An outdated FERC policy is undermining the White House’s ratepayer protection pledge

FERC should revisit its transmission pricing policy and require utilities to assign the full costs of service to power-hungry data centers, writes Harvard’s Ari Peskoe.

By Ari Peskoe • April 15, 2026

Colorado Legislature sends ‘advanced transmission technology’ bill to governor

The bill requires Xcel Energy, Black Hills and Tri-State to assess the potential for grid-enhancing technologies to bolster the bulk power system, reduce wildfires and increase interstate power flows. Other states are following suit.

By Ethan Howland • April 15, 2026

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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

Utility investment plans jump 21%, further threatening affordability: PowerLines

“It’s like a gold rush,” said Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Executive Director Stephen Smith. Utilities are proposing investments to meet load growth that at times is “pure speculation,” he said.

By Robert Walton • April 15, 2026

FERC approves market rules for Champlain Hudson transmission project

The $6-billion, 1,250-MW merchant transmission line is set to begin delivering hydropower from Canada to New York City in May. FERC’s decision will allow NYISO to integrate the project’s physical reservation model with the ISO’s financial reservation system.

By Meris Lutz , Ethan Howland • April 14, 2026

The need for speed: FERC must exempt transmission projects from regulatory bottlenecks

Order 1000 has failed to deliver savings and has instead driven higher costs for customers, writes Purvi Patel at ITC Holdings.

By Purvi Patel • April 14, 2026

Quantum computers will change energy

A memo from 2032, after the global realization of the technology's potential has spurred billions of investment.

By Aaron Foyer, Director of Research • April 13, 2026

As EV load grows, utilities use managed charging to harness flexibility, lower costs

Active managed charging can delay costly system upgrades while saving individual customers money on their bills, utilities, automakers and aggregators say, but a lack of standardized data-sharing is slowing adoption.

By Herman K. Trabish • Updated April 10, 2026

States are already working on solutions to large-load challenges

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has never regulated retail load interconnections before and should leave it to the states, who have done it for decades, writes former FERC Chairman Mark Christie.

By Mark Christie • April 9, 2026

Entergy, Xcel, others seek to upend competitive transmission bidding in MISO, SPP

Ending competition for regional transmission would be “counterproductive and not in the interest of consumers,” former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee told Utility Dive.

By Ethan Howland • April 9, 2026

Virginia grid utilization bill set to become law

A growing body of research suggests increased grid utilization has broad benefits for utilities and customers, but experts say advanced metering technology is needed to unlock its full potential.

By Brian Martucci • April 8, 2026

Turning the AC-DC switch: A legacy technology has reached its limits.

AC is no longer the preferred current for many applications. A transition is underway, but it calls for new technology to be deliberately deployed, writes Shaun Walsh at Peak Nano.

By Shaun Walsh • April 7, 2026

Eversource, Avangrid ask FERC to stay $1.5B refund decision

The utility companies asked the agency to put a hold on a recent return on equity decision, saying consumers could be hurt by “rate whiplash” if the refunds are overturned in court.

By Ethan Howland • April 7, 2026

Nevada PUC approves NV Energy plan to join day-ahead market

The decision comes as markets are expanding in the West, with utilities opting between ones run by the California Independent System Operator and the Southwest Power Pool.

By Ethan Howland • April 6, 2026

State utility laws are the primary barrier to Trump’s AI ratepayer protection pledge

The best way to leverage the pledge’s supply commitment is to accelerate the nationwide momentum to give business customers retail choice, write Devin Hartman and Kent Chandler of the R Street Institute.

By Devin Hartman and Kent Chandler • April 3, 2026

National Grid, GridCARE partnership could cut ‘time to power’ for large loads in New York

The initiative aims to boost grid utilization and keep bills in check in a region that has drawn high-profile data center and advanced manufacturing projects.

By Brian Martucci • April 1, 2026

Expect retail electricity prices to rise further: LBNL/Brattle

Record investor-owned utility rate increase requests and approvals last year “suggest additional near-term price increases absent policy/market actions,” according to an analysis.

By Robert Walton • April 1, 2026

PECO seeks $429M rate hike, partly to reduce power outages

PECO’s capital expenditure to net plant ratio is higher than that of 16 peer utilities, indicating a higher risk level, said a Brattle Group representative who testified in support of the rate request.

By Ethan Howland • April 1, 2026

Oncor, LCRA propose up to 244 miles of 765-kV Texas transmission

The proposal supports Texas’ effort to build a network of high-voltage transmission lines to serve growing demand in the Permian Basin.

By Robert Walton • March 31, 2026

Before we build more gas pipelines, we need better data

Building energy infrastructure takes years, billions of dollars and massive political capital. Better data costs a fraction of that, write researchers at three universities.

By Burçin Ünel, Anamika Dubey and Chiara Lo Prete • March 30, 2026

Ameren begins testing dynamic line rating technology

A pilot with Heimdall Power anticipates 30 sensor units that clamp directly onto transmission lines to monitor real-time conditions. Ameren said 15 have already been deployed to some of its most congested lines.

By Robert Walton • March 30, 2026

AMP, ratepayer advocates oppose ROE, rates proposed for $1.1B AEP-FirstEnergy transmission project

The proposed rates fail to protect ratepayers from data center-driven transmission costs, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

By Ethan Howland • March 30, 2026

PJM data center colocation plan takes fire from Vistra, data center group, others

“Even a customer that brings sufficient co-located generation to meet its load cannot avoid curtailment risk,” the Data Center Coalition told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “It is unclear why a customer would pursue this pathway at all.”

By Ethan Howland • March 27, 2026

Winter Storm Fern highlighted need for expanded interregional transmission, Senate hears

Some regions saw prices of hundreds of dollars per megawatt-hour, while neighboring areas experienced negative power prices. “There was power not being used at all because the transmission was not available,” said Liza Reed of the Niskanen Center think tank.

By Robert Walton • March 27, 2026

Southeast, lower-cost PJM states offer model for affordable grid expansion

The vertically integrated utility model shows it is possible to build new generation and protect customers from steep rate increases, writes former FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee.

By Bernard L. McNamee • March 26, 2026

50 GW of data centers online at end of 2025, with MISO seeing strongest growth: FERC

ERCOT, the Southwest Power Pool and the Southeast also saw rapid growth, but not as much as the 43% annual growth in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator region since 2020, FERC said.

By Ethan Howland • March 26, 2026