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March 3, 2026
RTO Insider
Top CAISO, SPP Executives Talk Competition and Collaboration
From left: SPP CEO Lanny Nickell, CAISO CEO Elliot Mainzer and RTO Insider Deputy Editor Robert Mullin
© RTO Insider 
Conversations remained cordial despite the ongoing competition between CAISO and SPP in the west as the RTOs’ top executives took the stage at Yes Energy’s annual EMPOWER conference.
RTO Insider
© RTO Insider 
Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Boost Advanced Transmission Technologies
Two senators introduced the REWIRE Act, which aims to speed up permitting for advanced transmission projects on existing rights of way and generally encourage advanced transmission technologies.
NetZero Insider
A solar array near Newburgh, N.Y.
Shutterstock
NYSERDA Lays Out High Cost of Climate Law Compliance
The state authority managing New York’s clean-energy transition estimated one part of complying with the state’s climate law could carry a gross impact of more than $4,000 per year per household in some cases.
ERO Insider
NERC's CIP standards (left) represented the most-reported violations in 2025, with five standards accounting for more than 800 noncompliances. The most-reported standard in the operations and planning category, PRC-005, accounted for only 89 violations in the same time period.
NERC
NERC Says Violation Backlog Dropped in 2025
In their annual report, NERC's Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program and Organization Registration and Certification Program said the ERO's backlog of violations dropped by nearly 50% in 2025.
Power Play | Opinion
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform E1090 NVMe enterprise designed for mid-sized data centers
Hitachi Vantara
AI Has to be Reliable Before We Trust it with our Grid
Columnist Dej Knuckey says there’s no doubt AI can be exponentially faster, smarter, and more innovative and efficient than the current workforce, but can it be reliable?
RTO Insider
MISO's four, 20-year fleet expansion estimates
MISO
MISO Sees Possibility for 500-GW Fleet in 20 Years
MISO said its modeling estimates show it could be in for anywhere from 413 GW to 501 GW of installed capacity in its system by 2045.
NorthWestern Can Sell Power from Former PSE Coal Plant, FERC Says
FERC approved NorthWestern’s acquisition of Puget Sound Energy’s shares in the coal-fired Colstrip power plant and authorized NorthWestern to sell electricity produced by the plant.
ERCOT, Stakeholders Digging into DRRS Ancillary Service
ERCOT plans to use a third workshop to inform the discussion with stakeholders on the Dispatchable Reliability Reserve Service, which faces a June deadline to be brought before the Board of Directors.
ERO Insider
Beth Garza, R Street Institute, and Ted Thomas, Energize Strategies
© RTO Insider
MISO-SPP Conference Eyes Future Generation Trends
The Gulf Coast Power Association’s MISO-SPP Regional Conference showcased the rush to add resources, and panelists mused on which new trends could take hold in resource expansion.
MISO, SPP CEOs Bet on Improved Interconnection Processes for AI Load
MISO’s and SPP’s CEOs are confident their interconnection queues will be up to the task of meeting new data center load once their respective special expedited lanes wind down.
Energy Availability Tops MRO’s 2026 Risk List
MRO's Regional Risk Assessment found uncertain energy availability to be the highest priority risk for the third year in a row.
NetZero Insider
PSEG's Hope Creek and Salem nuclear plants
PSEG
PSEG Looks to Support N.J.’s Nuclear, Gas Generation Plans
PSEG is working to meet the energy needs expressed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and is gearing up to help with the potential expansion of the state’s nuclear and gas generation fleet.
N.J. Considering Use of RGGI Funds to Curb Rate Hikes
New Jersey is studying whether to use funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to keep down electricity rates and restructure the way utilities are compensated in an effort to reduce the pressure on electricity prices.
Oregon’s Offshore Wind Road Map Acknowledges Uncertainty
Oregon released a draft road map to provide state lawmakers with recommendations on how to proceed with offshore wind endeavors, while acknowledging the uncertainty the industry faces.
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RTO Insider
NYISO
NYISO Exceeded Peak Winter Load Forecast in Early February
NYISO exceeded its winter baseline peak load forecast on Feb. 7, its COO told the Management Committee.
