The AI race will be won or lost on power infrastructure

If the harder AI constraint turns out to be infrastructure performance rather than generation, the power sector may be looking for the bottleneck in the wrong place, writes TerraFlow Energy CMO Amanda Simonian.

By Amanda Simonian • June 23, 2026

How much electricity are 202(c) power plants producing? Way less than before.

The Department of Energy ordered six power plants to delay their retirements last year. Two of them produced zero electricity in the first quarter in 2026, and another one is now offline for repairs.

By Ethan Howland • June 23, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Grid Resiliency

The risk from natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves is compounded by rising demand for power that threatens to put additional strain on the grid, as well as cyber and physical attacks on critical infrastructure.

By Utility Dive staff

Major critical infrastructure disruptions are inevitable, acting CISA chief says

In recent years, the U.S. government has reoriented its cybersecurity strategy away from prevention and toward resilience.

By Eric Geller • June 22, 2026

Texas, facing 438 GW queue, approves initial large-load interconnection process

The first projects to navigate the process will be called “Batch Zero." The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says its large-load queue is almost 90% data centers.

By Robert Walton • June 22, 2026

6 takeaways from FERC’s data center interconnection decision

If RTOs fail to address large-load concerns identified by FERC, the agency will dictate the solutions, per FERC’s David LaCerte. “I say this not as a threat, but as a statement of duty,” he said.

By Ethan Howland • June 22, 2026

How AI fits in the energy development workflow

Energy's AI adoption is low. The developers pulling ahead know which workflows to automate.

By Kyle Baranko, Head of Product • June 22, 2026

Fewer storms, not less risk: El Niño will bring mixed results across US power systems

The climate pattern should reduce Atlantic storm activity this year, but utilities still face localized power outage concerns as flooding and wildfires shift to other parts of the country, experts say.

By Marlene Wilden • June 18, 2026

Modular approach can speed data center construction by 30%: Flex

More power, cooling and IT equipment is moving outside data halls in a shift that could help “future-proof” computing facilities, a company executive told Facilities Dive.

By Brian Martucci • June 16, 2026

Transmission projects bolster New York, New England summer reliability: NPCC

The region should have adequate resources to meet typical electricity demand, but some areas may need to implement emergency procedures or rely on imports during grid stress, NPCC said.

By Robert Walton • June 11, 2026

Companies are failing to keep up with AI’s sprawl, creating entry points for hackers

Three-quarters of organizations say they aren’t fully overseeing the activities of user accounts belonging to agents and other AI tools.

By Eric Geller • June 10, 2026

Not-for-profit utilities turn to energy storage as data centers drive cost, reliability concerns

Reliability, power price hedging and avoided infrastructure investment are among the top reasons for the battery push, NRECA said.

By Brian Martucci • June 9, 2026

How load flexibility buys time for America’s data center boom

In markets where supply and demand are out of balance, grid connection increasingly comes with a choice: either bring the needed power yourself, or bring flexibility, write experts at ICF.

By Shanthi Muthiah and Himali Parmar • June 9, 2026

Microsoft seeks Nevada tariff to shield ratepayers from data center costs

The proposal would require large-load customers to pay for infrastructure built specifically to serve their projects while preserving standard utility charges for broader grid services.

By Marlene Wilden • June 8, 2026

Big, power-ready facilities drive industrial real estate market

Companies are looking for modern facilities that can accommodate power-hungry automation, industrial experts said in a report first provided to Facilities Dive.

By Joe Burns • June 8, 2026

Electric sector needs firm gas supply to protect grid reliability, gas industry report says

The report, prepared for the Natural Gas Council, applauded reforms introduced following Winter Storm Uri in 2021 but said better coordination between the gas and electric sectors is still needed.

By Marlene Wilden • June 4, 2026

MISO’s resource outlook improves as forecast generation additions outpace demand growth

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator is expected to have growing capacity surpluses over the next five years, according to the OMS-MISO survey.

By Ethan Howland • June 4, 2026

What’s on the mind of EEI conference attendees? Labor, AI, affordability and more.

Utility Dive talked to registrants before the conference to hear how industry changes are impacting their work.

By Meris Lutz • June 2, 2026

Data centers can raise temperatures, energy burdens in nearby neighborhoods: ASU study

Each one-degree increase in temperature will drive a higher use of air conditioning, which in turn will put more heat into the area, creating “a feedback loop,” researchers concluded.

By Robert Freedman • June 2, 2026

Load growth can help modernize grid, but cost-shift risks are significant: Concentric

On-site generation can be an interim solution as projects await full grid interconnection, but “widespread reliance on off‑grid systems is not a durable path forward,” Concentric said in a new report.

By Diana DiGangi • June 1, 2026

MISO pushes back on utility complaint over competitive transmission bidding

The grid operator stopped short of taking a position on the complaint itself. States and consumer advocates oppose it, while at least one major data center company supports it.

By Ethan Howland • May 28, 2026

What the streaming wars can teach utilities about the AI data center boom

Utilities can avoid making the same mistakes major studios made in the Netflix era, but only if they view the AI boom as a systemwide modernization challenge rather than an overflowing queue of individual projects, writes Abbey O’Brien at Ulteig.

By Abbey O’Brien • May 27, 2026

76% of Americans want stronger utility oversight

A poll from consumer advocacy group PowerLines found broad distrust of elected officials and limited understanding of utilities’ business models. Experts told Utility Dive the disconnect could worsen.

By Brian Martucci • Updated May 21, 2026

FERC Commissioner Chang is ‘not thinking about’ breaking up PJM

“I'm interested in the successful continued operation of PJM, but definitely I want to help them get through this period,” FERC Commissioner Judy Chang told Utility Dive. She called the proposed NextEra-Dominion merger “interesting.”

By Diana DiGangi • May 21, 2026

PJM accelerates backstop auction amid uncertainty over data center cost allocation

The grid operator urged states to develop rules to shield other ratepayers from data center-driven costs, but analysts said it remains unclear how a reliability auction’s costs could be allocated only to hyperscalers.

By Ethan Howland • May 20, 2026

Data center interconnection delays complicate demand forecasting: NERC

The U.S. power grid should have sufficient resources to meet typical summer demand, but risk is growing in the shoulder seasons, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said Tuesday.

By Robert Walton • May 20, 2026