Insights

PJM’s 2028/29 Base Residual Auction, announced on July 14, 2026, cleared lower than the prior auction while its supply shortfall widened. The lower price traces to the temporary cap; the widening shortfall reflects fundamentals the capped price does not express. Takeaways: PJM's 2028/29 Base Residual Auction cleared at a single RTO-wide $325/MW-day — the third consecutive auction at the FERC-approved cap. Number of constrained LDAs remained at zero, and there was no LDA-leve

In H1 2026, one theme came to define U.S. power markets: reallocation. As AI and data-center demand outpaced a delivery-constrained grid, the year turned less on adding capacity than on redirecting it — who pays for reliability, what provides it, and where the grid gets built next. PJM A capacity shortfall, a record grid bill, and a $67B merger PJM's capacity market reached its limits in H1 2026. The 2027/28 capacity auction cleared at its price cap yet still recorded the fi

Recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Today in Energy reports highlight how different parts of the United States are responding to rising electricity demand in different ways. While both MISO and ERCOT are absorbing significant load growth, including demand from data centers, their generation mix responses continue to diverge. Coal remains competitive in MISO Coal-fired generation remains economically competitive in MISO. The latest EIA Today in Energy analysis

Last month, six federal agencies jointly issued Advisory AA26-097A, confirming active exploitation of internet-exposed industrial control systems (ICS) across U.S. critical infrastructure. Threat actors logged into programmable logic controllers using legitimate engineering software, tampered with configuration files, and manipulated operator displays — causing measurable operational disruption and financial loss. On its face, the advisory targets bulk power assets covered by

In April 2025, we first discussed market trends related to the AI race and co-locating new large loads and behind-the-meter generation to solve timing issues involved with interconnection. Co-locating large data centers with dedicated power plants has been pitched as a way to beat PJM’s interconnection queue and secure firm, power for AI and cloud workloads. In practice, the story has been far more complicated. FERC’s December 2025 order on co‑located load is the first seriou

EHV efficiency versus real-world constraints: the pros and cons of "right-sizing" the grid. The Hidden Cost of "In-Kind" Replacement In the world of transmission planning, the path of least resistance is often the one already traveled. When an aging 138 kV or 230 kV line reaches the end of its useful life, the default regulatory and operational impulse is often "in-kind" replacement—swapping old towers for new ones of the same voltage. The scope is a straightforward rebuild;

Residential electricity prices across the U.S. have been rising since 2021, and Virginia is no exception. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Virginia's average residential electricity price stands at 16.01 ¢/kWh, up from 14.17 ¢/kWh a year earlier. This represents a 13% year-over-year increase and an approximate 30% rise from 2021 levels. While Virginia's rates remain slightly below the national average of 17.62 ¢/kWh, the Commonwealth is narrowing

The U.S. power sector remains in a period of accelerated deployment and shifting signals. On one side, record solar additions are being...

Distributed energy resources (DERs) have long been seen as “backup” — assets that sit idle until an emergency strikes. But two recent...

With increasing global focus on critical minerals in the energy transition, copper remains a foundational material — essential,...

The U.S. grid is evolving — fast. One of the more interesting shifts buried in the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration’s June...

PJM Interconnection’s one-time Reliability Resource Initiative (RRI) has drawn strong participation, with 94 proposed projects totaling...

"The massive growth in data centers will require what is called three-phase, dry-type transformers… the growth in public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will require additional three-phase, oil-immersed transformers. And building electrification and at-home EV charging will require significant up-sizing of single-phase transformers.” — Killian McKenna, Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) As the pace of electrification accelerates across the U.S.,

Electricity trade between the United States and Canada plays a quiet yet crucial role in maintaining grid reliability across North...

PJM Interconnection – the deregulated power market in the U.S., serving 65 million people across 13 states and D.C – has emerged as the global epicenter of AI-driven electricity demand. In 2024, PJM Peak Load was 152 GW. It represents 20% of total US electricity demand and its Dominion zone is the corridor to 70% of global Internet traffic. Part 1: PJM’s Top 3+3 Zones Driving 59 GW Surge PJM’s 2025 load forecast released January 24, 2025, reveals 59 GW of new AI/data center d

What is a Virtual Power Plant? (Source: https://www.energy.gov/lpo/virtual-power-plants-projects ) Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) are an...