Why utilities should bring water into the data center energy conversation

For utilities, this is not only about supporting customer growth but also about protecting grid integrity and infrastructure investments in an increasingly resource-constrained environment.

By Pete Elliott and Richard Tribble • Aug. 7, 2025

Arizona utilities sign up for gas pipeline project, spurred by data center development

Arizona Public Service has 4.5 GW of committed large load in its interconnection queue and 20 GW of other potential large customers, Pinnacle West CEO Ted Geisler said Wednesday.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 7, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Electricity Supply and Demand

After nearly two decades of flat demand, U.S. electricity consumption reached an all-time high in 2024 and is expected to continue rising. This trendline brings together the best of Utility Dive’s coverage of emerging trends in supply and demand and the decisions being made today that will impact the power system for years to come. 

By Utility Dive staff

We at PJM need realistic solutions, not politics, to take on energy challenges

Some public narratives have presented an inaccurate picture of the PJM Interconnection’s role in cost-effectively keeping the lights on. Here are the facts.

By Aftab Khan • Aug. 6, 2025

PSE&G large load pipeline jumps 47%, to 9.4 GW, much of it speculative

Most of the demand is from data centers, but the New Jersey utility only expects about 10% to 20% of the interconnection inquiries to come to fruition, Ralph LaRossa, CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group, the utility’s parent company, said Tuesday.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 6, 2025

Independent power producers hit back at utility critics over PJM price surge

“I'm still hard-pressed to find an example where a vertically-integrated utility has delivered a new generating project on time and under budget and had any accountability in the way that wholesale power generators do,” said the Electric Power Supply Association’s CEO.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2025

AEP expects to add 24 GW of load by 2030, mainly from data centers

More than half of the pending load is in Texas, where AEP Texas is set to interconnect 5 GW of cryptocurrency operations, per William Fehrman, AEP president and CEO.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 1, 2025

PPL Electric ‘advanced-stage’ data center pipeline grows 32%, to 14 GW

PPL supports legislation in Pennsylvania that would allow utilities to own power plants, CEO Vince Sorgi said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 1, 2025

Aggregations and data centers: If a resource shows up when the grid is straining, make it count.

Allow AI data centers to participate in grid stress management, and the capital will flow to the solutions that enable flexible, grid-supportive outcomes.

By Arushi Sharma Frank • July 31, 2025

Dynegy to pay $38M to settle charges it manipulated MISO’s capacity market

The case shows how easy it is for companies to manipulate regional transmission organization capacity auctions and underscores the need for stronger safeguards, said a consumer watchdog.

By Ethan Howland • July 31, 2025

PPL utilities reach agreement on adding 1.3 GW of gas-fired power, mainly for data centers

The agreement also pushes out the retirement date of a 297-MW coal-fired unit and withdraws an earlier proposal to build a four-hour, 400-MW battery electric storage system at another gas plant. 

By Ethan Howland • July 31, 2025

Data center flexibility can save money but may come with higher emissions: MIT

In Texas, where renewable energy is booming, data center emissions fell by up to 40% in the MIT modeling of flexible data center workloads. In other regions, however, emissions rose.

By Robert Walton • July 30, 2025

EPA aims to revoke ‘endangerment finding’ underpinning power, auto sector climate regs

The effort to end greenhouse gas-related rules that address climate change will likely face "significant legal pushback,” according to research firm Capstone.

By Ethan Howland • July 30, 2025

Want abundant energy? Ask who benefits from scarcity.

Achieving energy abundance requires reforming electricity markets, refreshing electric utility regulation and rethinking the way we pay for grid infrastructure.

By Arjun Krishnaswami • July 30, 2025

Nuclear specialist Oklo inks data center partnerships

The fission power company has been courting data center companies. Two partnerships announced last week could sharpen its advantage.

By Brian Martucci • July 29, 2025

DOE allows Talen to run oil-fired unit above limits to avoid outages amid heat wave

The unit is one of several owned by Talen Energy that were slated to retire in May of this year, before the company reached a “reliability-must-run” agreement to delay their shuttering to 2029. 

By Ethan Howland • July 29, 2025

Trump’s AI action plan calls for dispatchable resources and grid upgrades

The plan is in line with previous actions by the Trump administration to delay the shuttering of coal plants, but it also acknowledges the need for enhanced efficiency and transmission.   

By Meris Lutz • July 28, 2025

Reimagining the grid for the 21st century with virtual power plants

Why should we pay for new utility power plants when VPPs can meet our grid’s needs at far less cost?

By Richard Boehnke • July 28, 2025

AI for AI: Additive infrastructure for artificial intelligence

AI’s rise is reshaping US power and infrastructure at an unprecedented scale and speed.

By Tom Keefe, Vice Chair, US Power, Utilities & Renewables Leader; Keith Adams, US Renewable Energy Leader; Kate Hardin, Executive Director, and Carolyn Amon, Research Leader, Deloitte • July 28, 2025

Coal- and gas-fired power plants have a new best friend: data centers

The data center boom is here to stay, but so is climate change. Load growth is not an excuse to reverse progress and renew dependence on fossil fuel energy.

By Abbe Ramanan • July 25, 2025

NRC approvals move Palisades nuclear plant closer to restart

The Palisades plant is now authorized to receive new fuel and formally transition licensed reactor operators to on-shift status, Holtec International said in a statement.

By Robert Walton • July 25, 2025

FERC orders changes to PJM’s grid interconnection process, plus 3 other open meeting takeaways

Required changes include cost allocation for network upgrades, consideration of grid-enhancing technologies and energy storage modeling.

By Ethan Howland • July 25, 2025

US electricity demand to grow 2.5% annually through 2035: BofA Institute

Building electrification, data centers, industrial growth and electric vehicles are among the factors contributing to growth, according to the prediction.

By Robert Walton • July 24, 2025

FERC approves $16.4B Constellation-Calpine deal

As part of the deal, Constellation Energy agreed to sell four power plants in the PJM Interconnection to reduce its ability to exert market power.

By Ethan Howland • July 24, 2025

Energy Department’s flawed grid study props up expensive, zombie power plants

The most effective way to maintain grid reliability is to let planners plan, markets work and utilities build the resources they’ve already identified as the most affordable path forward.

By Matthias Fripp and Brendan Pierpont • July 24, 2025

FERC approves MISO, SPP fast-track interconnection reviews

Gas-fired power plants will likely make up most of the projects selected for the expedited reviews, according to ClearView Energy Partners.

By Ethan Howland • Updated July 24, 2025