Utilities news covering electricity, power grids, energy providers, utility regulations, and power infrastructure developments.
India's power sector is expected to see robust growth through FY27, driven by rising electricity demand and record peak consumption of 270.82 GW in May. The country added 16.8 GW of capacity in Q2 2026, with renewables accounting for 13.2 GW.
Homeowners and farmers in Georgia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania face eminent domain for transmission lines primarily serving AI data centers. In Georgia, a project requires over 300 parcels, with 70-80% of power for data centers. Dominion Energy's Virginia project could place a 185-foot pole on a property in Ashburn.
The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has filed a petition with Nepra seeking a Rs1.20 per unit increase in fuel cost charges for August, citing higher costs from expensive imported fuels, including a near doubling of RLNG prices to Rs35 per unit. If approved, the hike would add Rs15.7 billion to consumer bills. Nepra will hold a public hearing on July 29.
The California Public Utilities Commission voted 4-0 to lower the temperature threshold at which utilities cannot shut off power for nonpayment from 100°F to 90°F. Regulators also ordered utilities to adopt a more protective, region-specific heat standard within six months, following missed deadlines and consumer advocate complaints.
This commentary argues that Talen Energy's $1.2 billion revenue announcement from a PJM capacity auction is less bullish for AI power demand than it appears, because the revenue growth came from increased capacity rather than higher prices. The author contends that investors expecting rising capacity prices may be misled by the headline figure.
This commentary argues that the data center boom, driven by AI, is causing electricity costs to skyrocket for US consumers. It contends that data centers exploit the electrical grid's pricing structure, shifting demand to avoid peak charges while maintaining high overall usage, ultimately leaving the public to bear the financial burden.
JERA Americas filed a notice of intent with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to establish GenCo, a regulated utility owning a $1.5B, 500-MW LNG-fueled plant at Kalaeloa. Hawaiian Electric Co. criticized the move, arguing it bypasses competitive bidding and locks Hawaii into a single-source contract.
Uniper announced a strategy shift to target data centers, planning to invest €5 billion by 2030 in flexible power generation and renewables. Over half of investments will focus on flexible generation, including hydrogen-ready and carbon capture-ready gas-fired plants. The company also plans to participate in Germany's capacity market with two hydrogen-ready projects totaling 1.7 GW.
Talen Energy secured about $1.2 billion in capacity revenue for the 2028/2029 planning year through PJM's auction, driving shares up 6.10% to $400.12 on Wednesday. The 50% revenue increase from the prior auction was fueled by a 52% jump in megawatts cleared, not higher prices, as Talen expanded capacity via plant acquisitions.
The Michigan Public Service Commission authorized an investigation into DTE Energy and Consumers Energy after widespread outages left over 500,000 without power for days following a July 3 storm. The commission received more than 1,500 customer complaints, and the outages are exacerbated by intense heat and smoke from Canadian wildfires.