Dominion ordered to directly assign some transmission costs to data centers

The Virginia State Corporation Commission said it may use an upcoming docket to weigh whether this policy “could or should” also apply to more upstream transmission costs.

By Diana DiGangi • Aug. 12, 2026

PJM eyes data center, crypto reliability requirements after 3.8 GW of load trips offline

The PJM Interconnection is considering setting “ride-through” standards after data centers tripped offline in Northern Virginia on July 22, the latest and largest such event in PJM’s history, the grid operator said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 12, 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

Competitive transmission delivers benefits for the AI economy and customers

A group of incumbent utilities asked FERC to suspend competitive bidding for some transmission projects. The responsive filings are in, and the record does more than rebut the complaint — it dismantles it, writes Jim Rossi of Vanderbilt Law School.

By Jim Rossi • Aug. 10, 2026

The utility billing system is preventing rate and program innovation

Utilities are spending billions to modernize the grid, but the system responsible for billing customers is not keeping up, writes GridX Chief Commercial Officer Scott Engstrom.

By Scott Engstrom • Aug. 7, 2026

Texas data center pause puts 20% of US pipeline at risk of delay: BNEF

The longer the moratorium stays in place, the greater the risk to Texas’ data center boom, analysts at Bloomberg NEF said.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 6, 2026

California DER wholesale market participation could grow 2+ GW from CAISO ‘accounting change’: advocate

Behind-the-meter batteries and other aggregated DERs could get another lift from a related rulemaking at the California Public Utilities Commission, but a final ruling is unlikely before next year, a regulatory expert told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 5, 2026

$20B in federal climate grants unblocked by appeals court

A divided court rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to reclaim Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants “based solely on a policy disagreement” with the Inflation Reduction Act. 

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 5, 2026

PSEG offers large load supply proposals in PJM’s bilateral contracting process

Also, Public Service Enterprise Group is “encouraged” by potential changes to the utility business model in New Jersey, CEO Ralph LaRossa said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2026

Facing an estimated 474 GW of interconnection requests, Texas hits pause on data centers

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called for an audit of all data centers in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas interconnection queue, leading the grid operator to delay its Batch Zero review process.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 5, 2026

America’s permitting crisis lives at City Hall

Every month a city spends re-reviewing a battery it has already certified safe is time wasted when that resource could be adding capacity to the grid or lowering a family's bill, writes Base Power COO Justin Lopas.

By Justin Lopas • Aug. 4, 2026

Eversource Q2 income plunges on transmission ROE, offshore wind charges

Jefferies analysts cast doubt on Connecticut Light and Power’s $1 billion advanced metering infrastructure proposal, which has a negative benefit-to-cost ratio.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 4, 2026

AEP secures 13 GW of gas turbines as generation ‘central’ to growth plans

Turbines are “a scarce resource and will become increasingly more valuable,” AEP’s Bill Fehrman said. “We're going to continue to be aggressive in our positions on this.”

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 3, 2026

PJM files backstop auction plan at FERC to meet capacity shortfall

The proposal aims to fill a capacity shortfall driven by surging data center demand, which could grow by 70 GW by 2038, according to the PJM Interconnection. The success of the plan depends on states taking steps to protect their retail customers from cost shifts, it said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 3, 2026

Leading the agentic grid transformation

The strategic priorities shaping the future of intelligent utility operations.

By Sandy Simon, Partner, Energy & Utilities, West Monroe • Aug. 3, 2026

Texas approves AI data center co-location next to wind farm, with curtailment caveats

A final order in the case could offer an early template for other large behind-the-meter loads, requiring rapid curtailment during grid emergencies while limiting participation in demand response programs.

By Marlene Wilden • July 30, 2026

California’s carbon-pricing program generated $36.2B for climate initiatives: report

The Cap-and-Invest program deployed $15.5 billion for projects focused on clean air, energy efficiency and emissions reductions. Covered entities, including power plants, are required to surrender a tradeable permit for every metric ton of carbon they emit.

By Zoya Mirza • July 30, 2026

DOE mulls changes to Biden-era transformer rule, raising utility concerns

Utility associations supported the 2024 efficiency requirements for distribution transformers and oppose their repeal. The rule may threaten national security, DOE says.

By Robert Walton • July 29, 2026

Behind the New York data center pause is legislation that could impact existing facilities

Legislation that’s been put on the back burner while the moratorium is in effect would require large data centers to procure at least a third of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and might impact those with water-intensive cooling, analyses show.

By Joe Burns • July 28, 2026

Community solar can bridge California’s energy affordability gap

Regulatory complexities are thwarting innovation and keeping electricity bills for the majority of Californians far too high, writes Ardi Arian, CEO of Renewable America.

By Ardi Arian • July 28, 2026

PJM board proposes backstop capacity auction, data center curtailment plans

FERC’s response to the proposals will likely “influence utility capital investment, data center development timelines and the allocation of reliability risks and costs,” ClearView Energy Partners said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated July 28, 2026

Utility profits in the crosshairs amid affordability concerns

As states target utilities’ return on equity, Pepco’s rate case in Maryland, where the consumer advocate is arguing for an ROE cut, is being closely watched.

By Herman K. Trabish • Updated July 29, 2026

States cannot be granted filing rights under Section 205 of the Federal Power Act

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should reject a proposal that states share “filing rights” with the PJM Interconnection and its transmission owners, former FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher writes.

By Joseph Kelliher • July 27, 2026

Trump’s ‘vindictive’ use of energy, other grants sparks backlash

The administration nixed $7.6 billion in clean energy grants last year “based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state,” the U.S Department of Energy said in court documents.

By Robert Walton • July 27, 2026

FERC will impose reforms if PJM fails to adopt changes by September, chairman warns

There appears to be broad support for strengthening the independence of the grid operator’s board, possibly by moving to an advisory stakeholder process, and giving states more influence. Some also called for codifying the public interest in PJM’s mission.

By Ethan Howland • July 24, 2026

DOE’s new power export rule at odds with ‘energy emergency’ findings: Public Citizen

“Any export of power ... necessarily makes that power unavailable to domestic customers,” potentially contributing to inadequate supplies for a region, Public Citizen said. 

By Ethan Howland • July 23, 2026