Generation: Page 2
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OpinionA PJM backstop auction could fill the large load supply gap: Talen CEO
Reliability backstop auctions should not be a permanent, ongoing market feature, but they are the answer to today’s problem, writes Talen CEO Mac McFarland.
By Mac McFarland • Jan. 20, 2026 -
Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
PJM board calls for backstop auction in data center interconnection plan
The PJM Interconnection’s board also called on stakeholders to consider extending a price collar on capacity auctions to limit their effect on ratepayers.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 20, 2026 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
The week in 5 numbers: DJT v. PJM, offshore wind prevails in court
In another legal setback, a judge said the government violated the Constitution by canceling clean energy grants.
By Meris Lutz • Jan. 20, 2026 -
Alexi J. Rosenfeld via Getty Images
OpinionThe data center dependency crisis: When our grid can’t function without big tech
We're sleepwalking into a future where our electric grid depends on the voluntary cooperation of private technology companies because the short-term benefits are too attractive to resist, writes Mothusi Pahl of Hartwell and Loche.
By Mothusi Pahl • Jan. 16, 2026 -
Scott Olson via Getty Images
Trump administration pushes PJM to hold ‘emergency’ auction to supply data centers
Capstone analysts said the proposal lacks binding authority, “reinforcing that this is policy signaling, not an imminent market reform.”
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 16, 2026 -
Talen in deal to buy 2.6 GW of gas plants in PJM for $3.5B
The announcement comes amid a surge in power sector consolidation, as generators jockey to meet growing demand from data centers and electrification efforts.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 16, 2026 -
Getty Images
Tariffs push construction input prices higher
The latest PPI report presents “plenty of cause for concern,” according to Associated Builders and Contractors. Switchgear, switchboard and industrial controls equipment was up 11.1% from last year; copper wire and cable were up 11.7% and unprocessed energy materials were down 4.9%.
By Sebastian Obando • Jan. 15, 2026 -
Nathan Howard via Getty Images
OpinionAmerica’s new power barons: Who will rule the AI-grade megawatt megasector?
The winning model will be hybrid: gas for firmness, renewables for optics and cost, and storage for stability, writes NOVUS Energy Advisors’ Emily Easley.
By Emily Easley • Jan. 15, 2026 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
PJM trims near-term load forecast on stricter data center vetting, economic outlook
However, the PJM Interconnection expects long-term load growth to surge past its estimates released a year ago.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 15, 2026 -
Getty Images
Appeals court vacates FERC decision on PJM capacity results for Delmarva zone
The court ordered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revisit a complaint over $183 million in “anomalous” capacity costs for parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 14, 2026 -
Retrieved from New York Governor's Office.
New York Gov. Hochul expands nuclear aspirations to 8-GW fleet
On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul called for adding 5 GW of nuclear capacity to the state’s 3.4-GW fleet. The state’s new energy plan cast nuclear as key to its reliability and decarbonization goals.
By Robert Walton • Updated Jan. 14, 2026 -
Courtesy of Mott MacDonald
Judge grants (another) injunction to offshore developer amid Trump’s war on wind
Some analysts predicted a similar outcome on Jan. 16 in a separate case that would allow Dominion to continue construction on its 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.
By Meris Lutz • Jan. 13, 2026 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
EPA final rule on NOx limits emphasizes cost savings to turbine owners
The agency did not assess the economic impacts of better health from reducing nitrogen oxide in setting the new standard, which is nearly 90% less stringent than the Biden-era proposal.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 13, 2026 -
George Frey via Getty Images
Senate bill exempts fully isolated large loads from FERC, DOE regulation
The bill affecting data centers and other energy-intensive sectors may face opposition from utilities who see it as a threat to their revenue, according to one industry expert who called it “good for the public” and “extremely confident developers.”
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 12, 2026 -
Scott Olson via Getty Images
Meta inks nuclear deals for up to 6.6 GW from Oklo, Vistra, TerraPower
The agreements invest in future deliveries of advanced nuclear technology while also procuring power from existing plants and uprates.
By Diana DiGangi • Jan. 9, 2026 -
Nathan Howard / Stringer via Getty Images
The week in 5 numbers: data centers drive load growth in PJM, Texas
In non-data center news, offshore wind farms say they're losing millions a day and the government won't divulge the national security concerns behind a construction freeze.
By Meris Lutz • Jan. 9, 2026 -
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo via Getty Images
Utilities under pressure: 6 power sector trends to watch in 2026
Facing rising demand and aggressive load growth projections, utilities are rolling out massive spending plans. Now they'll have to walk a fine line with regulators and ratepayers.
By Meris Lutz , Robert Walton , Ethan Howland , Diana DiGangi • Jan. 8, 2026 -
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OpinionThe next-gen retail energy mix: Aligning supply portfolios with customer expectations
Retail energy providers must move beyond managing kilowatt-hours and toward orchestrating portfolios that reflect both the realities of modern supply and the values of modern customers, writes Tamara Grose of VertexOne.
By Tamara Grose • Jan. 7, 2026 -
Nathan Howard via Getty Images
Data centers were 40% of PJM capacity costs in last auction: market monitor
Data center forecasts — beyond existing data centers — made up 45% of the $47.2 billion in capacity costs in PJM’s last three capacity auctions, according to a report by Monitoring Analytics.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 7, 2026 -
Diana DiGangi/Utility Dive
Vistra to buy Cogentrix Energy’s 5.5 GW of gas plants in $4B deal
Cogentrix is indirectly owned by Quantum Capital Group, which purchased it from Carlyle for $3 billion in 2024.
By Diana DiGangi • Jan. 6, 2026 -
DOE orders 446-MW Colorado coal unit to keep running
It will cost about $21 million to run the Craig Unit 1 for 90 days, according to an estimate by Grid Strategies. The unit is offline and requires repairs, Tri-State, one of the plant’s owners, said.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 6, 2026 -
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ERCOT’s large load queue jumped almost 300% last year
Data centers make up more than 70% of the total. The surge has “outgrown the process that was established for reviewing these large loads,” an Electric Reliability Council of Texas official said.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 6, 2026 -
ISO-NE proposes capacity market overhaul with shift to ‘prompt’ auction
ISO New England aims to switch to buying capacity a month ahead of time instead of three years in advance. This framework would make its load forecasts and other key metrics more accurate, according to the grid operator.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 5, 2026 -
DOE orders Indiana coal units totaling more than 950 MW to run past retirement dates
The Energy Department’s "emergency” orders affect generating units that Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and CenterPoint Energy planned to shutter on Dec. 31.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 24, 2025 -
Courtesy of Dominion Energy
Senate Democrats end permitting reform talks over offshore wind freeze
The move comes after the Trump administration ordered work to halt on five offshore wind projects totaling 7 GW. The freeze on offshore wind construction “wrecks the trust needed with the executive branch for bipartisan permitting reform,” the senators said.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 23, 2025
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