Generation

  • Storm clouds moving over a nuclear reactor power plant
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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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.

    By • Jan. 9, 2026
  • An aerial view of an Amazon Web Services AWS data center in Ashburn, Virginia.
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    Nathan Howard / Stringer via Getty Images
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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.

    By • Jan. 9, 2026
  • Major Cluster Of Data Centers Inhabit Northern Virginia Explore the Trendlineâž”
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    Nathan Howard/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    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
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    Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo via Getty Images
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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.

    By , , , • Jan. 8, 2026
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    Opinion

    The 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.

    By Tamara Grose • Jan. 7, 2026
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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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.

    By • Jan. 7, 2026
  • A natural gas plant is seen lit up and emitting steam at sunset.
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    Diana DiGangi/Utility Dive
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    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.

    By • Jan. 6, 2026
  • Craig Station, a 1,285-megawatt, three-unit, coal fired power plant in Moffat County, Colorado. The power plant's units were constructed by Colorado Ute Electric Association.
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    The image by arbyreed is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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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.

    By • Jan. 6, 2026
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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.

    By • Jan. 6, 2026
  • Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant in Seabrook, NH
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    "Seabrook station nuclear power plant" by Jim Richmond is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    ISO-NE proposes capacity market overhaul with shift to ‘prompt’ auction

    ISO New England aims to switch to buying capacity a month ahead of time instead of three years in advance. This framework would make its load forecasts and other key metrics more accurate, according to the grid operator.

    By • Jan. 5, 2026
  • R.M. Schahfer Generating Station in Wheatfield, IN.
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    The image by Chris Light is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    DOE orders Indiana coal units totaling more than 950 MW to run past retirement dates

    The Energy Department’s "emergency” orders affect generating units that Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and CenterPoint Energy planned to shutter on Dec. 31.

    By • Dec. 24, 2025
  • Dominion offshore wind turbine Virginia
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    Courtesy of Dominion Energy
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    Senate Democrats end permitting reform talks over offshore wind freeze

    The move comes after the Trump administration ordered work to halt on five offshore wind projects totaling 7 GW. The freeze on offshore wind construction “wrecks the trust needed with the executive branch for bipartisan permitting reform,” the senators said.

    By • Dec. 23, 2025
  • An electric substation with power lines in a grassy area.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Why the SPEED Act may slow down after passing the House

    In January, lawmakers face the expiration of a temporary government funding deal and impending midterms, complicating the bill's advancement. But observers say there is more urgency now than ever before to reform energy infrastructure permitting.

    By • Dec. 22, 2025
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    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Energy evolution: Meeting the demands of an AI-powered world

    By pairing human expertise with AI-driven insights and forging collaborations across industries, we can build an energy ecosystem that is reliable and affordable for all, EPRI’s Remi Raphael writes.

    By Remi Raphael • Dec. 19, 2025
  • Stacks from a power plant seen next to a river.
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    Jeff Swensen via Getty Images
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    The week in 5 numbers: PJM did it again

    In other news, 2025 is shaping up to be another record year for new energy storage installations. With Ford entering the market, the industry expects continued growth, despite some bumps in the road. 

    By • Dec. 19, 2025
  • Steam billows from a cement cooling tower next to a power plant.
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    The image by Peretzp is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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    FERC orders PJM to craft large load colocation rules

    The decision is a win for independent power producers with gas-fired and nuclear power plants in the PJM Interconnection, according to Capstone analysts.

    By • Dec. 19, 2025
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    Retrieved from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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    FERC members raise alarms about PJM failure to meet reliability target

    PJM says several factors could close the capacity shortfall, including a new load forecast next month that could be significantly lower than the last due to stricter vetting of potential large loads and a reduced economic outlook.

    By • Dec. 19, 2025
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    Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
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    PJM capacity prices hit record high as grid operator falls short of reliability target

    A 6.6-GW shortfall could trigger a backstop procurement to bolster PJM’s reserve margin, according to Jefferies analysts.

    By • Dec. 18, 2025
  • A white data center under construction is seen under a night sky with stars.
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    Diana DiGangi/Utility Dive
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    Large load tariffs could streamline interconnection by shrinking queues: Enverus

    “Anyone with an acre of land they think they could put a data center on is putting in an interconnection request,” said energy research analyst Adam Robinson.

    By Emma Penrod • Dec. 18, 2025
  • Solar panels cover the roof of a Sam's Club store.
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    SBTi opens pilot for power sector net-zero standard

    The Science Based Targets initiative is looking for companies in the energy industry to test the practicality and usefulness of the draft framework.

    By Lamar Johnson • Dec. 17, 2025
  • A power plant under a cloudy sky.
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    The image by Steven Baltakatei Sandoval is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    DOE orders 730-MW TransAlta coal plant in Washington to keep running

    The Department of Energy could issue similar emergency orders for at least five other coal-fired power plants set to shutter at the end of the month, according to Earthjustice.

    By • Dec. 17, 2025
  • A nuclear power plant near a river.
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    Kena Betancur via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    New role for nuclear power emerges in New York energy plan

    New York’s recently-approved energy plan indicates that new nuclear power plants could lower the cost of reaching a carbon-free power system by 2040, Clean Air Task Force advocates write. 

    By Kasparas Spokas and John Carlson • Dec. 17, 2025
  • An aerial view of a power plant.
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    Power producers ask FERC to reverse MISO’s $280M capacity auction ‘adjustment’

    The Midcontinent Independent System Operator faces two complaints over its handling of a software error that affected the results of its last planning resource auction.

    By • Dec. 16, 2025
  • A natural gas-fired turbine power plant with it's cooling towers rising into a blue sky.
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    Opinion

    CCS generation projects are coming. New ways to track and claim their emissions must follow.

    Clean energy buyers need a mechanism to claim the low-carbon attributes of carbon capture and storage to advance this method of reducing CO2 emissions from electric generation, NorthBridge Group experts write.

    By Iain Kaplan and Gustaf Michaelsen • Dec. 12, 2025
  • Cows graze in a field near a power plant.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    The week in 5 numbers: DOJ ramps up antitrust action, Texas’ grid growth may slow

    Plus, the turbine backlog that isn’t going away.

    By • Dec. 12, 2025
  • Nuclear power plant on a shore of Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, on a winter sunny day.
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    Getty Images
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    FERC poised to issue decision on colocating large loads in PJM

    The agency’s plan to issue an order at its Dec. 18 open meeting is likely a boon for nuclear and gas-fired power plant owners that want to sell electricity to colocated data centers, analysts said.

    By • Dec. 12, 2025