Transmission & Distribution
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PSE&G to pay $6.6M for inaccurately reporting need for local PJM transmission project
The Public Service Enterprise Group utility didn’t give PJM accurate information about the need for a $546 million power line it built in New Jersey, per a FERC settlement.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 6, 2024 -
Five-year US load growth forecast surges 456%, to 128 GW: Grid Strategies
U.S. electricity demand is forecast to increase 15.8% by 2029, according to a new report from Grid Strategies. Six regions of the country are driving the growth.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 6, 2024 -
Trendline
Grid Resiliency
Utilities and grid operators are facing increasing threats from climate change as well as cyber and physical attacks, and are deploying a variety of responses to meet the rising challenges.
By Utility Dive staff -
Deep Dive
When TOU rates aren’t enough: BGE, other utilities expand active managed charging for rising EV load
With over 3 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads, managed charging pilots need to be scaled before infrastructure upgrade costs start rising, analysts and utility executives agree.
By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 4, 2024 -
Mitsubishi Electric subsidiary invests $86M in switchgear factory
The company is building a 160,000-square-foot facility in the Pittsburgh area to meet growing demand for transmission and distribution grid products.
By Joelle Anselmo • Dec. 4, 2024 -
NYSERDA, Clean Path NY developers terminate contracts underpinning 175-mile transmission line
Clean Path NY developer Forward Power says it “remain[s] committed to New York’s energy transition” despite the loss of the project’s renewable energy credit purchase and sale agreement.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 3, 2024 -
With Maryland’s electric grid ‘battered and getting worse,’ state offers $15M to boost resilience
The Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Energy program plans to fund electric utility weatherization efforts, monitoring and control technologies, undergrounding and other grid-hardening investments.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 2, 2024 -
Duke pauses consideration of DOE loan program with Trump election, new Congress
Given the uncertainties around future Department of Energy lending, it makes sense to delay a review of potential benefits from the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment program, Duke Energy told North Carolina regulators.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 2, 2024 -
Sponsored by Questline Digital
2025 utility marketing trends: Meeting the needs of the modern customer
As 2025 approaches, utility marketers must prepare to embrace trends in artificial intelligence (AI), hyper-convenience and energy equity to stay agile.
Dec. 2, 2024 -
Deep Dive
EPRI, Kraken advance DER interoperability standards to boost virtual power plant deployment
“Without interoperability standards, VPPs cannot reach scalability, affordability, and reliability as soon or as efficiently as they will be needed,” said Arshad Mansoor, CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute.
By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 27, 2024 -
New York City faces potential electricity resource shortfalls in 2033, 2034: ISO
Transportation and building electrification, along with commercial projects like data centers and chip fabrication, are driving peak demand higher, according to the New York Independent System Operator.
By Robert Walton • Nov. 26, 2024 -
Affordability, data center growth and more: 9 state utility regulators reveal their top challenges
Utility commissioners from across the U.S. say their most pressing issue is balancing affordability with the utility spending required to meet demand growth and maintain reliability.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 26, 2024 -
APS, 3 other Arizona utilities to join Southwest Power Pool’s Markets+
Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy Services say they expect to begin participating in the new day-ahead and real-time energy market as early as 2027.
By Robert Walton • Nov. 25, 2024 -
Indiana Michigan Power, Amazon, Google, others agree on large load interconnection rules
The agreement comes as the American Electric Power utility expects its peak demand to roughly double to 8 GW by 2030, driven by hyperscaler data center growth.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 25, 2024 -
As bitcoin’s price and energy demand surge, Texas requires some miners to register with utility commission
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz wants his state to be “an oasis" for bitcoin. But utility regulators say they need greater visibility into the stress that mining operators put on the electric grid.
By Robert Walton • Nov. 25, 2024 -
Sponsored by Kraken
Unleashing the power of dynamic distribution pricing (Part 2)
We can't wait to implement dynamic distribution pricing while until we scale monitoring and analytics devices — here's how utilities can start implementing pilots now.
By Amaani Hamid and Emma Rodvien • Nov. 25, 2024 -
FERC expands states’ role in regional transmission planning, cost allocation
“It is a … ‘Kumbaya’ moment, where there's actually remarkable agreement between what the states wanted and what a bipartisan FERC provided,” Grid Strategies’ Rob Gramlich said.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 22, 2024 -
Local transmission spending soars nationwide amid ‘serious absence of cost containment’
In New England, Eversource and National Grid are advancing two local projects totaling $724 million as state utility regulators push for more oversight.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 20, 2024 -
Not just a ‘boondoggle’: State regulators, industrial companies push for cost effective transmission
Proactive planning, incentives and competitive solicitations can help control transmission costs, the Brattle Group’s Johannes Pfeifenberger said.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 19, 2024 -
Texas PUC approves $3B Oncor system resiliency plan
Texas lawmakers authorized System Resiliency Plan filings last year and Oncor’s was the first to be approved. Regulators are also considering submissions from AEP, Texas-New Mexico Power and Entergy.
By Robert Walton • Nov. 18, 2024 -
FERC urged to shield AES Ohio customers from expected grid costs due to 1.5-GW Amazon data center
Language in a proposed agreement between AES Ohio and Amazon is “ambiguous,” leaving residential ratepayers without adequate protections, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel said.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 18, 2024 -
2024 Elections
Trump taps North Dakota Gov. Burgum to run Interior, new national energy council
President-elect Donald Trump said his administration will “dramatically” increase baseload power generation, which “will reduce the cost of electrical bills that continue to skyrocket for citizens and small businesses.”
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 18, 2024 -
Sponsored by EnergyHub
How to capture the full value of VPPs for a changing grid
VPPs can be key to navigating industry challenges — but only if they are fully leveraged.
Nov. 18, 2024 -
FERC approves MISO, SPP transmission plan expected to spur 29 GW of renewables
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission agreed the Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue transmission projects should be built by incumbent utilities without cost caps.
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 15, 2024 -
Natural gas supply is a bulk power reliability risk this winter: NERC
Gas producers have taken “a multitude of proactive measures to prepare for winter weather," Natural Gas Supply Association CEO Dena Wiggins said.
By Robert Walton • Nov. 15, 2024 -
State utility regulators urge Congress to fund advanced transmission technologies
“Five years ago, people thought grid-enhancing technologies were unproven and risky,” DOE’s Jigar Shah said. “Today, I think people believe that they're mainstream enough to deploy at scale.”
By Ethan Howland • Nov. 14, 2024