Regulation & Policy


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    Opinion

    Energy evolution: Meeting the demands of an AI-powered world

    By pairing human expertise with AI-driven insights and forging collaborations across industries, we can build an energy ecosystem that is reliable and affordable for all, EPRI’s Remi Raphael writes.

    By Remi Raphael • Dec. 19, 2025
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    The image by Peretzp is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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    FERC orders PJM to craft large load colocation rules

    The decision is a win for independent power producers with gas-fired and nuclear power plants in the PJM Interconnection, according to Capstone analysts.

    By Dec. 19, 2025
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    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
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    California PUC lowers utilities’ return on equity by 0.3 percentage points

    During a hearing to vote on the proposal, commissioners discussed the difficulty of balancing affordability for ratepayers with the need for utilities to access capital as they manage wildfire risk.

    By Updated 19 hours ago
  • FERC members raise alarms about PJM failure to meet reliability target

    PJM says several factors could close the capacity shortfall, including a new load forecast next month that could be significantly lower than the last due to stricter vetting of potential large loads and a reduced economic outlook.

    By Dec. 19, 2025
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Manufacturers prefer price hikes over reshoring to combat tariff effects

    A survey revealed 86% of manufacturers plan to pass on at least some of their cost increases. Raw material price increases averaged 5.4% for 2025 but are projected to see an overall increase of 4.4% in 2026.

    By Shefali Kapadia • Dec. 18, 2025
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    Opinion

    Hybrid heating: A bridge to decarbonization or a road to obsolescence for gas utilities?

    Combining heat pumps with gas furnaces can help manage winter peaks, lower energy costs and cut carbon emissions. But this approach requires well-structured regulatory frameworks and cost-recovery mechanisms, West Monroe experts write.

    By Andrew Biondi, Margaret Oloriz and Estelle Mangeney • Dec. 18, 2025
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    Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
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    PJM capacity prices hit record high as grid operator falls short of reliability target

    A 6.6-GW shortfall could trigger a backstop procurement to bolster PJM’s reserve margin, according to Jefferies analysts.

    By Dec. 18, 2025
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    Diana DiGangi/Utility Dive
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    Large load tariffs could streamline interconnection by shrinking queues: Enverus

    “Anyone with an acre of land they think they could put a data center on is putting in an interconnection request,” said energy research analyst Adam Robinson.

    By Emma Penrod • Dec. 18, 2025
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    The image by Steven Baltakatei Sandoval is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    DOE orders 730-MW TransAlta coal plant in Washington to keep running

    The Department of Energy could issue similar emergency orders for at least five other coal-fired power plants set to shutter at the end of the month, according to Earthjustice.

    By Dec. 17, 2025
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    Kena Betancur via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    New role for nuclear power emerges in New York energy plan

    New York’s recently-approved energy plan indicates that new nuclear power plants could lower the cost of reaching a carbon-free power system by 2040, Clean Air Task Force advocates write. 

    By Kasparas Spokas and John Carlson • Dec. 17, 2025
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    Opinion

    Coordinating short-, ultra-long-duration storage unlocks maximum clean energy value

    The United States needs to integrate short-duration energy storage with multi-day storage to build a secure, reliable grid, Noon Energy’s Aric Saunders writes.

    By Aric Saunders • Dec. 16, 2025
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    Power producers ask FERC to reverse MISO’s $280M capacity auction ‘adjustment’

    The Midcontinent Independent System Operator faces two complaints over its handling of a software error that affected the results of its last planning resource auction.

    By Dec. 16, 2025
  • An entrance to the Kayenta Solar Plant on June 23, 2024 in Kayenta, Arizona.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Tribal nations regroup after loss of federal funding for clean energy

    “We know the demand for energy is only going to continue in the coming years,” said Clara Pratte, founder of the solar company Navajo Power. “And in terms of tribal communities, we have to be players in this world.”

    By Updated Dec. 16, 2025
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    ISO-NE opposes refund to BP Energy Retail Co. for $6M in billing errors

    Eversource Energy and the Retail Energy Supply Association urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a resettlement for all affected power suppliers.

    By Dec. 15, 2025
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    Opinion

    CCS generation projects are coming. New ways to track and claim their emissions must follow.

    Clean energy buyers need a mechanism to claim the low-carbon attributes of carbon capture and storage to advance this method of reducing CO2 emissions from electric generation, NorthBridge Group experts write.

    By Iain Kaplan and Gustaf Michaelsen • Dec. 12, 2025
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    The week in 5 numbers: DOJ ramps up antitrust action, Texas’ grid growth may slow

    Plus, the turbine backlog that isn’t going away.

    By Dec. 12, 2025
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    FERC poised to issue decision on colocating large loads in PJM

    The agency’s plan to issue an order at its Dec. 18 open meeting is likely a boon for nuclear and gas-fired power plant owners that want to sell electricity to colocated data centers, analysts said.

    By Dec. 12, 2025
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    California releases draft text for climate disclosure regulations

    Entities covered by SB 253  — which mandates emissions reporting from companies generating over $1 billion in revenue — would need to submit their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by Aug. 10, 2026. 

    By Lamar Johnson • Dec. 11, 2025
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    Opinion

    Permitting reform is critical to meeting our AI moon shot

    Congress can either deliver durable permitting reform or continue outsourcing America’s future to Moscow and Beijing, writes Tim Tarpley, president of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council.

    By Tim Tarpley • Dec. 10, 2025
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    The image by Chad Davis is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Opinion

    Certainty through transparency: A new planning paradigm for data center loads

    To keep pace with accelerating digital demand, we need utility frameworks that are more transparent, more flexible and more responsive, Stack Infrastructure’s Tim Hughes writes.

    By Tim Hughes • Dec. 9, 2025
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    PJM, others challenge large load interconnection filings at FERC

    Power producer and data center trade groups, the PJM Interconnection and utilities urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject calls for action on the grid operator’s large load rules.

    By Dec. 9, 2025
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    Courtesy of McDermott International
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    With antitrust settlement, Constellation set to become largest US wholesale power provider

    The agreement is the first settlement consent decree the DOJ’s antitrust division has filed in an electricity merger in 14 years. It came days after the U.S. solicitor general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a separate antitrust case against Duke Energy to proceed.

    By Dec. 8, 2025
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    US Energy Department offers $134M to boost rare earth recovery projects

    Rare earths, a specific critical mineral group of metals, are vital components in advanced manufacturing, defense systems and high-performance magnets used in power generation and electric motors.

    By Antone Gonsalves • Dec. 8, 2025
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    The SPEED Act is an opportunity to align permitting policy with grid reality

    Reform is overdue, and the House deserves credit for pushing it forward. But Congress should apply it to multistate transmission in its entirety, not in bits and pieces, says Christina Hayes, Grid Action executive director.

    By Christina Hayes • Dec. 5, 2025
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    Courtesy of Bechtel
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    Rein in CWIP to protect ratepayers from bloated infrastructure costs: report

    When utilities use “construction work in progress” accounting, “cost overruns become profit opportunities rather than financial penalties,” the authors of a Manhattan Institute brief said. They pointed to Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion as a prime example.

    By Dec. 5, 2025