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

A new utility-recognized approach to grid-integrated electrification in the “messy middle”

Recognized by leading utilities, Flair’s Bridge Pro enables control of ductless and hybrid systems.

Jan. 26, 2026

The week in 5 numbers: DOE axes or alters $83B in loans, NJ governor comes out swinging

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey used their respective bully pulpits to push their energy priorities. Plus, transmission and, of course, PJM news. 

By Meris Lutz • Jan. 23, 2026

FERC upholds MISO, SPP fast-track generator reviews

The agency also approved a 1.2-GW pumped storage project planned by Rye Development in Washington.

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 23, 2026

FERC commissioners see progress in PJM data center, power supply plans

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Laura Swett said she is “encouraged that PJM and its stakeholders are working cooperatively now, much more so than they have in the recent past.”

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 23, 2026

PJM cost concerns bleed into transmission planning

A proposed $1.7-billion, 765-kV power line across central Pennsylvania by NextEra Energy and Exelon could become the “poster child” for overbuilding new transmission infrastructure, according to that state’s ratepayer advocate. 

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 22, 2026

Project finance is the missing link for the nuclear buildout we need

This model fuels nearly every major energy infrastructure investment and should be applied to nuclear, too, writes Ruhani Arya of Bank of America.

By Ruhani Arya • Jan. 21, 2026

Labor, tariffs collide with data center boom

Contractors report booming demand for certain types of builds, particularly data centers and power projects to support them. But outside those sectors, workforce shortages and tariffs weigh on construction.

By Sebastian Obando • Jan. 21, 2026