Stakeholders Ask for Boundaries on NYISO’s Reformed Reliability Process
The conversation during a five-hour meeting on changes to NYISO’s transmission planning processes became heated at times, as stakeholders challenged ISO officials on exactly how they will develop the possible scenarios they propose to determine reliability needs.
MISO, SPP Collaborate on Their ERAS Proposals
MISO and SPP credited interregional collaboration with helping them win FERC's approval of their expedited study processes.
IESO Expands Hydro Eligibility in Long Lead-Time Procurement
Changing course, IESO agreed to accept separately metered expansions as “new build” projects in its upcoming Long Lead-Time procurement.
RTO Insider Editor-in-Chief Rich Heidorn Jr. and former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff
© RTO Insider
Data Center Demand Challenges Dominate EMPOWER 26 Presentations
The challenges of meeting accelerating load growth dominated discussions at EMPOWER 26, Yes Energy’s annual summit.
How much are we spending on energy?
BloombergNEF
How Should We Do Affordability?
According to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy’s 2026 Factbook, U.S. consumers spent “slightly less” on electricity in 2025 than they did in in 2024.
ERO Insider
Southern Co. CEO Chris Womack (left) and Energy Secretary Chris Wright
DOE
DOE Loans $26.5B to Southern Co. for Infrastructure Upgrades
Southern Co. will receive $26.5 billion in loans to support generation and transmission upgrades.
FERC Declines to Suggest Interregional Transmission Requirements
FERC declined to suggest any minimum interregional transfer capability requirements in a report to Congress.
Police, FBI Seeking Motive in Nevada Grid Attack
Police and FBI investigators are trying to determine the motivation of a man who died during an apparent attempt to damage an electric substation in Nevada.
The Co-location Quandary: The Cybersecurity Risk to Nuclear
Opinion writer Shahid Mahdi worries about the cybersecurity risks of co-location, and asks if a co-located data center is hit with ransomware, does the nuclear plant have to trip offline?
The coal-fired Craig Generating Station in Moffat County, Colo.
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association
Colorado Bill Addresses Impacts of Coal Plant Extensions
A bill in the Colorado legislature seeks to reduce the environmental impact of federal orders delaying the retirement of coal-fired power plants.
FERC Order 901 directs NERC to develop reliability standards addressing inverter-based resources such as wind and solar generators.
PacifiCorp
FERC Approves Latest IBR Standards
FERC accepted five new reliability standards setting requirements for model validation and data sharing for inverter-based resources.
MOTUWETHFRSASU
Stakeholder Meetings
Industry Gatherings
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NetZero Insider
Electricity generation resources by year under the model
CEC
Solar and Wind Dominate California’s Energy Future, CEC Model Shows
Solar and wind resources could generate up to 85% of California’s electricity by 2045, according to a report being drafted by the energy commission.
Dominion Reports $3B in 2025 Earnings, Progress on CVOW Despite Delay
Dominion Energy updated analysts on its efforts to complete a major offshore wind project and to meet rising demand from data centers on its fourth-quarter earnings call.
Record 86 GW of Generation Additions Projected in 2026
The EIA released a report that said a record 86 GW of utility-scale capacity is projected to be added to the grid in 2026, which if true, would far outpace the 53 GW of capacity added in 2025.
EPA Repeals 2024 MATS Updates for Coal Plants
EPA revoked its 2024 updates to the MATS rules, which included regulation of non-mercury emissions and monitoring equipment requirements for all covered power plants.
Public Service Company of Colorado has received approval for a package of new resources including solar, wind and thermal generation.
Colorado Energy Office
Colo. PUC Approves 3.2-GW PSCo Resource Package
Colorado regulators approved 3.2 GW of new resources requested by Public Service Company of Colorado under an expedited approval process designed to take advantage of soon-expiring federal tax credits.
California's ARCHES hydrogen hub initiative saw $1.2 billion in funding awarded by the Biden administration revoked by the Trump administration.
ARCHES
California, 12 Other States Sue Trump Admin. Over Energy Grant Terminations
Thirteen blue states are suing the Trump administration for reversing Biden administration funding commitments worth $7.6 billion for energy and infrastructure projects.