EUCI Blog

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration’s tariffs on aluminum, copper, and steel are posing a challenge to the utility sector as it faces the need to make “historic capital investments” in infrastructure, according to financial services company Morningstar. “The timing of these tariffs collides with an ambitious agenda to upgrade and expand…

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 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 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has canceled $3.7 billion in grants to industries aimed at cutting carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency at facilities ranging from cement kilns to a ketchup factory. “DOE found that these projects failed to advance the energy needs of the American people, were…

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 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 Efforts to expand and modernize electric grids around the world – to cope with growing demand for power and a shift to renewable generation – are struggling to keep pace in the face of supply chain bottlenecks, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report. “Prices and procurement times…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration’s 25% tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum – set to begin March 12 – will challenge the utility sector, but in the short run should not undermine company finances, according to the credit rating service Morningstar DBS. Still, the tariffs may have a ripple…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Frosty New England may not seem the best region for full-scale home-heating electrification, but while such a move might double demand, it could reduce the combined cost of natural gas and electricity by 29%, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study. With its cold winters, significant rural…

Four Kansas GOP members working to blunt federal power on transmission line corridor September 13, 2024 Four Republicans in the Kansas congressional delegation Friday offered support for legislation limiting federal authority to take control of private property for development of a national electric transmission corridor. The bill backed by U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron…

Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft balk at Ohio utility’s demand they pay for electric grid upgrades to support AI rollout Sep. 16, 2024 Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have banded together to fight an Ohio utility that wants them to pay for upgrades to the electric grid that will be necessary to support the Big…

Renewables, cleantech sector will grow regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election Energize Weekly, September 18, 2024 The results of the U.S. presidential election – even if there is a victory by Donald Trump – will likely not derail growth in the renewable energy and cleantech sectors, according to an analysis by energy consultant…