data center

U.S. Energy Department Partners with SoftBank, AEP on $33.3 Billion Ohio Power and Data Center Project

The U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Commerce on March 20 announced a public-private partnership with SoftBank and AEP Ohio to redevelop federal land, expand energy infrastructure, and support advanced computing development in southern Ohio. The initiative centers on the Portsmouth site in Pike County, where SB Energy, part of SoftBank Group, plans to…...

gas

New York Regulator Adopts Gas Moratorium Framework, Expands Consumer Protections

The New York Public Service Commission on March 19 adopted a natural gas customer bill of rights, establishing conditions utilities must meet before imposing a moratorium on new gas service. The action creates a uniform framework to manage supply constraints while strengthening protections for both existing and prospective customers. The regulator requires gas utilities to…...

Transmission requirements

New York Regulator Clears Utility Emergency Plans, Tightens Coordination for Major Outages

The New York Public Service Commission on March 19 approved updated Electric Emergency Response Plans, or ERPs, for major investor-owned utilities, advancing statewide standards for outage preparedness and interagency coordination. The action applies to Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation, New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, National Grid,…...

California Regulator Clears 175 Megawatts of Energy Storage Contracts for Resource Adequacy, Distribution Deferral

U.S. Energy Department Launches $293 Million AI Funding Program to Accelerate Energy Innovation

The U.S. Energy Department on March 17 announced a $293 million funding opportunity aimed at advancing the Genesis Mission, a major initiative focused on applying artificial intelligence to complex national challenges across science and energy systems. The effort seeks to mobilize interdisciplinary teams to develop next-generation AI tools capable of addressing more than 20 priority…...

California Battery Storage Fire Threat Districts

U.S. Energy Department Announces $500 Million to Expand Critical Minerals Processing and Battery Recycling

The U.S. Energy Department on March 13 announced up to $500 million in funding to expand domestic processing of critical minerals and strengthen the nation’s battery materials supply chain. The funding opportunity through the department’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation would support demonstration and commercial-scale facilities that process, recycle, or manufacture battery materials…...

FERC’s Five-Year Plan Emphasizes Measures to Improve Electricity Market Design, Infrastructure Siting Reviews

U.S. Energy Department Announces $1.9 Billion for Grid Upgrades

The U.S. Energy Department on March 12 announced a $1.9 billion funding opportunity aimed at accelerating upgrades to the nation’s electric transmission system as electricity demand rises across the country. The initiative focuses on rapidly increasing the capacity of existing power lines while strengthening grid reliability and lowering electricity costs for households and businesses. The…...

solar panels green energy concept 35913 2436

New Jersey Board Approves Clean Energy Initiatives, Including 3-Gigawatt Community Solar Expansion

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on March 4 approved a series of actions to expand clean energy generation, improve grid reliability, and help control electricity costs for households and businesses across the state. The measures include incentives for large-scale battery storage, new solar awards under the Competitive Solar Incentive Program, or CSIP, and…...

Maine Governor Endorses Avangrid’s $1 Billion Hydropower Transmission Line

PJM Proposes Capacity ‘Price Collar’ Extension, Faster Interconnection Plan

PJM Interconnection on March 2 reported that it has advanced two board-directed reforms aimed at addressing a widening electricity supply-demand imbalance driven largely by rapid data center growth across its footprint. The grid operator on Feb. 27 filed proposals with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend its existing capacity auction price collar and to…...

Colorado Passes Bill Aiming for 90 Percent Emissions Reduction by 2050

California Takes Step Toward Implementing Climate Disclosure Laws

The California Air Resources Board on Feb. 26 approved the adoption of a regulation establishing a fee assessment structure to implement the state’s 2023 climate disclosure laws, which require large U.S.-based companies doing business in California to report greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk. The regulation sets a first-year reporting deadline and enables the…...

Georgia Power’s Long-Term Plan Seeks to Retire 1-Gigawatt of Coal-Fired Generation

U.S. Energy Department Announces $171.5 Million to Support Geothermal Exploration

The U.S. Energy Department on Feb. 25 announced a $171.5 million funding opportunity to support next-generation geothermal field-scale testing and exploration drilling aimed at expanding reliable domestic power supply. The initiative focuses on enhanced geothermal systems and advanced drilling to improve resource characterization and confirm promising geothermal prospects across the country. The opportunity is designed…...

ERCOT’s Final Winterization Report Confident That Texas Grid Is Prepared for Winter Weather

U.S. Energy Department Announces $26.5 Billion Loan for Southern Company to Support Generation and Grid Upgrades

The U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing on Feb. 25 announced a $26.5 billion financing package to support major electricity infrastructure investments by Southern Company subsidiaries serving Georgia and Alabama. The initiative is designed to lower electricity costs, strengthen grid reliability, and expand firm generation resources across the Southeast. The loans will fund…...

coal plant retirements

Federal Policy Shifts Slow Coal Plant Retirements Amid Grid Reliability Concerns: EIA

The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Feb. 23 reported that power plant owners and operators planned to retire nearly 11 gigawatts of utility-scale generating capacity in 2026, but recent federal reliability actions have already delayed several closures and could continue to reshape the timeline. Coal-fired plants and older natural gas units account for almost all…...