CMS Energy CEO predicts data center ‘progress’ after midterms

Garrick Rochow blamed political “spin” for permitting setbacks in an earnings call. He did not address the more than $300 million the utility says it has spent to keep an aging coal plant running under DOE ‘emergency’ orders.

By Brian Martucci • Oct. 28, 2026

FERC approves tougher MISO penalties for nonperforming demand-side resources

Two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members urged parties to monitor the rules in case they drive well-performing demand response and behind-the-meter resources out of the Midcontinent grid operator’s market.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 28, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

Capacity, clarity, cash and compliance: the 4 C’s of electric co-op funding success

Compliance is where cooperative utilities tend to struggle the most, and the latest federal funding programs have introduced even tougher terms, writes Fedsprout CEO Aalap Shah.

By Aalap Shah • Oct. 27, 2026

PJM urges FERC to dismiss Mon Power ‘fishing expedition’ seeking to recoup $145M

FirstEnergy’s Monongahela Power contends that the PJM Interconnection’s advanced scheduling of gas-fired power plants during Winter Storm Fern may have violated the grid operator’s rules.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 27, 2026

CISA promises proactive critical infrastructure defense in new strategic plan

Supply-chain security receives special attention in the plan, with CISA promising to “develop data-driven guidance and best practices” related to third-party dependencies. AI is mentioned only briefly.

By Eric Geller • Oct. 26, 2026

Clean energy groups, states oppose MISO’s large load-generation study plan

The grid operator’s proposed fast-track study process for large loads with generation lacks ratepayer protections and favors vertically integrated utilities over independent power producers, critics said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Oct. 26, 2026

When does a BI value stop being the right number?

For energy companies, the assumptions behind a BI value can change materially during the policy period.

Oct. 26, 2026

Trump eschews tariffs for trade talks on wind turbine imports

Following a Section 232 probe, the president tasked cabinet officials to engage in negotiations and report on their progress within 180 days.

By Phil Neuffer • Oct. 23, 2026

Utilities turn to AI to manage rising power demand — from AI

Applications include maintenance prioritization and demand forecasting, but AI outputs that are uneven, or those that can’t be audited, constrain broader deployment. “Most utilities could not reconstruct what an AI system read, what it did and why,” one expert told Utility Dive.

By Marlene Wilden • Oct. 22, 2026

The capacity market crisis is a design problem, not a verdict on competition

PJM's capacity price spikes are a symptom of a market that drifted too far toward spot-price dependence, not an indication that competition itself does not work, write Atlantic Council experts.

By Stephen Greene and Frank Willey • Oct. 21, 2026

Virginia governor seeks 6-year rate freeze if Dominion-NextEra merger is approved

Gov. Abigail Spanberger, D, also wants regulators to increase the debt share of Dominion’s capital structure from 48% to 60% to lower its rate of return. Separately, regulatory staff and the attorney general have proposed their own conditions for the deal.

By Charles Paullin • Oct. 20, 2026

FERC approves ISO-NE ‘asset condition’ transmission review process

Commissioners David Rosner and Judy Chang said other regions should adopt similar review processes for local transmission projects, which states and consumer advocates say need more oversight.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 19, 2026

Grading the grid: How ISOs stack up against FERC’s large-load mandate

Utilities, developers and investors are all left asking the same question: how close is each grid operator to meeting FERC’s mandate?

Oct. 19, 2026

FERC proposes easing regulatory pathway for gas pipeline, LNG projects

“The only current restriction on getting American gas is our ability to get the gas to market and the infrastructure bottlenecks,” FERC Chairman Laura Swett said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 16, 2026

NextEra’s $4M Trump ballroom donation muddies Dominion merger debate, watchdogs say

The donation, which advocates called “problematic” and “convenient” for the company, comes to light as federal regulators chosen by President Donald Trump consider whether to allow NextEra to merge with Dominion Energy.

By Robert Walton , Meris Lutz • Oct. 16, 2026

Solar imports from India, Indonesia, Laos injured US manufacturers: ITC

The decision clears the way for the Department of Commerce to finalize anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from the three countries.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 15, 2026

Fossil fuel generation pipeline rebounds while new clean generation slows: EDF

However, “rising gas turbine costs and supply shortages are already making new gas plants more expensive and slower to build,” David Villagrana, EDF’s lead counsel for clean energy tax solutions, told Utility Dive.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 14, 2026

PJM plans to study SoftBank’s Ohio AI project under state agreement approach

The project, dubbed “Flagship,” includes 765-kV transmission lines to be built by AEP Ohio, roughly 10 GW in data center load and about 10.2 GW in gas-fired generation.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 14, 2026

FERC approves Duke large load transmission rules despite cost-shift concerns

Commissioner David Rosner said that Duke Energy Carolinas’ proposal offers “meaningful, if imperfect, new protections,” adding that consumer protections are “inadequate across the country” and FERC may need to take further action.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 13, 2026

Dominion-NextEra merger hearing focused on rates, data centers

“When Dominion was asked about the [Virginia Clean Economy Act], its executive vice president told the commission, ‘I am still your throat to choke,’ and that was a shocking thing for me to hear as a legislator,” said Virginia Del. Irene Shin, D.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 12, 2026

FERC rejects most of PJM’s large load interconnection plan

The PJM Interconnection’s plan for curtailing large loads that don’t have matching new generation intrudes on state jurisdiction and appears to be discriminatory, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 12, 2026

Beyond the checklist: How connected asset data is reshaping grid risk

Regulators are raising the bar on what an inspection has to prove.

By Donald McPhail • Oct. 12, 2026

PJM approves fast-track interconnection for 2.1 GW from Engie, LS Power

The grid operator expects Engie’s two storage projects totaling nearly 1.7 GW and LS Power’s 455-MW gas-fired uprate will be online by mid-2029.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 9, 2026

US electric, gas utility rate requests spike to $4.5B in Q3: PowerLines

The cumulative value of third quarter rate requests more than doubled from the third quarter of 2025, according to a report from the advocacy group.  

By Robert Walton • Oct. 9, 2026

Power system plans to meet large-load demand miss near-term solutions: analysts

Major work by regional planners is focused on flexible access to existing transmission. Some say greater emphasis on advanced transmission technologies can quickly and cost-effectively create room for new large loads.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 8, 2026