PSEG CEO: Nuclear outlook for New Jersey improves on lifting of moratorium

Nuclear power plants won’t be built, however, without long-term federal financial support and hyperscaler offtake agreements, said Ralph LaRossa, Public Service Enterprise Group CEO.

By Ethan Howland • May 6, 2026

Xcel Energy: Google deal sets template for large load tariff strategy

CEO Bob Frenzel also said Xcel is doubling down on its renewables strategy. “We believe that these large customers are absolutely committed to [the] long-term sustainability of their own product,” he said.

By Emma Penrod • May 6, 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

Duke Energy added 2.7 GW of contracted data centers in Q1

The additions bring the company’s total executed agreements with data centers to 7.6 GW, “nearly two-thirds of which are already under construction,” President and CEO Harry Sideris said. Duke’s $103-billion capital plan remained unchanged from 2025.

By Robert Walton • May 6, 2026

AEP eyes exit from PJM, SPP over slow generation interconnection

American Electric Power’s review of its market options comes amid a surge in customer demand across its multistate footprint. Its utilities have contracts for 63 GW of new large load by 2030.

By Ethan Howland • May 6, 2026

‘Energy security’ drives Schneider Electric growth: CEO

Revenue jumped in part due to the AI boom, while geopolitical uncertainty boosted the outlook for electrified, digitized building systems, executives said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. 

By Brian Martucci • May 5, 2026

Dominion upbeat on offshore wind as cost estimate eases, sales rise

CEO Robert Blue said the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm, which began producing some electricity in March, should be fully operational by 2027 and generate approximately $5 billion in fuel savings over 10 years. The utility’s fuel and other energy-related costs jumped 67% in Q1.

By Brian Martucci • May 4, 2026

Without wildfire reform, California utilities could see credit impacts: Edison International

CEO Pedro Pizarro called for a return to the cost-of-service model for California's regulated utilities during a company earnings call.

By Emma Penrod • May 1, 2026

DTE sees up to 8.4 GW data center opportunity

The utility will supply a 1.4-GW Oracle data center under construction now, and it has submitted contracts to regulators for a 1-GW Google project also in the works.

By Robert Walton • May 1, 2026

FirstEnergy opposes key part of PJM data center backstop procurement plan

The PJM Interconnection’s planned backstop auction is flawed, said CEO Brian Tierney. Separately, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration will oppose rate hike requests that fail to meet affordability criteria.

By Ethan Howland • April 30, 2026

Wildfires weigh on PG&E as California sees modest large load demand

California must spread the word that it is “open for business,” CEO Patti Poppe said of recent interactions with data center developers. The California Energy Commission forecasts 1.8 GW of new data center load in CAISO by 2030.

By Emma Penrod • April 30, 2026

Industrial loads boost Consumers Energy’s sales as coal plant emergency order costs rise

At least one analyst on Tuesday’s earnings call raised concerns about Consumers’ regulatory strategy after DTE Energy said it may pause future rate hike requests if its current request is approved.

By Brian Martucci • April 28, 2026

NextEra contracted 4 GW of new generation projects in Q1

NextEra Energy Resources signed contracts for 1.3 GW of battery storage in the first quarter and expects to build 43 GW of battery storage by the end of 2032.

By Emma Penrod • April 27, 2026

DTE proposes $474M Michigan electric rate hike

The utility also made a conditional promise to freeze rate hikes for two years if its request is approved. State legislators are weighing a proposal to increase the minimum time between rate cases from one to three years.

By Robert Walton • April 24, 2026

GE Vernova gas turbine backlog hits 100 GW as prices rise

“The dollar-per-kilowatt growth is going to be very healthy in the second quarter of this year,” CEO Scott Strazik said of turbine sales. The company also saw big jumps in orders for grid and wind power equipment.

By Brian Martucci • April 23, 2026

CenterPoint to energize 8 GW of data center load by 2029

Houston is now “firmly established as a location of choice for some of the world's largest hyperscalers,” CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said in the company’s first-quarter earnings call.

By Robert Walton • April 23, 2026

PECO withdraws $510M in rate hike proposals over affordability concerns

“We recognize that Pennsylvanians are struggling with basic necessities like gas, food, and energy and have decided to withdraw our proposal,” said David Vahos, president and CEO of the Exelon subsidiary.

By Ethan Howland • April 17, 2026

Utility investment plans jump 21%, further threatening affordability: PowerLines

“It’s like a gold rush,” said Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Executive Director Stephen Smith. Utilities are proposing investments to meet load growth that at times is “pure speculation,” he said.

By Robert Walton • April 15, 2026

Iran war impacts on oil prices spiked construction stress, increased abandonments

Construction saw a 22.8% surge in project abandonments month over month in March, according to ConstructConnect. Other analyses have found commercial construction weakening outside the data center boom.

By Sebastian Obando • April 14, 2026

Utilities are failing to connect with customers on affordability. Data can help bridge the gap.

There are five ways utilities can leverage payment history, usage and other data to hone their customer outreach to improve trust and outcomes, writes Richard Yost, a principal at YSG.

By Richard Yost • April 13, 2026

Greenhouse Gas Protocol changes can bring trust back to climate accounting

Common claims of 100% reliance on wind and solar are clearly at odds with the physical reality of companies’ electricity supply, writes Wilson Ricks at the Clean Air Task Force.

By Wilson Ricks • April 6, 2026

PECO seeks $429M rate hike, partly to reduce power outages

PECO’s capital expenditure to net plant ratio is higher than that of 16 peer utilities, indicating a higher risk level, said a Brattle Group representative who testified in support of the rate request.

By Ethan Howland • April 1, 2026

ArcLight in deal to buy 2.2 GW from InfraBridge, mainly gas

The transaction would give the private equity firm an additional 1.1 GW in the PJM Interconnection, where it owns about 9.7 GW, according to an application at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

By Ethan Howland • March 31, 2026

Fervo geothermal plant gets $421M in debt financing from Barclays, HSBC

Such non-recourse financing “has historically been considered out of reach for first-of-a-kind projects,” Fervo’s chief financial officer said.

By Lamar Johnson • March 19, 2026

LS Power strikes deal to buy 4.4 GW in PJM from Constellation

The transaction is the latest in a series of gas-fired power plant sales in the PJM Interconnection market, where growing demand for electricity is cutting into available supply.

By Ethan Howland • March 19, 2026

Utilities have made $200B+ in profit since 2021, new report says

Investor-owned utilities criticized the Energy and Policy Institute report’s methodology, which shows utilities earning above the allowed returns on equity.

By Brian Martucci • March 17, 2026