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U.S. Energy Department Awards $36 Million for Bakken Oil Recovery Project in North Dakota

The U.S. Energy Department on May 8 selected the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center for a $36 million federal award to advance enhanced oil recovery technologies in the Bakken shale formation, supporting efforts to expand domestic crude production and increase the use of captured carbon dioxide in energy operations. The initiative…...

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PJM Forecasts Summer Peak Demand Near 156,400 MW, Warns of Tightening Reserves

PJM Interconnection on May 7 released its summer reliability forecast projecting sufficient electricity supplies to meet expected peak demand across its 13-state region, while warning that tightening reserve margins and extreme weather conditions could increase reliability risks during periods of elevated electricity use. The grid operator expects summer electricity demand to peak near 156,400 megawatts…...

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PJM Launches Major Capacity Market Reform Review as Grid Reliability Concerns Grow

PJM Interconnection on May 6 launched a broad review of its wholesale electricity markets with the release of a report outlining long-term options for maintaining grid reliability amid surging power demand, rising costs, and weakening investor confidence. The paper, titled “Powering Reliability Through Market Design,” assesses whether the existing capacity market can continue to support…...

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New Jersey Opens Major Utility Business Model Review Amid Rising Power Bills

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on May 5 announced plans to launch a comprehensive review of how the state’s electric utilities operate, recover costs, and earn revenue, opening one of the most significant regulatory examinations undertaken in New Jersey in decades. The effort follows the agency’s April 22 approval of an independent consultant…...

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New England Grid Operator Forecasts 9 Percent Demand Growth Through 2035 as Electrification Accelerates

ISO New England on May 1 released its 2026–2035 Forecast Report of Capacity, Energy, Loads, and Transmission, projecting that regional electricity consumption will increase about 9 percent over the next decade, signaling a reversal of long-standing declines and highlighting growing winter reliability pressures. The grid operator projects net annual electricity use will rise from 116,679…...

EnerKnol Research PU Visual Primer Virtual Power Plants 2026 05 05 Blog preview

Visual Primer: States Turn to Virtual Power Plants to Support Grid Operations Amid Growing Demand

Virtual power plant (VPP) initiatives are expanding across U.S. states as customer-owned generation and storage are increasingly viewed as dispatchable grid assets to manage peak demand, support reliability, and meet rising electricity demand.

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California Regulator Shifts $1.4 Billion Climate Credits to Peak Months to Cut Energy Bill Spikes

The California Public Utilities Commission on April 30 approved a change in how the state’s Climate Credit is delivered, moving the bill relief to months when household energy costs are typically highest. The adjustment is intended to improve affordability by aligning financial support with periods of peak electricity and heating demand, without requiring any action…...

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Generation Projects Totaling 220 Gigawatts Enter PJM Queue Under New Interconnection Framework

PJM Interconnection on April 29 reported that 811 generation projects totaling about 220 gigawatts have applied to connect to its system under the first cycle of a redesigned interconnection process, marking a shift toward faster and more predictable project reviews as electricity demand accelerates. The application window closed April 27, and the grid operator has…...

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BLM Oil and Gas Lease Sale in the Dakotas Generates Over $44 Million

The Bureau of Land Management on April 28 completed an oil and gas lease sale covering 23 parcels across North Dakota and South Dakota, generating a record high of nearly $44.4 million in total receipts and leasing almost 9,000 acres. The lease sale was conducted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which resets the…...