PJM eyes data center, crypto reliability requirements after 3.8 GW of load trips offline

The PJM Interconnection is considering setting “ride-through” standards after data centers tripped offline in northern Virginia on July 22, the latest and largest such event in PJM’s history, the grid operator said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 12, 2026

Pay-as-you-go batteries: ‘One weird trick’ for the distribution grid?

Battery leases with low or no up-front costs are attractive in markets with well-developed virtual power plant programs and persistent grid congestion, but experts see them taking off elsewhere, too.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 11, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

By Utility Dive staff

Building a more resilient distribution grid: improving reliability and storm recovery

The future of grid reliability is proactive, not reactive. Learn how leading utilities are building resilience before the next storm hits.

By Susan Gates • Aug. 10, 2026

Texas data center pause puts 20% of US pipeline at risk of delay: BNEF

The longer the moratorium stays in place, the greater the risk to Texas’ data center boom, analysts at Bloomberg NEF said.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 6, 2026

Facing an estimated 474 GW of interconnection requests, Texas hits pause on data centers

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called for an audit of all data centers in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas interconnection queue, leading the grid operator to delay its Batch Zero review process.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 5, 2026

$700M microgrid bill has state energy office, electrical manufacturer support

The bill would make microgrids and distributed energy resources eligible for state energy program grants and establish state-run grid resilience programs.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 4, 2026

Converging geopolitical and enterprise risks in energy: What leaders need to anticipate now

Geopolitical developments are significantly reshaping North American energy risk and requiring leaders to adapt operations and strategies.

Aug. 3, 2026

Leading the agentic grid transformation

The strategic priorities shaping the future of intelligent utility operations.

By Sandy Simon, Partner, Energy & Utilities, West Monroe • Aug. 3, 2026

Edison CEO: California utilities face credit downgrades without wildfire reforms

With four weeks left in the legislative session, CEO Pedro Pizarro acknowledged the possibility California lawmakers will not pass wildfire liability reforms this year.

By Emma Penrod • July 31, 2026

DOE mulls changes to Biden-era transformer rule, raising utility concerns

Utility associations supported the 2024 efficiency requirements for distribution transformers and oppose their repeal. The rule may threaten national security, DOE says.

By Robert Walton • July 29, 2026

BNEF chip-based model pegs US data center demand at 207 GW by 2033

A base model anticipates U.S. data center demand of about 118 GW by 2030. As potential demand and proposed data center size both grow, so does the complexity in forecasting, analysts said.

By Robert Walton • July 28, 2026

The electric meter is growing a brain: Why AMI 2.0 is the grid’s next big leap and what you should do about it

The first wave of smart meters are near retirement and new meters with edge computing capabilities are arriving. Utilities have crucial equipment decisions ahead.

By Kevin Hernandez • July 27, 2026

People are critical infrastructure, too. Utilities must do more or lose talent to tech.

With so much riding on America's AI ambitions, utility workforce strategy must have a place alongside generation, transmission and capital planning, writes Stefan Hirniak, president of Specialist Staffing Group US.

By Stefan Hirniak • July 23, 2026

Ford, Global Power Products debut home backup solution

More than 800 electric utilities have approved GPP’s GenerLink transfer switch, which provides backup power for outlets and hardwired appliances at significantly lower cost than a standby generator, Ford says.

By Brian Martucci • July 22, 2026

US data center electricity use could more than double by 2030: report

Policy responses “reflect a tension between furthering state-level economic development interests and balancing local community health and environmental concerns,” the Kansas Health Institute report states.

By Robert Walton • July 21, 2026

Data centers drove $6.3B in PJM capacity auction costs: market monitor

In the PJM’s last four capacity auctions, data center-related capacity charges were nearly half of the $63.6 billion in total charges, Monitoring Analytics says.

By Ethan Howland • July 20, 2026

The grid’s fastest-growing resource isn’t generation. It’s flexibility.

The technology is there. The institutions are not. FERC’s July 23 technical conference on the PJM Interconnection’s governance is where that gap gets addressed — or doesn’t, writes Jeanine Johnson, a former member of the grid operator’s board.

By Jeanine Johnson • July 15, 2026

DHS proposes new critical infrastructure security framework

The Trump administration eliminated the previous framework in 2025, sparking backlash from experts and infrastructure operators.

By Eric Geller • July 14, 2026

Texas PUC approves ‘ride-through’ rules for data centers

“There is no debate that voltage and frequency excursions on the transmission network create reliability concerns, which increase with the interconnection of each new large computational load,” wrote a PUC staffer.

By Diana DiGangi • July 13, 2026

Duke reduces rate hike request, still faces regulator pushback

The utility dropped its proposed residential rate increase to 11.6% from 18% after pushback, but hearings this week highlighted continued unease. “I don't see how you can say that we're benefiting customers,” one utility commissioner said.

By Diana DiGangi • July 9, 2026

Southwestern Public Service wins $113M reliability grant from Texas

The Texas Energy Fund has allocated more than $4 billion as part of the state’s effort to boost grid reliability. The award to SPS covers a drone-based pole inspection program and live monitoring.

By Robert Walton • July 6, 2026

PJM anticipates new peak demand record as heat wave tests power grid

PJM says Thursday’s demand could break its 2006 summer hourly integrated record peak of 165,563 MW. The grid operator has recieved approval to curtail data centers and other large loads “as a last resort.”

By Diana DiGangi • July 2, 2026

PJM stakeholders advance data center backstop procurement plan

The PJM Interconnection’s board expects to file a proposal for meeting its near-term power supply needs with federal regulators this month, with a goal of holding the backstop auction in September.

By Ethan Howland • July 2, 2026

From wildfire risk to resilience: How asset investment tools can mitigate the growing challenge

A shift in asset investment planning can help utilities quantify risk and defend wildfire mitigation plans to regulators, stakeholders and the public, writes Jeff Pauska at IFS Copperleaf.

By Jeff Pauska • June 30, 2026

The grid operates in seconds, but financial settlement still moves in months

Big Tech is allocating hundreds of billions of dollars for data center expansions; creating reporting frameworks for energy flexibility is the next step, writes Andrii Garanin at Silicon Foundation.

By Andrii Garanin • June 26, 2026