Southwest Power Pool on April 2 announced the launch of expanded grid operations that extend its service territory into the Western Interconnection, making it the first U.S. grid operator to span two major power systems. The organization’s expanded operations officially began at midnight central time on April 1, following months of coordinated testing, simulation, and…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on March 31 accepted the first phase of capacity market reforms proposed by ISO New England, advancing efforts to align the region’s power market design with a rapidly changing resource mix. The decision marks a key milestone in a multi-year stakeholder process aimed at improving reliability outcomes and ensuring consumers…...
Regulators and grid operators across the U.S. are actively reforming interconnection processes to support the growth of new power generation resources amid surging electricity demand from AI data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. These actions also aim to address emerging challenges arising from the rapid growth of new large loads, which can introduce planning uncertainty and require substantial investments in transmission and other grid infrastructure.
The California Independent System Operator on Feb. 13 reported that the Western Energy Imbalance Market delivered $1.62 billion in economic benefits to participating utilities in 2025, raising total cumulative savings to $8.24 billion since the market launched in 2014. The real-time market enables balancing authorities across the Western U.S. to buy and sell electricity every…...
The rapid growth of data centers, electrification, and manufacturing is driving a step change in electricity demand, compelling regulators and grid operators to revisit.…. Read the full report…...
U.S. grid operators and utilities are intensifying winter preparedness efforts to ensure reliable electricity supplies, even as rising demand and supply constraints heighten the risk of…Read the full report …...
U.S. grid operators and utilities are intensifying winter preparedness efforts to ensure reliable electricity supplies, even as rising demand and supply constraints heighten the risk of energy shortfalls during extreme cold events.
PJM Interconnection LLC and its stakeholders on Aug. 26 launched discussions under the Sub-Annual Capacity Market Senior Task Force, focusing on potential seasonal changes to its capacity market design. The group, created earlier this year by the PJM Markets and Reliability Committee, is tasked with evaluating sub-annual structures as the grid operator shifts away from…...
Transmission planning efforts across the U.S. increasingly reflect a focus on regional coordination and proactive infrastructure buildout, driven by rising energy demand and electrification. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) latest update to its landmark transmission planning rule affirms the role of states in transmission planning, while several states are also advancing measures to streamline permitting and accelerate project development.
PJM Interconnection LLC's capacity market auction for the 2026/2027 delivery year cleared at $329.17 per megawatt-day (MW-day), nearly 22 percent higher than the clearing price in the previous auction. The clearing price hit the cap recently approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to bring stability to the market after last year’s unprecedented ninefold price surge.
The Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) has announced its commitment to the California Independent System Operator’s extended day-ahead market, or EDAM. PNM’s commitment, formalized with a signed agreement, initiates an important step in the governance of the Western Energy Markets. Although PNM will join EDAM in 2027, the governance change takes effect immediately…....
Across the U.S., accelerating electrification and large-load growth driven by data center expansion are contributing to higher demand projections, while generator retirements are outpacing the addition of new supply. These converging trends are tightening reliability margins and increasing the risk of resource adequacy shortfalls.
