The Latest
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Top electric power sector and utility conferences in 2027
Utility Dive’s curated list of notable events where energy professionals will gather to exchange ideas, demonstrate novel approaches and network for a new era of grid modernization.
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Sponsored by West Monroe
Private LTE: How utilities should think about cost, control and tradeoffs
Compare spectrum, carrier and satellite options before choosing a connectivity model.
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160K customers without power in Southeastern US as Hurricane Isaias recovery enters third day
Peak outages numbered approximately 950,000. Utilities said grid modernization efforts kept more customers from losing power and sped service restoration for those who did. FPL said its underground lines performed eight times better than overhead ones.
Updated Oct. 12, 2026 -
Dominion-NextEra merger hearing focused on rates, data centers
“When Dominion was asked about the [Virginia Clean Economy Act], its executive vice president told the commission, ‘I am still your throat to choke,’ and that was a shocking thing for me to hear as a legislator,” said Virginia Del. Irene Shin, D.
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4-hour storage cheaper than gas peakers across global markets: WoodMac
In North America, data centers are boosting the long-term investment case for energy storage and renewables as gas turbine backlogs and rising fuel volatility drive up peaking costs, according to a note from Wood Mackenzie.
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US electric, gas utility rate requests spike to $4.5B in Q3: PowerLines
The cumulative value of third quarter rate requests more than doubled from the third quarter of 2025, according to a report from the advocacy group.
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PJM approves fast-track interconnection for 2.1 GW from Engie, LS Power
The grid operator expects Engie’s two storage projects totaling nearly 1.7 GW and LS Power’s 455-MW gas-fired uprate will be online by mid-2029.
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Massachusetts shifts clean energy funds to help heat homes this winter
Gov. Maura Healey ordered home energy relief for low- and middle-income households, to be funded by alternative compliance payments — the fees electricity suppliers pay when they fall short of mandated clean energy targets.
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Power system plans to meet large-load demand miss near-term solutions: analysts
Major work by regional planners is focused on flexible access to existing transmission. Some say greater emphasis on advanced transmission technologies can quickly and cost-effectively create room for new large loads.
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DOE presses PJM on ratepayer protections from large load costs
“A capability to continuously track whether a project enters into service ... or is delayed, reduced, or cancelled, can help assign costs for new generation to the customers responsible for those investments,” the DOE said in a rare filing at FERC.
Updated Oct. 8, 2026 -
Opinion
DC’s green energy mandate burdens those who can afford it least
The District of Columbia should review its renewable portfolio standard requirements, with solar credits adding about $20 to monthly electric bills, writes Joy Ditto, former American Public Power Association CEO.
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Virginia regulators approve Dominion’s fuel cost recovery, securitization
The Virginia State Corporation Commission approved fuel cost securitization for the second time since 2023, adding additional interest costs for customers.
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Smart thermostat aggregator rebrands, launches ‘whole-home’ virtual power plant
Renew Home is now Everyday Electric. CEO Ben Brown told Utility Dive its flagship Everyday VPP can reduce the need for new centralized generation and mitigate costs for all ratepayers.
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Maryland nets 440 MW/1,760 MWh in first bulk energy storage procurement
The first round of awards under the Maryland Next Generation Energy Act fell short of the state’s 800-MW target as the PJM Interconnection’s capacity crunch continues.
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Virginia Lt. Gov. Hashmi opposes NextEra-Dominion merger as public hearings begin
“We are disappointed by the lieutenant governor’s decision and respectfully disagree with it,” Neil Nissan, a spokesperson for NextEra Energy, told Utility Dive. State regulators are set to hold their first local hearing on the case Wednesday.
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The image by Jbs666 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Constellation, Google strike 890-MW nuclear deal in PJM
Constellation Energy has signed 20-year power purchase agreements with both Google and Amazon in the last week, supporting almost 1.1 GW of nuclear expansions.
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States, renewable developers back MISO’s accelerated interconnection queue plan
“This approach can materially accelerate the processing of legacy queue cycles while preserving MISO’s responsibility to identify and address reliability concerns,” the Organization of MISO States said.
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"Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant". Retrieved from Wikipedia.
DOE intends to loan Vistra $4.2B for nuclear fleet improvements
The loan would cover 433 MW of uprates at Vistra’s nuclear plants and preserve around 4 GW of existing capacity to help meet growing demand in the PJM region, said the U.S. Department of Energy.
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Opinion
A new VPP framework can center the energy transition in Illinois around customers: ComEd VP
Commonwealth Edison will file a virtual power plant framework by the end of 2027 that looks beyond batteries, writes Andrew Plenge, vice president of strategy and energy policy at the Illinois utility.
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Virginia hearing examiner tells Dominion to release memo on FPL investigation
Dominion said the memo wasn’t relevant to its merger with NextEra Energy, but Clean Virginia, a customer advocacy group, said it speaks to the governance “fitness” of the potential combined company.
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Heat pumps, electric water heaters continue to gain ground: reports
Mandates and long-term trends toward electrification are supporting demand for these HVAC technologies despite federal headwinds.
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Rising interest rates challenge utility financing plans, US Bank managing director says
For utilities, rapidly rising interest rates will make keeping capital expenditures well-balanced “a little more challenging,” said Tim Keller, managing director of U.S. Bank’s power and utilities group.
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MISO proposes fast-track large load, generation study process
The 120-day study process would be available for loads larger than 200 MW and new generation that is in the same local resource zone, which generally consists of individual states.
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Solar for All grantees seek damages from EPA over ‘devastating’ cuts
Two federal judges recently ruled that the EPA acted illegally when it suddenly terminated the $7 billion program. One grantee said the decision harmed not only her organization, but also developers and communities that expected to benefit from the projects.
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Amazon, Constellation sign 20-year PPA to expand Maryland nuclear plant
The tech giant and energy producer are backing improvements and renovations at the 1,790-MW Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center, the state’s largest source of clean energy.
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The image by Steven Baltakatei Sandoval is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
FERC rejects TransAlta 202(c) cost-recovery plan for Centralia unit
Only utilities in the Northwest should pay the nearly $20 million in expenses for a 90-day order covering the Centralia unit, and despite the unit’s lack of output, payment is due, the agency said.