Grid Security & Reliability

  • FERC headquarters
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    Permission granted by Esme Howland
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    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 • Jan. 23, 2026
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    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
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    DOE orders diesel generators to be ready as electric sector prepares for Winter Storm Fern

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright asked grid operators to be prepared to utilize up to 35 GW of backup generation. A consumer advocate warned the plan is unworkable.

    By • Jan. 23, 2026
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    AI in the Power Sector

    Artificial intelligence is uniquely positioned to impact the electricity industry from both ends: as the technology driving large load demand growth and as a tool with the potential to make the power system more efficient. 

    By Utility Dive staff
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    Retrieved from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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    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 • Jan. 23, 2026
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    Heather Diehl via Getty Images
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    Acting CISA chief defends workforce cuts, declares agency ‘back on mission’

    Madhu Gottumukkala said the Trump administration supports a long-term renewal of the 2015 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Act. The agency is also working on finalizing regulation under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act.

    By Eric Geller • Jan. 22, 2026
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    3alexd via Getty Images
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    Managed EV charging can save utilities and ratepayers money: report

    By optimizing electric vehicle charging around peak times, utilities can delay costly distribution grid upgrades while cutting per-vehicle charging costs by 25% or more, Brattle Group said this month.

    By Brian Martucci • Jan. 21, 2026
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    US and allies collaborate on operational technology security guidance

    A new report for critical infrastructure operators stresses the importance of logging, network segmentation and strong authentication, among other practices.

    By Eric Geller • Jan. 20, 2026
  • A power plant with smoke stacks at the edge of a river.
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    The image by Acroterion is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Opinion

    A 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
  • People walk through an area illuminated by a portable floor light in Grand Central Terminal following a power outage.
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    Alexi J. Rosenfeld via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    The 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
  • A power plant and wind turbines stand along a hillside.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    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 • Jan. 15, 2026
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Energy.
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    Xcel defends storage ownership in distributed capacity pilot

    The Minnesota utility floated modifications to its Capacity*Connect proposal, but it maintained it should own the batteries as it builds out the program. Stakeholders argued for more competition.

    By • Jan. 14, 2026
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    Retrieved from Gregory Cooper/National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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    Opinion

    Why winning the AI race requires systems intelligence, not just electric capacity

    The future won’t belong to the nations with the most generating capacity, but to those with the best grid coordination, writes Evan Caron, co-founder of Montauk Capital.

    By Evan Caron • Jan. 14, 2026
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    America’s energy innovation crossroads: Why federal investment matters now

    Meeting the United States’ energy challenges will require a federal investment of $25 billion for Department of Energy R&D by 2030, writes Clean Tomorrow Senior Director of Policy Evan Chapman.

    By Evan Chapman • Jan. 13, 2026
  • Xcel Energy Chairman, President and CEO Bob Frenzel talks with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari on Jan. 9, 2026.
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    Permission granted by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
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    5 takeaways from Xcel CEO Bob Frenzel’s talk at the Minneapolis Fed

    Supply chains are “actually degrading” while competition for engineering, construction and procurement services from hyperscalers is driving up costs for utilities, Frenzel said. 

    By • Jan. 12, 2026
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Building security into energy infrastructure by design is lower cost and more effective

    Data centers and their energy partners would be wise to ramp up cybersecurity efforts to match the pace of development, writes Leo Simonovich of Siemens Energy.

    By Leo Simonovich • Jan. 12, 2026
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    Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Tempo Communications

    What lies below? Beneath our streets lies treasure — and trouble.

    Mark it. Map it. Dig with confidence. One marker now can prevent disaster later.

    Jan. 12, 2026
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    Retrieved from X.
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    Illinois sets 3-GW energy storage target, requires utilities to develop virtual power plants

    Electricity bills in Illinois rose 15% last year. A new law aims to reduce energy costs by incentivizing new resources, expanding solar and growing efficiency programs.

    By • Jan. 9, 2026
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    Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo via Getty Images
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    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 , , , • Jan. 8, 2026
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    Courtesy of GE Vernova
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    Opinion

    How VPPs can help data centers connect to the grid faster

    Virtual power plants can be developed quickly to satisfy data center demand, but reaching the scale required to meet soaring load growth will require new commercial models, according to RMI.

    By Jesse Cohen, Mark Dyson and Lauren Shwisberg • Jan. 8, 2026
  • Craig Station, a 1,285-megawatt, three-unit, coal fired power plant in Moffat County, Colorado. The power plant's units were constructed by Colorado Ute Electric Association.
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    The image by arbyreed is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    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 • Jan. 6, 2026
  • An American flag and a flag bearing the seal of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (which features an eagle holding a shield with elements of a skyline on it) flank a large upright square panel bearing the same CISA seal. On the wall to the right of the panel and the flags, a row of digital clocks shows the time in the four major U.S. time zones.
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    Eric Geller/Utility Dive
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    CISA loses key employee behind early ransomware warnings

    The future of a program that has helped prevent an estimated $9 billion in economic damages is now unclear. The agency sent more than 2,100 warnings in 2024, helping prevent ransomware attacks on energy utilities and others.

    By Eric Geller • Jan. 5, 2026
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Using scenario modeling to address uncertainty in the clean energy transition

    Scenario modeling and forecasting gives us the ability to answer multiple “what-ifs” and explore many futures before committing to one, making it a crucial tool during the energy transition, writes Kaushik Telgaonkar.

    By Kaushik Telgaonkar • Dec. 23, 2025
  • A large entrance sign that reads "Gate A, NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce" is mounted on a rock base and surrounded by grass and trees. In the background to the left of the sign, there is a commercial building.
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    R. Eskalis/NIST. Retrieved from NIST.
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    NIST adds to AI security guidance with cybersecurity framework profile

    Organizations have a new resource to map AI considerations onto the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s most famous security blueprint.

    By Eric Geller • Dec. 22, 2025
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Texas sues Xcel over Panhandle fires

    The state is asking for monetary compensation, as well as court orders preventing Xcel from recovering fire costs from customers and from marketing its equipment as safe.

    By Emma Penrod • Updated Dec. 22, 2025
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    Retrieved from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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    FERC members raise alarms about PJM failure to meet reliability target

    PJM says several factors could close the capacity shortfall, including a new load forecast next month that could be significantly lower than the last due to stricter vetting of potential large loads and a reduced economic outlook.

    By • Dec. 19, 2025
  • A power plant under a cloudy sky.
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    The image by Steven Baltakatei Sandoval is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    DOE orders 730-MW TransAlta coal plant in Washington to keep running

    The Department of Energy could issue similar emergency orders for at least five other coal-fired power plants set to shutter at the end of the month, according to Earthjustice.

    By • Dec. 17, 2025