New England states urge FERC to advance $1.5B in ratepayer refunds

Governors and utility regulators asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to dismiss a request by Eversource and Avangrid to stay the refund order while a court weighs an appeal. The dispute has already spawned 15 years of litigation. 

By Ethan Howland • April 21, 2026

La Plata Electric CEO: Why Western utilities are moving toward regional markets

Following its transition into the Southwest Power Pool, LPEA expects an immediate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of roughly 20%, along with reduced wholesale power costs, writes Chris Hansen.

By Chris Hansen • April 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

The single-platform utility: A competitive advantage in the age of AI

Many utilities still run different technological worlds without a common platform and data foundation. Learn how a single platform can increase business speed while reducing risks and costs.

By Oracle • April 20, 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

Congress presses DOE’s Wright on Energy Star, permitting reform

Energy Secretary Chris Wright didn’t offer plans for DOE’s full takeover of the Energy Star program. He agreed to work with Congress on methane rules and permitting reform.

By Diana DiGangi • April 17, 2026

FERC tees up June decision on data center interconnection reform

Other open meeting takeaways: Chairman Swett is “perplexed” on PJM backstop auction; the agency rejected a renewable developer’s $44-million waiver request; and zombie dockets die.

By Ethan Howland • April 17, 2026

After 2 years, ratepayer pain and political fallout from Georgia’s nuclear plant Vogtle

Texas built 36 GW of solar and storage in four years, for about $36 billion. Georgia built 2 GW of nuclear in 15 years at the same cost, writes Patty Durand, founder of Georgians for Affordable Energy.

By Patty Durand • April 17, 2026

Wright defends actions on coal plants, funding cuts in testy House hearing

When pressed, the energy secretary said that money for home energy efficiency rebate programs, which has been frozen since last year, would “probably” be released in a “few weeks.”

By Diana DiGangi • April 16, 2026

Why reforming rooftop solar and battery permitting belongs on every state affordability agenda

The hurdles that stop families from installing home energy upgrades are firmly within the control of state governments, writes Permit Power founder Nick Josefowitz.

By Nick Josefowitz • April 16, 2026

FERC orders American Efficient to pay $1.1B for ‘brazen fraud’

“American Efficient’s years-long fraud profoundly disrupted the organized capacity markets and ultimately increased costs for ordinary Americans,” FERC Chairman Laura Swett said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated April 17, 2026

An outdated FERC policy is undermining the White House’s ratepayer protection pledge

FERC should revisit its transmission pricing policy and require utilities to assign the full costs of service to power-hungry data centers, writes Harvard’s Ari Peskoe.

By Ari Peskoe • April 15, 2026

Colorado legislature sends ‘advanced transmission technology’ bill to governor

The bill requires Xcel Energy, Black Hills and Tri-State to assess the potential for grid-enhancing technologies to bolster the bulk power system, reduce wildfires and increase interstate power flows. Other states are following suit.

By Ethan Howland • April 15, 2026

Regulators approve Georgia Power’s BYO clean resources plan for large loads

Eligible projects can be located in other states as long as they can deliver power to Georgia Power under an approved interconnection framework, Jamie Barber of the Georgia Public Service Commission told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • April 14, 2026

Maryland General Assembly passes rate relief measure to lower utility bills by $150/year

The bill reflects growing concerns among U.S. regulators and policymakers about the level of utility spending and how that affects affordability, an equity analyst said.

By Ethan Howland • April 14, 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

The need for speed: FERC must exempt transmission projects from regulatory bottlenecks

Order 1000 has failed to deliver savings and has instead driven higher costs for customers, writes Purvi Patel at ITC Holdings.

By Purvi Patel • April 14, 2026

PJM proposes adding 14.9 GW with bilateral contracts, central procurement

In the first part of a two-phase plan, the grid operator would help match buyers, including data centers and other large loads, with sellers of new generation. States and utilities may seek to lower the procurement target over affordability concerns.

By Ethan Howland • April 13, 2026

DOE proposes slashing non-defense spending on energy

The proposal would shrink DOE’s non-defense spending by “slashing Green New Scam initiatives,” including more than $15 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding, the White House said.

By Meris Lutz • April 10, 2026

Terra-Gen to pay $5.6M to settle CAISO market manipulation charges

The renewable energy company failed to follow orders to store electricity in a battery system when power prices were high, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

By Ethan Howland • April 10, 2026

EPA proposes weakening power plant coal ash protections

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the proposal as “commonsense changes,” but environmental advocates say it could permit coal plant owners to minimize, delay or avoid cleanup.

By Robert Walton • April 10, 2026

States are already working on solutions to large-load challenges

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has never regulated retail load interconnections before and should leave it to the states, who have done it for decades, writes former FERC Chairman Mark Christie.

By Mark Christie • April 9, 2026

Entergy, Xcel, others seek to upend competitive transmission bidding in MISO, SPP

Ending competition for regional transmission would be “counterproductive and not in the interest of consumers,” former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee told Utility Dive.

By Ethan Howland • April 9, 2026

Virginia grid utilization bill set to become law

A growing body of research suggests increased grid utilization has broad benefits for utilities and customers, but experts say advanced metering technology is needed to unlock its full potential.

By Brian Martucci • April 8, 2026

Recalibrating the social license for AI infrastructure in the United States

To counter a public backlash, data center developers must embrace economic reciprocity while utilities and regulators must design rates that penalize grid stress and reward flexibility, write Fred Bailey of Gideon Arktos and Frank Willey at the Atlantic Council.

By Fred Bailey and Frank Willey • April 8, 2026

Pennsylvania DEP seeks potential fast-track storage, generation projects

The request is in response to the PJM Interconnection’s proposed Expedited Interconnection Track, which faces opposition at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from independent power producer Vistra and environmental groups.

By Ethan Howland • April 7, 2026