EUCI Blog

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 repeal of renewable energy tax credits, part of the proposed Republican budget bill, would lead to a 15% decline in wind, solar, and battery storage capacity by 2035 and an increase in wholesale and retail electricity prices, according to an S&P Global forecast. “As renewable generators lose the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Wholesale electricity prices in the U.S. are projected to rise by an average 12% this summer, and while the margin between demand and generation capacity will be thinner, there should be adequate capacity, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) assessment. Electricity demand this summer is expected to…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The combination of coal-fired power plant closures, spurred by state and federal initiatives, and generous tax credits for new electric generation under the Inflation Reduction Act created a flood in renewable energy projects now waiting to get connected to the grid. “The surge in investment and development has overwhelmed…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer In the face of tariffs and economic and political uncertainties, the performance of clean energy technologies remains robust with 59 gigawatts (GW) of renewable generation and 31 GW of battery storage set to be installed in 2025, according to two market reports. “Investors and businesses navigating the energy transition…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer As data centers multiply and with them a sharp increase in the demand for electricity, nuclear power is poised for a resurgence providing as much as 10% of data center power in the next decade, according to a report by Deloitte. “Nuclear energy presents a potential solution for meeting…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) – serving all or part of 14 states from Texas to North Dakota – will need as much as $263 billion in new generation and transmission through 2050 to support a peak demand projected to rise 40% to 80%. Those investments can be made…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer U.S. utility sector investment in electric, gas, and water projects are projected to rise to more than $780 billion between 2025 and 2028, according to a research report by consultant and market analyst S&P Global. Total U.S utility energy investments are projected to set a record at $202 billion…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Global energy project financing – with a few areas of risk such as aging wind farms, data centers, and trade impacts for solar – will be largely stable in 2025, according to report from the investment research company Morningstar. The Morningstar analysis covers its portfolio of wind, solar, river…

Palisades nuclear relaunch gets more subsidies in Michigan — and more backlash September 9, 2024 The Palisades Nuclear power plant restart effort has secured another round of public subsidies, with two rural electric cooperatives set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars to buy power from the facility. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday…

Data Centers Face Seven-Year Wait for Dominion Power Hookups August 29, 2024 Dominion Energy Inc. expects the time it takes to connect large data centers to the electric grid to increase by one to three years amid a surge in requests, bringing the total wait time to as long as seven years. The longer wait…

West Virginia’s PSC faces lawsuit over coal-plant directive September 3, 2024 The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is facing legal challenges for its 2021 directive that Appalachian Power increase the usage of three of its coal plants. Critics say the utility is paying more to keep coal plants open, and passing the cost onto…