By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) received the greenlight for a $6.7 billion plan to build 38 transmission projects over the next 10 years mainly to meet growing demands for electricity. The CAISO Board of Governors approved the plan May 19. CAISO operates a wholesale electric market over 26,000…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Clean energy and transportation investments in the United States totaled $61 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a 9% year-over-year quarterly decline and a 3% drop from the last quarter of 2025, according to Rhodium Group. The decline in the fourth quarter of 2025 and the 2026 first…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) expects its peak load will grow about 35% in the next 10 years to 163 gigawatts (GW), spurred primarily by data center development, the grid operator said in a draft long-term forecast. The forecast for data center load is now double the level…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Data center capital investment jumped nearly 30% year-over-year in 2025 to $770 billion, more than was invested for the year in the oil and gas sector, according to an analysis by industry consultant Rystad Energy. Investment in data centers surpassed solar photovoltaic (PV) spending – which has been the…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The war in Iran, while upending world energy markets, may have some winners in U.S. liquefied gas (LNG) exports and renewable energy, according to an analysis by industry risk consultant DNV. Still, the war is exacting a heavy and lasting toll. “Without knowing the duration and possible escalation of…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Facing electricity demand hitting all-time highs, the U.S. utility industry is giving a boost to natural gas-fired generation and a reprieve for coal-fired power plants, according to an analysis by the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). After a long period of slow growth – with an average annual increase…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Feb. 25 issued its largest loan package ever – $26.5 billion – to help finance 16 gigawatts (GW) of generation and 1,300 miles of new transmission in Georgia and Alabama. Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, received $22.4 billion, and Alabama…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Global electricity demand is set to grow at its fastest pace in years for the rest of the decade spurred by rising industrial production, use of air conditioning, and the build-out of data centers, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Electricity demand rose 4.3% worldwide in 2024 and…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Global investment in clean and energy transition technologies reached a record $2.3 trillion in 2025, an 8% increase year-over-year, “defying policy and trade headwinds,” according to a BloombergNEF report. Market reforms in China, the largest clean tech market, the Trump administration’s moves to shutdown support for renewable energy, as…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill – making good on a campaign promise to deal with rising utility bills – on her first day in office issued two executive orders aimed at freezing rates and creating more generating capacity. “I promised the people of New Jersey bold action to lower…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer While having made progress on deploying clean technologies, global efforts to meet 2030 decarbonization targets – set as part of the 2016 Paris Agreement – are falling short and new initiatives are wavering, according to a McKinsey & Company analysis. “The energy transition shows signs of slowing momentum –…
By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration ended the year with a flurry of emergency orders to keep open Indiana and Colorado coal-fired plants slated to close at the end of 2025. The orders followed one issued last spring to keep the 1,560-megawatt J.H. Campbell coal plant in West Olive, Mich., running despite…
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