Power

Constellation Energy agreed to sell the 606 MW Brazos Valley natural gas-fired plant in Texas to LS Power for $860 million. The deal completes required divestitures tied to its $16.4 billion Calpine acquisition and comes as the company raised its 2026 adjusted operating earnings guidance to $11.50-$12.50 per share on strong power demand, including new nuclear supply deals. The move highlights robust electricity demand in ERCOT, one of the fastest-growing U.S. power markets. Read →

Hungary switched off decorative lighting at Budapest's parliament, Buda Castle and Chain Bridge amid a prolonged heatwave and record-low Danube water levels that forced its sole nuclear plant to largely shut down. Neighboring Romania also dimmed lights and rationed electricity to keep its nuclear reactor running. The measures reflect severe power supply strain across Central Europe from extreme heat and drought. Read →

Rapid fluctuations in AI data center power demand, sometimes spiking 50% above design capacity, are causing premature failures in batteries, generators, turbines and cooling systems. Experts warn these stresses create added costs, uptime risks and potential grid instability as large AI loads behave like volatile industrial swings. The issues compound existing transmission and reliability challenges for hyperscale buildouts worldwide. Read →

SPP declared a Conservative Operations Advisory for its West Balancing Authority Area effective midnight CT August 6 through August 11 due to potential high loads, outages, hot temperatures, and lower wind/solar output. The advisory signals stable but elevated reliability risk without requiring public conservation. It follows prior Resource Advisories and reflects seasonal summer pressures on the SPP grid. Read →

MISO scheduled its Advisory Committee meeting for August 5, 2026, as part of ongoing stakeholder engagement on markets and operations. Grid conditions remain normal with current demand around 71 GW against 108 GW forecasted peak. No scarcity alerts or price spikes reported in real-time updates. Read →

CAISO's Today's Outlook shows normal operations with no emergency alerts or scarcity events noted. Real-time demand and price data indicate stable conditions without reported spikes or data-center driven disruptions. Focus remains on routine supply-demand balancing. Read →

Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT to audit all planned data centers seeking grid connections before any more advance. ERCOT is reviewing roughly 474 gigawatts of proposed new demand, about 90% from data centers, more than five times the state’s record peak load. The pause follows rising local opposition over power and water use and comes as ERCOT postponed a related transmission planning study. Read →

Governor Abbott ordered a moratorium on data-center approvals until regulators audit projects in ERCOT’s interconnection queue. ERCOT said it is pausing its Batch Zero transmission planning study in response. The directive requires developers to provide more details on power demand, water use, and local impacts before connections can proceed. Read →

The governor’s August 3 directive mandates comprehensive audits of data centers before ERCOT grid connections. ERCOT has forecast data-center demand could drive statewide electricity use to double current records by 2032. The move disrupts prior plans to manage large-load interconnections while prioritizing grid reliability and community concerns. Read →

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT to audit all data centers advancing through the interconnection queue before any projects move forward. The audit covers financing/tax incentives, power and water usage, on-site generation, community impacts, and ownership details. ERCOT faces over 474 GW of connection requests, more than five times record peak demand, with about 90% from data centers; non-compliant projects will be denied grid access. Read →

Gov. Greg Abbott directed ERCOT and the PUCT to pause data center grid connections until a comprehensive audit of energy and water usage is completed. The directive requires details on projected consumption, self-generation, water reuse or efficient cooling, tax incentives, community mitigation, and ownership. ERCOT has postponed its Batch Zero transmission planning study in response. Read →

PJM Interconnection filed a proposal at FERC for a one-time reliability backstop auction from Sept. 30 to Oct. 21 to procure capacity filling a 6.8 GW shortfall in its last base auction. The shortfall stems largely from surging data center demand forecasts that could reach 70 GW by 2038; the plan includes bilateral contracting options between data centers and suppliers, with costs allocated to zones and a proposed $555/MW-day price cap. Read →

Southwest Power Pool extended its Conservative Operations Advisory for the West Balancing Authority Area through 12 a.m. CT on Aug 6. The advisory addresses potential high loads from hot weather, resource outages, and lower wind/solar output. It allows greater unit commitment lead times to maintain reliability without public conservation calls. Read →

PJM Interconnection plans to file proposals with federal regulators for a one-time reliability backstop procurement from Sept 30 to Oct 21 and an operational tool to manage rapid load growth from data centers. The largest US grid operator serving 13 states expects 70 GW of new large-load demand by 2038. Recent capacity auctions cleared near the $325/MW-day cap and fell short of reliability needs for the second straight time. Read →

PJM will allow temporary curtailment of data centers 50 MW or larger starting June 2027 to avert blackouts when supply is tight. Affected customers receive compensation and notice; the policy follows capacity shortfalls and record-high auction prices. Grid operators face surging AI-driven demand that has nearly doubled wholesale prices in the past year. Read →

CenterPoint Energy raised its 2026-2035 capital plan to $66.7 billion after beating Q2 profit estimates, citing rising electricity demand from data centers in its Houston territory. The utility sees strong growth in large-load connections amid broader power-market tightness. Higher demand has also pushed up retail prices and affordability concerns. Read →

