EUCI Blog

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 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…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Global demand for coal is projected to decline slightly by 2030 as coal-fired generation faces increasing competition from renewables, natural gas and nuclear generation, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Global coal demand rose 0.5% to a record 8.85 billion tons in 2025. China, which accounts for half…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Soaring U.S. data center power demand for firm generation is reviving the prospects of coal-fired, nuclear, and natural gas-fired plants and creating a pivot in policy for the utility sector, according to two analyses. “After years of emphasis on decarbonization, the strategic shift to firm legacy power generation sources…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration is making a $625 million push to “reinvigorate and expand” the country’s coal industry, but even as it moves ahead another 8.1 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity is set to close in 2025. The administration’s package includes $350 million for recommissioning and retrofitting old coal-fired plants…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Rising natural gas prices – spurred increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) – are set to push up electricity prices at the same time new demands are being placed upon electric grids, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Finance Analysis (IEEFA) study. Natural gas generation become…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Prices for guaranteed power in the PJM Interconnection – through a capacity auction – rose 22% from last year’s price to $329.17 a megawatt-day, the nation’s largest grid operator announced July 22. The jump would have been even sharper at $389 a megawatt-day, if the PJM had not agreed…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The combination of geopolitical uncertainty – driven by war in Ukraine and the Middle East – and a soaring demand for energy are reviving global prospects for coal, according to a Wood Mackenzie analysis. “Coal-fired power could be a bigger part of the energy mix for longer than expected,…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer U.S utilities have been caught “flat-footed” in the face of the soaring demand for electricity from data centers and manufacturing plants, according to a Wood Mackenzie study. Wood Mackenzie is tracking 134 gigawatts (GW) of proposed data centers across the U.S., a 68% increase from the 50 GW in…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The solar industry posted a solid first quarter in 2025, but is already seeing a slowdown that will continue through 2030 due to federal tax and tariff policies, according to a Wood Mackenzie-Solar Energy Industries market analysis. The industry installed 10.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar generating capacity in the…