AEP’s SWEPCO gets approval to buy 1 GW of wind, solar from Invenergy for $2.2B

Including tax credits, the projects are expected to save $1.38/MWh compared with business as usual.

By Ethan Howland • June 30, 2023

As Texas sweats, its electric grid has remained stable, in part due to renewables

The Public Utility Commission of Texas continues to develop a new dispatchable reliability reserve service and approved an 83% pay raise for the board of the state’s grid operator on June 29.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2023

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

Energy workforce grew 3.8% last year; clean energy jobs increased in every state: DOE employment report

Clean energy technologies were the source of almost 87% of net new jobs in the power generation sector, according to the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report.

By Robert Walton • June 29, 2023

Activist investor Elliott seeks new NRG Energy CEO, revamped company strategy

NRG said its board fully supports CEO Mauricio Gutierrez. “We are confident that our [strategic] plan will deliver substantial additional near- and long-term value,” a spokesperson said Tuesday.

By Ethan Howland • June 28, 2023

Arizona Public Service reaches settlement with ACC, will raise rates to recover Four Corners investment

The utility will also be allowed to earn a higher return on equity after a court determined regulators overstepped their authority in lowering the ROE to punish the utility for customer service issues. 

By Robert Walton • June 26, 2023

Utilities including AEP and Duke are unloading renewables, other assets

Duke is selling its 3.4-GW commercial renewable energy business for $2.8B while AEP is selling nearly 1.4 GW of wind and solar assets in a deal worth $1.5B, among other sales announced by utilities this year.

By Larry Pearl • June 23, 2023

NiSource to sell minority stake in NIPSCO to private equity firm Blackstone for $2.15B

The deal announced Tuesday is part of a trend that includes FirstEnergy and Duke Energy raising capital by sales to private equity investors.

By Ethan Howland • June 21, 2023

FERC approves PG&E plan to spin off 5.6 GW in advance of possible minority stake sale

“We've actually seen pretty robust inbound interest in the asset, and so we do expect a fairly competitive process,” Carolyn Burke, PG&E Corp. CFO, said.

By Ethan Howland • June 2, 2023

Constellation buys NRG Energy’s 44% ownership stake in Texas nuclear plant for $1.75B

The South Texas Project Electric Generating Station has the potential to operate for at least another 46 years “with the right policy support,” Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez said.

By Stephen Singer • Updated Nov. 2, 2023

Sustainability efforts are top of mind: Here’s how composite mats can help both the environment and a company’s bottom line

Composite mats are beneficial to both sustainability efforts and improving a company’s bottom line.

May 30, 2023

Eversource sells 50% stake in offshore wind lease to partner Ørsted as it seeks a buyer for 3 other sites

CEO Joe Nolan said Eversource remains “fully committed to being a catalyst to the region’s clean energy transition” as its regulated companies build facilities to transmit more than 9,000 MW of offshore wind generation.

By Stephen Singer • May 26, 2023

Nano Nuclear Technology to build fuel fabrication plant at Idaho National Lab

“It’s really a wonderful time to be involved in the nuclear space,” CEO James Walker said. “There's a lot going on out there.”

By Stephen Singer • May 17, 2023

Elliott Management urges leadership, operational changes at NRG after ‘meaningful underperformance’

The activist investment company projects that the changes it’s recommending to NRG Energy could create $5 billion in shareholder value.

By Diana DiGangi • May 16, 2023

Green Mountain Power aims to lift cap on popular residential energy storage programs with Tesla, others

A lengthy waitlist places an unnecessary barrier to participation in GMP’s two energy storage programs, and a 5 MW annual cap delays “robust storage deployment,” the company told Vermont utility regulators.

By Stephen Singer • May 16, 2023

NRC grants Holtec interim license for N.M. nuclear waste storage that faces governor’s opposition, lawsuit threat

The state approved a law in March banning nuclear fuel storage, and courts may need to decide if federal approval preempts state law.

By Patrick Cooley • May 11, 2023

NextEra Energy Partners to sell its natural gas pipelines, focus solely on renewable energy

The move should boost the value of the company in the eyes of environmentally-conscious investors, NextEra CEO John Ketchum said.

By Emma Penrod • May 9, 2023

Eversource set to announce decision on sale of stake in offshore wind joint venture with Ørsted

Eversource, which is focusing on its regulated businesses, is “very far along in the process” of finding possible buyers for its 50% stake in the offshore wind partnership, CEO Joe Nolan recently told industry analysts.

By Stephen Singer • May 8, 2023

PNM proposes non-wires battery pilot to address overloaded feeders at solar facilities

The pair of 6 MW battery resources “matches the lowest cost option for solving the overloaded feeders,” PNM Resources President and Chief Operating Officer Don Tarry said.

By Robert Walton • May 8, 2023

AEP plans to sell competitive retail, distributed energy businesses in move to simplify, lower risks

It is also considering selling transmission joint ventures to focus on its service territory, Julie Sloat, AEP president and CEO, said May 4.

By Ethan Howland • May 5, 2023

As Shell and other oil and gas majors adopt clean energy strategies, how should electric utilities respond?

Oil and gas companies are experts in flexibly responding to market conditions and opportunities, and their entry into the generation market plays to these strengths.

By Alex Boyd • May 5, 2023

PG&E Corp mitigation measures prepare it for upcoming wildfire season regardless of weather: CEO

PG&E estimates that the “layers of protection” it has implemented have mitigated over 90% of wildfire risk in its service area.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 5, 2023

Westinghouse Electric announces new small modular reactor borrowing from its AP1000 nuclear technology

“It’s leveraging a proven technology, a very efficient and reliable techology that’s already in operation around the world,” said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse president and CEO.

By Stephen Singer • May 4, 2023

Exelon expects $173M loss related to ComEd bribery lawsuit as SEC lobbying investigation continues

“We have made substantial changes to our contracting, lobbying and compliance operations to ensure that the conduct that was at issue in the trial does not happen again,” Exelon President and CEO Calvin Butler said.

By Ethan Howland • May 4, 2023

Edison International CEO Pizarro backs Western RTO, highlights SCE efforts to prep grid for heavy duty EVs

“We are seeing customers really start to embrace and adopt EVs today, including operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets,” Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, said during an earnings call.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 3, 2023

Coming EPA power plant rules will put carbon capture to the test, but better oversight is needed, critics say

New CCUS has the policy, private sector and regulatory support to end claims it underperforms, but only if new EPA rules require verification through strong federal oversight, advocates and opponents agreed.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 2, 2023