable and operationally manageable,” PJM told the commission.

By Ethan Howland • April 1, 2025

ISO New England issues transmission RFP to access new wind resources

The grid operator wants to upgrade the transmission system between northern Maine, where wind generation is expected to be built, and demand centers in southern New England.

By Robert Walton • April 1, 2025

We asked 100 utility program leaders for their top challenges and opportunities. Here’s what they said.

Grid modernization, growing demand and artificial intelligence are among the top issues facing electric utility leaders, according to an ICF survey.

By Justin Mackovyak • March 31, 2025

US ‘nuclear renaissance’ faces high capital costs, uncertain federal policy support: ICF

Bringing new nuclear “down the cost curve” requires design standardization and continued support from federal clean energy tax credits, the consultancy said in a white paper.

By Brian Martucci • March 31, 2025

White paper points to carbon capture as possible data center solution

Pairing carbon capture with natural gas-fired generation could prove cost-competitive with other baseload options, like nuclear and battery storage, according to a Carbon Direct white paper.

By Emma Penrod • March 31, 2025

Utilities should develop data center tariffs to protect consumers, decarbonize: SWEEP

Rising data center electricity demands threaten utility decarbonization efforts, potentially requiring fossil fuel generation and pulling renewables away from other electrification efforts, per a Southwest Energy Efficiency Project report.

By Robert Walton • March 28, 2025

Moody’s upgrades PG&E on reduced credit risks from wildfires

“In the backdrop of the recent LA wildfires, we expect any legislative and regulatory actions resulting from the state's continued wildfire risk will remain supportive for utilities,” Moody's said.

By Ethan Howland • March 28, 2025

Outsmarting outages: AI predicts disruptions before they happen

As the energy landscape evolves with renewable resources and electric vehicles, the predictive outage model equips utilities with the agility needed to prioritize maintenance based on real-time data.

By Michael Juchno and Zaki Arifulla • March 27, 2025