New England electricity use will grow more than 1% annually amid electrification push, says ISO

The ISO New England grid will be challenged by extreme weather and a changing resource mix, according to a biennial report from the grid operator. Generators say there is increasing urgency to address issues in wholesale markets.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 5, 2021

FERC's Christie calls for fixing interconnection 'chaos' as first step in transmission reform

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could tackle sweeping transmission changes in pieces, according to an agency official.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 4, 2021

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 approves proposal giving New York's utilities right of first refusal for certain transmission upgrades

FERC Commissioners Clements and Christie are concerned the action could increase customer costs.

By Ethan Howland • Updated March 14, 2022

Unlocking the Transition: Biden, Congress aim to fill gap from clean electricity plan's demise

Sen. Joe Manchin's rejection of the plan has led to a scramble for potential alternatives, with a proposal by Reps. Kurt Schrader and David McKinley gaining support from major players in the utility sector.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Nov. 4, 2021

Avangrid-PNM merger in doubt after New Mexico hearing examiner warns of reliability, oversight issues

"The potential harms of the proposed transaction outweigh the promised benefits," Hearing Examiner Ashley Schannauer wrote. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is expected to make a decision by the end of the year.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 2, 2021

COP26: Biden apologizes for US climate inaction, issues long-term plan for reaching net zero emissions

The plan asks the electric sector to eliminate emissions by 2035 through transmission upgrades, energy efficiency, storage and non-emitting generation, along with several other strategies.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 2, 2021

House passes Build Back Better, tees up Senate vote on funding for climate, clean energy and electric vehicles

The bill's passage comes days after President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that also boosts spending on shifting the U.S. away from fossil fuels.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Nov. 19, 2021

States, public need bigger role in transmission development, FERC's Glick says

The lead regulator outlined his hopes for transmission reform needed to meet clean energy and grid reliability goals ahead of a key FERC-state task force meeting.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 28, 2021

APS vows legal action after Arizona regulators deny cost recovery for $215.5M coal plant upgrades

Regulators approved the utility’s first rate decrease since 1996, while voting against full cost recovery for APS' investment in upgrades to a coal plant being closed earlier than initially planned.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Updated Nov. 3, 2021

Sophisticated hackers could crash the US power grid, but money, not sabotage, is their focus

For now, the capability remains in the hands of nation-state actors. But "sophistication can ultimately be bought," Edison Electric Institute Vice President for Security and Preparedness Scott Aaronson said.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 28, 2021

PJM, market monitor urge FERC to reject SOO Green proposal, saying it will upend the capacity market

Letting SOO Green's transmission line skirt PJM's rules would hurt reliability and lower capacity prices, the grid operator and Monitoring Analytics said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 27, 2021

Maine DEP suspends permit for 1.2 GW Avangrid power line to import power from Hydro-Québec

The decision on Tuesday came as 50 Maine lawmakers urged Massachusetts to explore alternatives for meeting its clean energy goals.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Nov. 24, 2021

NextEra's failure to upgrade Seabrook plant jeopardizes planned $1B transmission line, Avangrid warns

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision in the interconnection dispute could affect clean energy ambitions nationwide, Massachusetts officials warned.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 25, 2021

FERC rejects utilities' request to open TVA to competition

But FERC Chairman Glick urged Congress to eliminate the Tennessee Valley Authority's protective fence transmission borders so the utility doesn't have carte blanche to "gold plate" its system.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 22, 2021

California markets in the Lone Star State? Texas regulators consider 'quasi-capacity' market system

Generators and transmission operators will need to weatherize their systems ahead of winter as Texas regulators consider "monumental" market changes.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 22, 2021

NextEra doubles down on green hydrogen, other renewables

The company said Wednesday it has added more than 5,700 megawatts over the first nine months of 2021 to its backlog of renewable energy and storage projects.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Oct. 21, 2021

Meeting state offshore wind, renewable goals requires up to $3.2B in transmission, PJM says

A report on future transmission needs marks a change in how the largest U.S. grid operator considers state renewable energy goals, but more work needs to be done, observers say.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 21, 2021

To secure the energy supply chain, feds want to reimagine the power sector as defense

Department of Energy officials say vulnerable software and data supply chains expose the U.S. power grid to attack.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 21, 2021

Coal-fired electricity rebounds in 2021, but resurgence could be short-lived

As the price of natural gas soars, a federal report finds coal-fired power plants are expected to produce significantly more electricity this year than in 2020.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Oct. 20, 2021

Texas regulators tee up market changes, weatherization standards in response to February crisis

The Public Utilities Commission of Texas on Thursday could vote to adopt weatherization requirements for generators and transmission owners that were originally contained in a pair of decade-old reports.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 20, 2021

Boosting transmission between East, West grids will lower costs: NREL

A National Renewable Energy Laboratory study shows that every dollar spent on new transmission facilities between the two interconnections will be more than doubled as grid benefits, reducing costs to interconnect new resources.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 19, 2021

EEI, utilities want first crack at transmission development as FERC mulls new rules, incentives

With billions in spending at stake, the Edison Electric Institute says competition hampers power line development. Consumer groups contend it lowers costs.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 18, 2021

By 2030, Portland General sees distributed resources meeting up to 25% of peak demand

The utility said it will need up to 2 GW of clean or renewable resources and 800 MW of non-emitting dispatchable capacity resources to decarbonize its system by 2040.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2021

Empire Wind pushes opening of New York's first offshore wind farm to 2026

The developer told federal regulators it needs until December 2026 to build New York's first major offshore wind farm.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Updated Oct. 16, 2021

Entergy failures threaten New Orleans' future

Entergy's way of doing business is unaffordable to ratepayers and it is unable to provide the kind of reliability and resilience that are more necessary in the face of climate disaster, the author writes.

By Jesse George • Oct. 15, 2021