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5 takeaways from Xcel CEO Bob Frenzel’s talk at the Minneapolis Fed
Supply chains are “actually degrading” while competition for engineering, construction and procurement services from hyperscalers is driving up costs for utilities, Frenzel said.
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Sponsored by WeaveGridDistributed load flexibility: The overlooked relief valve for the grid
As load growth accelerates, distributed flexibility can protect reliability and affordability.
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OpinionBuilding security into energy infrastructure by design is lower cost and more effective
Data centers and their energy partners would be wise to ramp up cybersecurity efforts to match the pace of development, writes Leo Simonovich of Siemens Energy.
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Emboldened Virginia Democrats focus on clean energy, affordability
Their proposals include bills intended to increase renewables and energy storage, expand utility efficiency programs and improve load forecasting.
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Illinois sets 3-GW energy storage target, requires utilities to develop virtual power plants
Electricity bills in Illinois rose 15% last year. A new law aims to reduce energy costs by incentivizing new resources, expanding solar and growing efficiency programs.
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Trump pulls US from key climate treaty, 65 other global organizations
The U.S. will exit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and several other global bodies focused on climate, energy and sustainable development.
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The week in 5 numbers: data centers drive load growth in PJM, Texas
In non-data center news, offshore wind farms say they're losing millions a day and the government won't divulge the national security concerns behind a construction freeze.
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Meta inks nuclear deals for up to 6.6 GW from Oklo, Vistra, TerraPower
The agreements invest in future deliveries of advanced nuclear technology while also procuring power from existing plants and uprates.
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Utilities under pressure: 6 power sector trends to watch in 2026
Facing rising demand and aggressive load growth projections, utilities are rolling out massive spending plans. Now they'll have to walk a fine line with regulators and ratepayers.
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MISO selects AEP-Berkshire JV to build $1.2B, 765-kV transmission project
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator also tapped Viridon to build a $350 million project in Wisconsin on the strength of the developer’s cost containment commitments.
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Modern rate design needed to meet Northeast, Mid-Atlantic grid challenges: NEEP
Seasonal rates and opt-out time-of-use plans are among the reforms that can find success without major technology or infrastructure upgrades, the energy-efficiency group said.
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4 of 5 offshore wind farms challenge Trump administration stop work order
The December stop work order is estimated to be costing the projects anywhere from $1 million to $5 million per day.
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Courtesy of GE Vernova
OpinionHow VPPs can help data centers connect to the grid faster
Virtual power plants can be developed quickly to satisfy data center demand, but reaching the scale required to meet soaring load growth will require new commercial models, according to RMI.
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Data centers were 40% of PJM capacity costs in last auction: market monitor
Data center forecasts — beyond existing data centers — made up 45% of the $47.2 billion in capacity costs in PJM’s last three capacity auctions, according to a report by Monitoring Analytics.
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Federal agencies look to performance contracts as energy efficiency aid shrinks
Agencies are authorized by statute to use energy performance contracts to make efficiency upgrades with little up-front cost, the National Lab of the Rockies says.
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ERCOT’s large load queue jumped almost 300% last year
Data centers make up more than 70% of the total. The surge has “outgrown the process that was established for reviewing these large loads,” an Electric Reliability Council of Texas official said.
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Dominion seeks higher ROE, rate hike in South Carolina starting in July
Dominion Energy has proposed raising residential customer bills in South Carolina by about 12.7%. The utility is expecting electric demand to grow 1.2% annually for the next two decades.
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Courtesy of LG Energy Solution
Honda buying LG Energy Solution’s stake in Ohio EV battery plant building for $2.85B
LG Energy Solution said the deal is intended to “increase the operational efficiency” of its joint venture with Honda. However, press reports and company statements suggest a potential shift to energy storage systems.
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Courtesy of ExxonMobil
US manufacturing activity in December was the lowest in 2025: PMI
Weak demand and tariff effects are weighing on companies as the U.S.’ recent military operation in Venezuela adds more uncertainty to the mix.
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OpinionThe next-gen retail energy mix: Aligning supply portfolios with customer expectations
Retail energy providers must move beyond managing kilowatt-hours and toward orchestrating portfolios that reflect both the realities of modern supply and the values of modern customers, writes Tamara Grose of VertexOne.
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Diana DiGangi/Utility Dive
Vistra to buy Cogentrix Energy’s 5.5 GW of gas plants in $4B deal
Cogentrix is indirectly owned by Quantum Capital Group, which purchased it from Carlyle for $3 billion in 2024.
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DOE orders 446-MW Colorado coal unit to keep running
It will cost about $21 million to run the Craig Unit 1 for 90 days, according to an estimate by Grid Strategies. The unit is offline and requires repairs, Tri-State, one of the plant’s owners, said.
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OpinionProgrammatic alignment is key to scaling residential battery demand response
Utilities, battery manufacturers, technology providers and customers all operate under different incentive structures, writes Uplight’s Sneha Vasudevan.
