FERC rejects RWE complaint over PJM interconnection practices

The agency also slashed New England’s transmission return on equity and said it would allow two Indiana utilities to spread costs stemming from DOE emergency orders keeping coal plants online across MISO’s northern and central regions.

By Ethan Howland • March 20, 2026

January’s Winter Storm Fern was ‘classic near-miss’ for US grid, says NERC’s Robb

“The system ran very close to the edge, leaving no room for error,” Jim Robb, president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corp., told a House subcommittee.

By Robert Walton • March 20, 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

Winter storms underscore data center threats to grid reliability, affordability

Demand from the data center boom, combined with worsening extreme weather events, put our electric system at heightened risk, writes Union of Concerned Scientists Senior Manager Mike Jacobs.

By Mike Jacobs • March 19, 2026

To strengthen power reliability in extreme weather, diversify grid resources

More expensive, less reliable power need not be our unavoidable fate, writes NextGen Energy CEO Kimberly Johnston.

By Kimberly Johnston • March 18, 2026

Democratic House bill aims to overturn Trump electricity policies

The bill, backed by 122 House members, would reinstate clean energy tax credits and grants while aiming to speed grid interconnection to an expanded transmission system.

By Ethan Howland • March 18, 2026

Utilities weigh regional resource adequacy under new Western market

Kalia Savage, CAISO’s liaison to the energy imbalance market entities, warned the grid operator to “remain mindful of stakeholder bandwidth ... given the number of complex initiatives underway.”

By Diana DiGangi • March 18, 2026

As data centers go off-grid, utilities face new cost and planning risks

Industry disclosures suggest that by the end of the decade, a meaningful share of new data center capacity could be partially or fully self-supplied, write Brandon Owens and Morgan Bazilian.

By Brandon Owens and Morgan Bazilian • March 17, 2026

Mass. governor orders state to pursue 15 GW of resources, including storage, VPPs

The executive order also calls for a review of existing gas and oil storage capacity and utilization, including how the Everett LNG import terminal helps meet the region’s energy needs.

By Robert Walton • March 17, 2026

‘Clear warning signs’ as PJM wholesale power costs jump 54% in one year

Also, PJM’s last two base capacity auctions show a growing shortfall compared to its reserve margin targets, according to the grid operator’s market monitor. Prices will continue rising until large data center loads are addressed, it said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated March 14, 2026

US entities face heightened cyber risk related to Iran war

The military campaign against Iran is putting local governments, critical infrastructure providers and major U.S. companies at heightened risk of disruptive attacks.

By David Jones • March 11, 2026

NERC overstates reliability risks in long-term assessment: Grid Strategies

The North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s analysis uses low generation and interregional power flow assumptions but a high demand forecast, including from data centers, the consulting firm said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated March 11, 2026

MISO, SPP eye 500-kV cross-border projects to bolster reliability, save money

The proposed interregional projects would increase transfer capacity across the southern seam between the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and the Southwest Power Pool.

By Ethan Howland • March 9, 2026

2026 fire season off to ominous start after relatively mild 2025

Total acres burned fell in 2025, but the Eaton and Palisades fires were hugely destructive and raise questions about the future of California's Wildfire Fund, one expert says.

By Emma Penrod • March 6, 2026

AI is outpacing America’s power grid. Nuclear must become a national priority.

Nuclear power can scale with the needs of AI, writes Amentum’s Mark Whitney. Companies and communities relying on renewables will risk outages, higher costs and missed opportunities.

By Mark Whitney • March 5, 2026

PJM market monitor opposes Maryland power plant sale to data center company

TeraWulf’s plan to buy a power plant from GenOn faces opposition at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as hyperscalers at White House meeting pledge to bring their own generation.

By Ethan Howland • March 5, 2026

Drone attack simulation exposed a grid vulnerability, utilities say

Power grid asset owners and operators have growing concern around their ability to protect critical assets from drone attacks as the U.S. government warns energy companies to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation.

By Robert Walton • March 5, 2026

Coal plant DOE ordered to stay online unlikely to run given ‘flush’ power supplies: CEO

The Department of Energy claimed “emergency” conditions in the Pacific Northwest required TransAlta to continue running Washington’s last coal plant past its planned retirement. The company plans to convert it to run on gas.

By Ethan Howland • March 4, 2026

The physics of reliability: Why gas peakers alone can’t save the modern grid

Most outages don’t start as a multihour energy shortage; they start as a frequency crisis. If you only have gas, you’re trying to stop a bullet with a shield that takes 10 minutes to lift, writes Arun Muthukrishnan from Arevon Energy.

By Arun Muthukrishnan • March 3, 2026

Virginia, Indiana lawmakers pass surplus interconnection bills

Using existing surplus interconnection, such as at rarely-used peaker plants, can get generation and storage resources online faster and more cheaply than seeking new interconnection rights. PJM lags behind other grid operators in pursuing this. 

By Ethan Howland • Updated March 3, 2026

From labor to components, America must bring grid modernization home

If the U.S. does not reshore every layer of the grid, it will never be able to power the AI economy it intends to lead, writes Peak Nano CEO Jim Welsh.

By Jim Welsh • March 2, 2026

California orders utilities to add 6 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2032

“Eligible new resources must be either zero-emitting or otherwise eligible under the [renewables portfolio standard] program,” according to the California Public Utility Commission order.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 27, 2026

A new role for onsite generation: Accelerating grid access for large loads

Connect large loads years faster with flexible onsite generation.

By Allan Schurr • Feb. 23, 2026

Seeing the grid clearly: How new technology is turning transmission lines into self-reporting assets

See how CTC Global’s GridVista™ System transforms grid intelligence by eliminating blind spots.

Feb. 23, 2026

DOE ‘emergency’ power plant orders help grid reliability: NERC official

However, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's reliability remains at “high risk,” NERC’s John Moura said, and it's unclear whether its fast-track interconnection process will help.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 20, 2026

VPP vs. VPP: Customer-owned DER aggregators challenge Xcel-owned batteries in Minnesota docket

The Minnesota decision could affect how regulators see virtual power plants nationwide.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 19, 2026