CenterPoint to propose $5B for Houston grid resilience, forego profits from mobile generation lease

CenterPoint apologized to state lawmakers about the mobile generators. We “should have communicated more clearly to our elected officials about the cost and the limitations of such large-scale units,” the utility said.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 4, 2024

Sierra Club sues Arizona regulators over UNS Electric 200-MW gas expansion

A June decision “overturned the existing environmental review process ... setting a dangerous precedent,” said Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 4, 2024

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

The U.S. energy transition is facing challenges around grid interconnections, project permitting and power system reliability, but state, federal and other solutions are emerging.

By Utility Dive staff

Ratepayer advocates urge PJM to include RMR power plants in capacity auctions

PJM should hold a stakeholder process to include reliability-must-run plants and, if needed, delay the next auction, set to take place in December, to avoid “unjust and unreasonable” prices, they said.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 3, 2024

Texas PUC selects 17 gas-fired projects totaling almost 10 GW for possible loans

The Public Utility Commission of Texas also finalized a reliability standard and took other steps to strengthen the state’s electric system at Thursday’s open meeting.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 30, 2024

PJM capacity prices could jump 157% in next auction: Morgan Stanley

While prices could hit a $695/MW-day cap, relatively small changes in new supply in the December auction could produce large swings in the outcome, analysts said.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 29, 2024

Pennsylvania state senator to propose loan fund to spur new power plants

The Pennsylvania Baseload Energy Development Fund would be modeled after a $5 billion loan fund in Texas.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 29, 2024

US clean energy jobs grew 4.2% in 2023: DOE

The U.S. added clean energy jobs at more than twice the rate of the broader economy, according to the Department of Energy.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 28, 2024

Clean energy groups push for more interconnection reforms ahead of FERC workshop

They called for fast-track processes that would give construction-ready projects access to existing and planned interconnection capacity, among other things.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 27, 2024

Southwest Power Pool seeks FERC OK to delay 2024 interconnection queue process

The delay would give SPP time to finish studying and restudying interconnection clusters going back to 2018, the grid operator told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 26, 2024

CAISO interconnection reform plan draws support from SoCal Ed, PG&E, PUC

However, renewable energy developers and trade groups urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject provisions they say would favor utility-backed projects.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 23, 2024

New England may need ‘vast renewable build-out’ by 2050 to meet state decarbonization goals: ISO

By 2045, wind and solar resources are projected to meet just 10 GW of the 51 GW peak gross load during peak winter demand, according to the grid operator’s modeling.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 23, 2024

MISO, SPP advance ‘unprecedented’ transmission plan that could support up to 30 GW

The grid operators are seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals that are needed to build $1.7 billion in transmission projects along their northern border.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 22, 2024

California pioneers new ways to ease interconnection of large DERs

Limited generation profiles in California will schedule limits to DERs during system constraints. New York, Illinois, Colorado and others are testing more flexible approaches.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 21, 2024

FERC rejects Basin Electric’s cryptocurrency mining rate proposal

Basin Electric failed to show it was fair to treat cryptocurrency loads differently from other similar-sized loads, the agency said in a potentially precedent-setting decision.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 21, 2024

CenterPoint issues all-source RFP for Indiana territory

The utility seeks new renewables, thermal generation, batteries, demand-side resources “and other innovative solutions” to supply 150,000 customers.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 21, 2024

EIA expects 62.8 GW to come online in 2024, led by solar, energy storage

Also, the pace of power plant retirements slowed in the first half of this year to 5.1 GW, down from 9.2 GW in the same period last year, the Energy Information Administration said Monday.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 19, 2024

Oklo’s microreactor project pipeline jumps 93% ahead of 2027 planned deployment

Data centers account for 600 MW of Oklo’s roughly 1,350 MW in business currently under negotiation with customers, CEO Jacob DeWitte said on the company’s Q2 2024 earnings call.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 15, 2024

Maryland electric customers face up to 24% bill hikes from PJM capacity auction: report

Reliability-must-run contracts for two Talen Energy power plants added about $5 billion to PJM’s capacity costs in its last auction, Synapse Energy Economics found.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 15, 2024

New York ISO reforms interconnection queue, launches cluster study reviews

The changes, which comply with FERC Order 2023, “deliver greater efficiencies and transparency in our interconnection process,” New York ISO President and CEO Rich Dewey said.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 13, 2024

AI, manufacturing spur SMR interest, but project complexity weighs on deals: NuScale

CEO John Hopkins expressed optimism over a bipartisan nuclear support law and a new DOE solicitation on SMRs amid efforts to close deals with U.S. data center operators.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 12, 2024

New initiative aims to solidify carbon removal standards

The Carbon Removal Standards Initiative seeks to provide policymakers and regulators with “financially unconflicted advice” to monitor and develop standards for the industry.

By Zoya Mirza • Aug. 8, 2024

Dominion says ratepayers will be insulated from PJM capacity auction impacts

Despite the PJM Interconnection’s 2025/26 capacity auction seeing record high prices, Dominion Energy has the “natural hedge” of its own generation, said CEO Bob Blue.

By Diana DiGangi • Aug. 7, 2024

Quantum in $3B deal to buy Cogentrix, with its 5.3 GW of gas generation, from Carlyle

Quantum says it plans to “meaningfully grow” Cogentrix, which owns power plants in New England, PJM and Texas.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 6, 2024

Senate permitting reform compromise is a win for American energy and American politics

The legislation would provide a good foundation to undo unreasonable timetables and fragmented planning processes inhibiting investments in clean energy projects.

By Paolo Mastrangelo • Aug. 5, 2024

FERC seeks more info on Talen-Amazon nuclear interconnection pact

The federal agency also said it plans to hold a technical conference in the fall on issues related to co-locating large loads at power plants.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 5, 2024