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

Explore the 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

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

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

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

Advanced DSM - broader, bigger, better

Learn how DSM is being reshaped as a powerful new tool that can not only reduce demand, but also shape it and even grow it to meet economic and environmental goals.

By Raegan Bond, Partner, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors, Philippe Dunsky, President and Founder, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors • Nov. 11, 2024

Transmission is ‘best low-risk, high-growth’ way to play the AI-energy boom, says Sempra CEO

Sempra utility Oncor says it could be selected to build a “significant portion” of more than $13 billion in transmission projects planned for the Permian Basin of Texas through 2038.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 7, 2024

Trump win is ‘setback’ for climate protection, but clean energy advocates say progress will continue

Trump’s victory means a Republican will be selected to lead FERC, which will likely work to rein in transmission incentives, said Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's Energy Program.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 6, 2024

US should add 35 GW of interregional power transfer capacity to boost energy adequacy: NERC

NERC said its new study “demonstrates a significant opportunity to optimize reserve use during extreme weather events and shows how transmission can maximize the use of local resources, including storage and demand response.”

By Robert Walton • Nov. 5, 2024

FERC’s Rosner pushes state flexibility in transmission planning rehearing order

Rosner said his top priorities are grid reliability balanced with affordability, managing the energy transition and supporting gas and transmission infrastructure development.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 1, 2024

States should procure power supplies outside PJM capacity auctions: FirstEnergy CEO

Capacity concerns come amid a surge in data center development, with FirstEnergy receiving more than 60 service inquiries larger than 500 MW this year.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 31, 2024

Exelon’s ‘high probability’ data center load has nearly doubled to 11 GW, CEO says

Meanwhile, the PJM Interconnection’s plan to delay an upcoming capacity auction “sends a clear message that [market] reform is definitely needed,” CEO Calvin Butler said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 31, 2024

SPP OKs $7.7B transmission plan targeting ‘generational challenges’ with power supply and demand

The projects have benefit-cost ratios of at least 8 to 1 and are expected to pay for themselves within three years, according to the Southwest Power Pool.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 30, 2024

US district court rules Texas transmission law favoring incumbent utilities unconstitutional

The ruling is a win for NextEra Energy and LS Power transmission subsidiaries as well as the East Texas Electric Cooperative.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 29, 2024

CenterPoint acquires smaller generators to aid in grid restorations, following Hurricane Beryl criticism

An independent analysis of CenterPoint’s July storm response included 77 recommendations, two-thirds of which the utility has already completed or is in the process of implementing.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 29, 2024

How will the presidential and Senate election outcomes affect FERC and its policies?

The FERC chairman plays a key role in setting the agency’s agenda, but even if Donald Trump wins, the commission could have a Democratic majority for at least 18 months.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 29, 2024

APS, Duke, other utilities pursue new climate resilience strategies as some await upcoming tools

APS and Duke, along with Central Hudson Gas & Electric, PacifiCorp and Puget Sound Energy, see different paths to reach resilience planning’s potential while awaiting EPRI metrics to address uncertainties.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 28, 2024

Where the wires meet the road: Fixing missed opportunities for long-distance transmission

We need to find ways to better integrate the planning of transmission and the siting of transmission from the get-go so that we don’t end up in situations where ideal pathways for transmission are missed.

By Adam Kurland • Oct. 28, 2024

AEP Ohio reaches agreement with stakeholders on data center interconnection rules

The rate proposal comes as half of surveyed utilities are facing data center service requests for more than 1,000 MW each, according to an EPRI report.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 24, 2024

DTE on pace for more than $4B in reliability, smart grid investment this year

A September audit concluded DTE’s electric power restoration times are “worse than average.” Utility officials say their proposed investment plan will deliver “dramatic improvement.”

By Robert Walton • Oct. 24, 2024

Utilities’ hidden clean energy tax is at the heart of our energy challenges

Ending utility self-funding is central to FERC’s efforts to change utilities’ incentives and push them to tackle more ambitious high-voltage projects.

By Ari Peskoe • Oct. 24, 2024

Nearly 100 utilities’ credit ratings downgraded since 2020 as wildfire risks grow

Rising insurance and mitigation costs threaten utilities' financial stability, but there may be hope on the horizon, according to a report from Charles River Associates.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 23, 2024