California’s electricity consumption is projected to increase dramatically over the coming decades due in large part to planned artificial intelligence data centers, although questions remain about how many of those data centers actually will be built.

FERC defended Order 1920 against appeals in a brief filed Jan. 5, saying the transmission planning and cost allocation rule is firmly within its authority and builds on previous pathbreaking rulemakings like Orders 888 and 1000.

MISO announced it will partner with Microsoft’s AI technologies to operate its markets and plan its system.

SPP has opened an office in Denver, giving it a physical presence in the Western Interconnection as it seeks to open two different markets in the West.

Heading into 2026, New England is counting on an increasingly collaborative approach to energy policy as federal opposition to renewable energy development threatens affordability, reliability, and decarbonization objectives in the region.

MISO has indicated that new generation to serve data centers and other large loads will be mission critical over 2026 and said it will take pains to interconnect units.

The defining story of the coming year will be the widening chasm between electricity supply and demand, a dynamic driven by a slow-moving supply side, coupled with the explosive growth of energy-hungry data centers, says columnist Peter Kelly-Detwiler.

MISO and the Minnesota Department of Commerce said federal funding for the Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue portfolio is still in play, though they didn't offer any additional details.

ERCOT proposed revisions to its large load interconnection process just days after a new rule established more rigorous criteria for connecting data centers, bitcoin miners and other power-hungry facilities to the grid.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission, in collaboration with the regulators of four other New England states, issued a request for proposals to procure clean energy in northern Maine and 1,200 MW of transmission to connect it to the ISO-NE grid.