People are critical infrastructure, too. Utilities must do more or lose talent to tech.

With so much riding on America's AI ambitions, utility workforce strategy must have a place alongside generation, transmission and capital planning, writes Stefan Hirniak, president of Specialist Staffing Group US.

By Stefan Hirniak • July 23, 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

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

FERC eyes ‘grid-enhancing technology’ incentives: Chairman Swett

Data centers, competition in the transmission sector and PJM Interconnection governance reform were other key topics at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

By Ethan Howland • July 23, 2026

Don’t gut the utility model just as we need it most

Cutting utility returns won't lower electric bills and will leave us with a more fragile power grid, writes Scott Aaronson, former secretary of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council.

By Scott Aaronson • July 22, 2026

FERC fails to shield PJM consumers from data center transmission costs: ratepayer advocates

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s large load “show cause” order for the PJM Interconnection fails to address cost allocation of network upgrades, advocates from five states said.

By Ethan Howland • July 21, 2026

AI data center growth could force US utilities to rethink generation plans, BofA says

Data center demand will outpace planned utility capacity additions by more than 100 GW through 2030, increasing reliance on on-site gas generation and battery storage, Bank of America analysts project.

By Marlene Wilden • July 17, 2026

PJM capacity auction results compound ‘alarm bells’: FERC Chairman Swett

At its monthly meeting, FERC set data center reliability standard deadlines, ordered CAISO and SPP to report on “seams” issues and advanced a complaint over cost recovery for a New Jersey power line.

By Ethan Howland • July 17, 2026

Indiana regulators investigate utility ROEs, ‘trackers’ in affordability review

AES, American Electric Power, CenterPoint Energy, Duke Energy and NiSource could be affected under a “more consumer-oriented utility commission policy,” Paul Patterson, a Glenrock Associates equity analyst, told Utility Dive.

By Ethan Howland • July 16, 2026

Virginia SCC weighs Dominion data center transmission cost allocation

“Regardless of the cost allocation methodology that is chosen, there remains a glaring cross-class subsidization occurring to the benefit of new [large load] customers,” said State Corporation Commission attorney Andrew Major.

By Diana DiGangi • July 15, 2026

Pennsylvania data centers face increased oversight under new law

Data centers will now have to provide annual energy usage reports to the state, and the PJM Interconnection will need to give state regulators additional insight into its demand forecasting.

By Diana DiGangi • July 14, 2026

Utilities requested $9.2B in rate hikes in Q2: PowerLines

Dominion Energy in Virginia is seeking about $1.5 billion in increases across three rate requests, the report said. Oncor in Texas requested the largest single increase in Q2 at $1.2 billion, driven largely by transmission and distribution investments.

By Ethan Howland • July 14, 2026

Every customer you can’t enroll is a kilowatt you can’t dispatch

Flexibility's grid value is proven. The real constraint now is how many customers you can enroll.

July 13, 2026

What can best ease transmission bottlenecks? More transfer capacity, DOE says.

Transmission congestion added $12 billion in wholesale power costs in 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a draft report on U.S. transmission needs.

By Ethan Howland • July 10, 2026

PJM status quo ‘untenable’: FERC Commissioner LaCerte

“Looking at things differently is hard, especially in entrenched utilities that have been doing this for a long time,” the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member said.

By Ethan Howland • July 9, 2026

DOE closes up to $3.26B loan to AEP Texas

The money is intended to go toward upgrading and building transmission lines spanning roughly 2,800 miles. The utility has agreements supporting up to 41 GW of potential new load.

By Robert Walton • July 9, 2026

New Jersey increases transmission oversight in ‘affordability’ push

New Jersey’s governor signed bills that aim to cut transmission owners’ return on equity, establish data center tariffs and require state approval for “supplementary” transmission projects.

By Ethan Howland • July 8, 2026

Exelon, FirstEnergy utilities’ RTO adder targeted by Maryland in FERC complaint

Maryland state agencies asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to end an extra 0.5% return the transmission owners earn for being PJM Interconnection members.

By Ethan Howland • July 7, 2026

Southwestern Public Service wins $113M reliability grant from Texas

The Texas Energy Fund has allocated more than $4 billion as part of the state’s effort to boost grid reliability. The award to SPS covers a drone-based pole inspection program and live monitoring.

By Robert Walton • July 6, 2026

AI is reshaping the grid. Utilities need capacity that can move faster.

New large loads arrive in months. Grid upgrades take years. Fast storage helps close the gap.

By Nate Walkingshaw, Torus Founder and CEO • July 6, 2026

From wildfire risk to resilience: How asset investment tools can mitigate the growing challenge

A shift in asset investment planning can help utilities quantify risk and defend wildfire mitigation plans to regulators, stakeholders and the public, writes Jeff Pauska at IFS Copperleaf.

By Jeff Pauska • June 30, 2026

Sen. King urges FERC to reject $67B NextEra-Dominion merger

NextEra Energy’s efforts to kill the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project is a sign of how the combined utility could stifle competition and harm consumers, the Maine senator said.

By Ethan Howland • June 30, 2026

PJM opposes waiver for $2B gas-fired plant in fast-track interconnection review

Gas turbine backlogs prompted Advanced Power Services to seek changes to its project in PJM’s fast-track Reliability Resource Initiative interconnection review, but the grid operator said granting such a waiver would be unfair to other developers.

By Ethan Howland • Updated June 30, 2026

Data centers are ready to negotiate flexibility for speed

Hyperscalers want their data centers online and utilities want to provide interconnections, but experts say both are still looking for common operating guidelines.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 26, 2026

A month into EDAM, the data already shows two very different grids

The new Western day-ahead market is starting to show where resource mixes, operating constraints and carbon policies create fundamentally different economic outcomes.

By Tapas Peshin • June 25, 2026

Texas landowners seek pause in $2B, 765-kV transmission line case over notice concerns

The Permian Basin power line request says property owners were not properly notified after route changes. The build-out is tied to growing ERCOT grid needs.

By Marlene Wilden • June 25, 2026