Battery developers, local officials ask New York to roll back Con Edison BESS methodology

“The grid has been built to serve customers, not to host battery storage anywhere, at any scale,” a Con Edison official told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • March 18, 2026

Democratic House bill aims to overturn Trump electricity policies

The bill, backed by 122 House members, would reinstate clean energy tax credits and grants while aiming to speed grid interconnection to an expanded transmission system.

By Ethan Howland • March 18, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

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

Utilities weigh regional resource adequacy under new Western market

Kalia Savage, CAISO’s liaison to the energy imbalance market entities, warned the grid operator to “remain mindful of stakeholder bandwidth ... given the number of complex initiatives underway.”

By Diana DiGangi • March 18, 2026

13 DOE emergency orders have cost Americans $235M, Sierra Club says

The Energy Department's 90-day orders to keep six retiring fossil-fueled power plants online are adding millions to customer utility bills, according to the Sierra Club.

By Robert Walton • March 18, 2026

As data centers go off-grid, utilities face new cost and planning risks

Industry disclosures suggest that by the end of the decade, a meaningful share of new data center capacity could be partially or fully self-supplied, write Brandon Owens and Morgan Bazilian.

By Brandon Owens and Morgan Bazilian • March 17, 2026

Utilities have made $200B+ in profit since 2021, new report says

Investor-owned utilities criticized the Energy and Policy Institute report’s methodology, which shows utilities earning above the allowed returns on equity.

By Brian Martucci • March 17, 2026

FERC approves SPP merger of interconnection, transmission planning

“This proposal will get transmission built smarter and connect new generation faster,” said David Rosner, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

By Ethan Howland • March 17, 2026

Mass. governor orders state to pursue 15 GW of resources, including storage, VPPs

The executive order also calls for a review of existing gas and oil storage capacity and utilization, including how the Everett LNG import terminal helps meet the region’s energy needs.

By Robert Walton • March 17, 2026

PPL Electric reaches $275M rate case settlement, including data center tariff

Under the proposal, average residential customer bills would increase 4.9%. Data centers and other large loads would need to sign agreements of not less than 10 years with provisions intended to protect other customers.

By Ethan Howland • March 16, 2026

IOUs work to interconnect 39 GW of data center, manufacturing load: EEI

Duke Energy, Northern Indiana Public Service and Xcel Energy are among the utilities with major data center projects in their service territories, the Edison Electric Institute told federal regulators.

By Ethan Howland • March 13, 2026

DOE offers $1.9B for transmission reconductoring, advanced tech

The SPARK funding opportunity renames the Biden-era Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program.

By Robert Walton • March 13, 2026

‘Clear warning signs’ as PJM wholesale power costs jump 54% in one year

Also, PJM’s last two base capacity auctions show a growing shortfall compared to its reserve margin targets, according to the grid operator’s market monitor. Prices will continue rising until large data center loads are addressed, it said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated March 14, 2026

PJM is now using ambient-adjusted transmission ratings. Other grid operators will soon follow.

While other grid operators are set to follow suit this year, the Midcontinent and New York grid operators don't plan to adopt the more precise line ratings until 2028.

By Ethan Howland • March 12, 2026

America’s power shortage is a market failure

Early buildout of the U.S. rail system was fragmented, with local projects often failing to connect regions. Grid developers today should pay heed, writes Maria Martinez of the Clean Economy Project.

By Maria Martinez • March 12, 2026

New York needs more time to meet climate goals, Gov. Hochul says

“We just need some breathing room,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul, noting high cost estimates for compliance with the 2030 goal. “My job is dealing in reality. This is the reality I have.”

By Diana DiGangi • March 12, 2026

Germany’s RWE plans nearly $20B US investment, including gas peakers

RWE had put U.S. investment decisions on hold, in part due to tariff uncertainty, but officials credit the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year with jump-starting its plans to build fossil plants.

By Robert Walton • March 12, 2026

4 affordability solutions states and utilities can implement now

States can take steps to drive electricity cost savings more quickly as well as pursue long-term reform, write Allison Clements, a former member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Lori Bird of the WRI Polsky Energy Center.

By Allison Clements and Lori Bird • March 11, 2026

FERC approves ComEd data center transmission agreements

FERC Chairman Swett and Commissioner LaCerte pushed back on concerns over inadequate review of ratepayer impacts: “The Commission will always reject a rate that seriously harms the consuming public.”

By Ethan Howland • March 11, 2026

As Trump tariff refund process takes shape, importers remain uncertain

Shippers face legal risks, unclear timelines and system gaps as they navigate a potentially complex rollout of tariff refund procedures.

By Antone Gonsalves • March 10, 2026

NERC overstates reliability risks in long-term assessment: Grid Strategies

The North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s analysis uses low generation and interregional power flow assumptions but a high demand forecast, including from data centers, the consulting firm said.

By Ethan Howland • Updated March 11, 2026

EPA properly awarded $1.5B of now-terminated grants, inspector general says

Among the 80 impacted awardees were dozens of energy projects, including energy efficient housing retrofits and weatherization, solar, storage, microgrid and workforce development programs. 

By Jacob Wallace • March 9, 2026

MISO, SPP eye 500-kV cross-border projects to bolster reliability, save money

The proposed interregional projects would increase transfer capacity across the southern seam between the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and the Southwest Power Pool.

By Ethan Howland • March 9, 2026

2026 fire season off to ominous start after relatively mild 2025

Total acres burned fell in 2025, but the Eaton and Palisades fires were hugely destructive and raise questions about the future of California's Wildfire Fund, one expert says.

By Emma Penrod • March 6, 2026

Washington, California and Québec collaborate on linking carbon markets

The three jurisdictions released a draft agreement this week that would add Washington to the largest carbon emissions trading market in North America.

By Zoya Mirza • March 6, 2026

AI is outpacing America’s power grid. Nuclear must become a national priority.

Nuclear power can scale with the needs of AI, writes Amentum’s Mark Whitney. Companies and communities relying on renewables will risk outages, higher costs and missed opportunities.

By Mark Whitney • March 5, 2026