How Illinois’ energy policy blueprint can address affordability, reliability

By betting on efficiency, storage, long-term energy planning and grid flexibility, the Illinois’ Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act offers a blueprint for the state’s energy future, Vote Solar’s John Delurey writes.

By John Delurey • May 26, 2026

Competitive transmission projects come online faster than incumbent projects in 4 regions: R Street

Completed competitive transmission projects are also about 30% less expensive than comparable incumbent utility projects, according to a report from the think tank. 

By Ethan Howland • May 26, 2026

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Cybersecurity of the Grid

In addition to presenting opportunities for growth, AI is exacerbating cyber threats with more sophisticated malware that is easier than ever to build and deploy. The rise of distributed energy resources also creates more opportunities for attack. 

By Utility Dive staff

Building an affordable energy future

Customer affordability is becoming a defining priority for utilities as investment costs and energy demands continue to rise.

May 26, 2026

US summer generating capacity increases by 75 GW since 2025: FERC

Capacity additions include about 26 GW in Texas, 13 GW in the Western Electric Coordinating Council region and 11 GW in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator market, FERC said.

By Ethan Howland • May 22, 2026

Puerto Rico’s power grid is ‘suspended between two realities,’ top utility regulator says

Affordability, reliability and the need to restore public confidence almost a decade after Hurricane Maria are top concerns, writes PREB Chairman Edison Avilés.

By Edison Avilés • May 22, 2026

AEP, other Ohio utilities could own nuclear power plants under state bill

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association opposes the bill, saying it would give utilities a path back into the generation business with customers bearing the financial risks.

By Ethan Howland • May 22, 2026

New Mexico regulators scrutinize Blackstone-TXNM stock trade in merger review

Consumer and renewable energy advocates say the stock transaction gave Blackstone an early stake in TXNM Energy before regulators could negotiate acquisition-related conditions or customer protections. The companies deny wrongdoing.

By Marlene Wilden • May 21, 2026

Nuclear fuel is the weak link in US energy security: Centrus CMO

America must rebuild its nuclear fuel supply chain to reduce geopolitical risk, writes Centrus Energy CMO John Donelson. “No one company can do it alone.”

By John Donelson • 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

Common‑sense state action can unlock a geothermal revolution in Utah and beyond

Pairing geothermal with accelerated transmission development and stronger regional coordination can help the West access its gigawatt-scale geothermal potential, write Clean Air Task Force colleagues.

By Ann Garth and Dan West • May 20, 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

High winter heating bills aren’t going away unless state policymakers act

States can help consumers switch to high-efficiency electric appliances by lowering the up-front costs and minimizing ongoing operational costs, writes Kate Shonk, policy principal at Advanced Energy United.

By Kate Shonk • May 19, 2026

FirstEnergy utilities seek West Virginia rate increase

Mon Power and Potomac Edison proposed two rate hike pathways, including one that would increase its revenue in a two-part process that aims to ease its impact on customers.

By Ethan Howland • May 19, 2026

New cybersecurity industry coalition aims to lead US critical infrastructure protection

The new Alliance for Critical Infrastructure wants to change how the nation plans for a major cybersecurity crisis. Founding members include Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Consolidated Edison, Southern Co. and Xcel Energy.

By Eric Geller • May 19, 2026

DOE exceeded its authority with coal retirement delay, states tell appeals court

A decision in the Consumers Energy case could set a precedent for legal challenges to Department of Energy orders keeping fossil-fueled power plants from retiring.

By Ethan Howland • May 18, 2026

Combined NextEra-Dominion would have 130-GW large-load pipeline

Analysts said the deal, which could create the largest regulated electric utility in the world, marks a shift back toward an integrated utility model. The combined business would be “anchored by a more than 80% regulated business mix,” the companies said.

By Robert Walton • May 18, 2026

Pennsylvania releases ‘first-of-its-kind’ large-load model tariff

The guidelines call for utilities to charge large-load customers for upgrades that “would not have been needed ‘but for’ the interconnection” of that customer, “irrespective of whether other customers will benefit” from the infrastructure.

By Meris Lutz • Updated May 18, 2026

DOJ may intervene in NAACP lawsuit over xAI’s data center gas turbines

It is “the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance,” a deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice wrote in a court notice suggesting it might intervene.

By Diana DiGangi • May 15, 2026

Q1 saw net loss of 5,900 renewable energy manufacturing jobs: EDF report

The Environmental Defense Fund cited $1.4 billion in canceled renewable energy investments stemming from federal policy shifts around renewable energy, electric vehicles, energy efficiency and tailpipe emissions. 

By Jeffrey Kinney • May 14, 2026

Eversource misclassified $385M transmission project to avoid scrutiny: ratepayer complaint

The complaint at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission comes amid growing concern about electric affordability and calls for stricter vetting of local transmission projects.

By Ethan Howland • May 14, 2026

PJM may be ‘too big to function’: FERC Chairman Swett

Each of the 13 states in PJM, and the District of Columbia, have “fundamentally different regulatory structures, resource portfolios and politics,” FERC Chairman Laura Swett said. FERC will host a conference in July to identify potential reforms to PJM’s governance structure.

By Ethan Howland • May 13, 2026

2026 Q1 roundup: Utilities divided on data centers as affordability looms large

Physics, policy and politics are beginning to constrain some of the electric utility industry’s highest aspirations for data center-driven growth, Utility Dive learned in first quarter earnings calls.

By Meris Lutz • May 13, 2026

Making AI work for utilities means treating technology as a partner, not a replacement

In an era when reliability indices directly shape regulatory ratings, AI's predictive capability becomes a measurable operational asset, but only when people know how to use it, writes Sean Burri, a Dominion Energy infrastructure engineer.

By Sean Burri • May 12, 2026

Hyperscalers driving record clean energy deals: CEBA CEO

U.S. corporate clean energy procurement surpassed 27 gigawatts in 2025, with four companies accounting for about three-quarters of that capacity, Rich Powell, CEO of the newly rebranded Corporate Energy Buyers Association, said in an interview.

By Lamar Johnson • May 12, 2026

Constellation Energy enters 5 GW of nuclear, gas, battery capacity in PJM queue

Some potential data center customers are pausing decision-making in the PJM Interconnection to see how the grid operator’s colocation and backstop auction rules shake out, company officials said.

By Ethan Howland • May 12, 2026