Utility Dive

Don’t miss our preview of what’s ahead for the utility industry in 2026. From renewable energy to grid modernization, discover the trends shaping the future of energy. Read the full report: utilitydive.com/news/utility-e…

Crux gets $500M debt facility for clean energy investments The company said it plans to use the funding to finance “tax-driven investments,” including “hybrid tax equity, accelerating the deployment of clean energy.” utilitydive.com/news/crux-rece…

How utilities can avoid data overload and turn maintenance data into action Data collection can feel meaningless when utilities lack the tools to turn that data into improved performance, writes Ariel Santamaria from Advanced Technology Services. utilitydive.com/news/how-utili…

NY’s 2027 budget includes climate, emissions reduction rollbacks: Gov. Hochul The state plans to scrap a 2030 goal that sought a 40% reduction in emissions and replace it with a 2040 goal that aims for a 60% reduction. utilitydive.com/news/new-york-…

DOJ may intervene in NAACP lawsuit over xAI’s data center gas turbines It is “the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance,” the DOJ wrote in a court notice suggesting it might intervene. utilitydive.com/news/doj-may-i…

Commercial electricity use will likely surpass residential in 2027: EIA Meanwhile, residential prices have been growing in all regions of the United States, “and we expect this trend to continue,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. utilitydive.com/news/data-cent…

FERC declines to stay $1.5B in refunds New England transmission owners owe to customers: “In order to support a stay, the movant must substantiate that irreparable injury is ‘likely’ to occur. Bare allegations of what is likely to occur do not suffice." utilitydive.com/news/ferc-decl…

Q1 saw net loss of 5,900 renewable energy manufacturing jobs: EDF report The Environmental Defense Fund cited $1.4 billion in canceled renewable energy investments stemming from federal policy shifts. utilitydive.com/news/q1-2026-c…

Security beyond CIP: When ‘low impact’ doesn’t mean low risk Today’s power grid was built to handle an outage at a major facility. But there is a growing risk from many smaller resources failing at once, writes Anirban Ghosh at Black & Veatch. utilitydive.com/news/when-low-…

California commission to make final decision on community solar rules State regulators will vote on whether to finalize a proposed decision by an administrative judge rejecting changes to the Community Renewable Energy Program sought by solar advocates. utilitydive.com/news/cpuc-fina…

US annual electricity consumption to grow 55% by 2050: NEMA The group representing electrical equipment manufacturers expects data center energy consumption to grow 300% over the next 10 years. utilitydive.com/news/us-annual…

Eversource misclassified $385M transmission project to avoid scrutiny: ratepayer complaint The complaint at FERC comes amid growing concern about electric affordability and calls for stricter vetting of local transmission projects. utilitydive.com/news/eversourc…

Why is the US walking away from energy efficiency? Policymakers should set strong energy efficiency standards and reinstate tax incentives for households and businesses to make upgrades, writes Ben Evans at the U.S. Green Building Council. utilitydive.com/news/policy-ma…

Fluence Energy signs master supply agreements with two ‘major’ hyperscalers The agreements came earlier than expected and represented “significant progress” on the company’s “emerging data center thesis,” said Jefferies analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith. utilitydive.com/news/fluence-e…

2026 Q1 roundup: Utilities divided on data centers as affordability looms large Physics, policy and politics are beginning to constrain some of the electric utility industry’s highest aspirations for data center-driven growth. utilitydive.com/news/2026-q1-e…

PJM may be ‘too big to function’: FERC Chairman Swett Each of the 13 states in PJM, and the District of Columbia, have “fundamentally different regulatory structures, resource portfolios and politics,” said FERC Chairman Laura Swett. utilitydive.com/news/pjm-ferc-…

Hyperscalers driving record clean energy deals: CEBA CEO U.S. corporate clean energy procurement surpassed 27 gigawatts in 2025, with four companies accounting for about three-quarters of that capacity, said CEBA CEO Rich Powell. utilitydive.com/news/corporate…

In an era when reliability indices directly shape regulatory ratings, AI's predictive capability becomes a measurable operational asset, but only when people know how to use it, writes Sean Burri, a Dominion Energy infrastructure engineer. utilitydive.com/news/making-ai…

SPP, PJM, CAISO anticipate being able to meet power demand this summer The regions in each organization’s footprint are likely to see higher-than-average temperatures this summer, but supply is expected to reliably meet demand. utilitydive.com/news/spp-pjm-c…

Con Edison to spend $29B shoring up NYC area grid as electrification rises New York City and its suburbs are not seeing an influx of data centers like other parts of the country, but building and transportation electrification is driving demand growth. utilitydive.com/news/con-ediso…

Constellation Energy enters 5 GW of nuclear, gas, battery capacity in PJM queue Some potential data center customers are pausing decision-making in PJM to see how the grid operator’s colocation and backstop auction rules shake out, company officials said. utilitydive.com/news/constella…