PJM's recent capacity auction for June 2028-May 2029 cleared at the $325/MW-day cap but fell short of reliability needs. Monitoring Analytics attributed $6.3 billion of the $16.4 billion total charges to data center demand, part of $29.4 billion across the last four auctions. The independent monitor recommends removing data centers from the main capacity market for a dedicated procurement to avoid shifting costs to other ratepayers. Read →

Data centers consumed 415 TWh of electricity in 2024, or 1.5% of global demand, growing 12% annually. AI-driven accelerated servers will push consumption to 945 TWh by 2030 in the base case, with the US adding 240 TWh and Europe more than 45 TWh. The IEA notes data centers remain under 3% of total electricity but concentrate demand in specific grids, complicating integration. Read →

The US Energy Department issued orders directing additional power resources into the western electric grid to address emergency conditions expected to persist across seven states. The directive responds to sustained high demand from heat and other factors straining supply. It provides operational flexibility for grid operators to maintain reliability during peak periods. Read →

At a FERC technical conference, officials discussed shifting more authority to PJM's board of managers and reducing direct stakeholder voting to speed market rule changes. PJM faces power shortfalls and record-high prices driven by surging data-center demand outpacing new generation. Proposals also include longer board terms and greater state input to improve transparency and reliability. Read →

ERCOT reached a new summer peak of 91 GW, up 17 GW since 2021. Solar output rose 27 GW and battery additions over the same period have kept wholesale power prices below 2021 levels despite the demand surge. Read →

The Trump administration pushes major reforms or breakup of PJM Interconnection, serving 67 million people, over inability to secure adequate supply at reasonable prices due to surging data-center demand. FERC meets this week on the grid operator's fate after repeated capacity shortfalls. The move targets reliability and interconnection bottlenecks in the largest US power market. Read →

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) issued a level-three energy alert Monday evening for its western territory after multiple plants tripped offline during a heat wave, pushing the system to use operating reserves amid record demand across 14 central states from North Dakota to Louisiana. The operator avoided ordering rolling blackouts but downgraded the alert hours later while keeping a Conservative Operations Advisory in place until July 22. The event highlights acute summer stress on US grids from extreme weather and rising loads. Read →

SPP ended its Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 for the West Balancing Authority Area Tuesday morning after conditions improved, following an earlier EEA3 declaration Monday that ended around 5:07 p.m. CT. The grid operator maintains a Conservative Operations Advisory for stable conditions through midnight CT July 22. The alerts reflect tight supply margins during peak summer demand in SPP territory. Read →

PJM extended its Maximum Generation Emergency/Load Management Alert (NERC EEA 1) through July 16 and Hot Weather Alert through at least July 17 amid high temperatures and transmission congestion. The alerts direct operators to maximize available generation and defer maintenance as peak loads are expected to test the system during the heat wave. Read →

PJM warned of low voltage and heavy transmission congestion on Wednesday as temperatures rose and demand hit 164 GW. Spot prices surged above $300/MWh midday from $30/MWh earlier due to air conditioning loads, with northern Virginia data centers contributing to congestion. The operator also reported its latest capacity auction cleared over $16 billion but fell 7 GW short of reserve targets, highlighting data center load growth outpacing supply. Read →

MISO issued an emergency energy alert effective until 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday covering 15 states after plant outages, high temperatures and unexpected demand strained reserves. Wholesale prices spiked above $900/MWh at the Michigan hub and around $600/MWh at Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota hubs. The alert responds directly to tight conditions from outages and air conditioning loads. Read →

PJM's 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction cleared at the $325/MW-day price cap across the region, procuring 138,318 MW but falling 6,831 MW short of the reliability target. Demand forecasts rose about 2 GW largely from data center additions, yielding only 525 MW of new resources. Without the cap, average prices would have reached higher levels, underscoring persistent supply-demand imbalance from load growth. Read →

PJM's latest capacity auction for the 2028/2029 period cleared at the $325/MW-day temporary cap set to limit consumer bill impacts. The auction procured capacity short of the reliability target by 6,831 MW as data center load growth outpaces new supply. Capacity prices, which flow into utility bills across 13 states and DC, have risen over 1,000% since 2024 due to the imbalance. Read →

PJM's auction tied a $16.4 billion record total cost, with data centers responsible for roughly $6.3 billion according to the independent market monitor. The grid fell short of its power supply reliability goal for the delivery year starting June 2028. Power-hungry data centers have driven supply costs up more than 60% in the largest US electric grid. Read →

PJM released results showing the auction will add $6.3 billion in charges to customers in 13 Eastern states and DC over the next three years, driven by data center electricity needs. The grid operator noted demand growth continues to outpace supply additions. PJM is pursuing market reforms and backstop procurement to address the shortfall. Read →

PJM issued a Hot Weather Alert for its entire region July 14-17 due to expected highs in the 90s. Forecasted peaks reach 151,105 MW on July 14, 162,699 MW on July 15, 160,893 MW on July 16 and 154,942 MW on July 17. The alert prepares generation and transmission for rising load but requires no customer action. Read →