EUCI Blog

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 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 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a $1.9 billion program to spur electricity infrastructure investments aimed at upgrading the existing grid to meet growing electricity demand and resource adequacy requirements. The program – Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades or…

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…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Electric utilities across the country are adopting “large load tariffs” aimed at data centers in a move to protect against the hefty costs that come with the facilities and speculative projects. At least 36 utilities – from Dominion Energy in Virginia to Wisconsin Electric Power to Arizona Public Service…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The independent market monitor for the PJM Interconnection is calling on federal regulators to reject an agreement to provide power to a planned Pennsylvania Amazon data center until there is evidence it won’t impact retail energy costs. The PJM is the largest grid operator in the U.S. covering Midwestern…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Five state utility commissions opposed to paying for what they see as renewable energy projects for other states are seeking to change the financing for $22 billion in transmission projects planned by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). In a complaint filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),…

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 Three Utah electricity providers are seeking to block their power wholesaler, PacifiCorp, from adding $1.7 billion to their rates to pay for liabilities from a string of wildfires in Oregon and California. The three – the Deseret Generation & Transmission Co-operative, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), and Utah…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Global electric vehicle (EV) sales are set to have another record-breaking year in 2025, even as the U.S. market is hit with policies to cut back support for the vehicles, according to BloombergNEF. BNEF is projecting nearly 22 million passenger EV sales this year, up 25% from 2024. China…