January 26, 2025
RTO Insider
Trump Says Data Center Power Plants Will be Expedited
Goldman Sachs analysts project 2030 data center power demand will be more than 160% higher than 2023 demand.
Goldman Sachs
President Donald Trump presented the World Economic Forum with his desire to power the U.S. AI revolution: behind-the-meter generation co-located with data centers and built rapidly under his National Energy Emergency executive order.
RTO Insider
The California Energy Commission’s latest forecast of CAISO peak demand through 2040 has increased significantly compared to the agency’s 2023 forecast.
California Energy Commission
Data Centers to Drive Calif. Power Demand, Sales

CAISO peak demand will grow from 48.3 GW in 2024 to about 68 GW in 2040, according to a new forecast that attributes much of the increase to data center load.

RTO Insider
PJM General Counsel Chris O'Hara speaks at the Members Committee's meeting Jan. 23.
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PJM in Discussions with Gov. Shapiro on Capacity Price Cap
PJM is in discussions with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to work toward a resolution on his complaint to FERC asking it to lower the price cap of the RTO’s capacity market.
NetZero Insider
A new PNNL report examines six development pathways for West Coast offshore wind power transmission.
PNNL
Study Models West Coast OSW Transmission Options
A new report by two national laboratories finds that offshore wind could be generating as much as 33 GW of electricity for the western United States by 2050 and looks at how best to bring that power ashore.
ERO Insider
A heat map presenting the top 10 risks for 2024-2026, as identified in SERC Reliability's Regional Risk Report.
SERC
Weather, Supply Chain Top SERC Risk Rankings
In a webinar, SERC Reliability staff identified the biggest concerns from the regional entity's biennial risk report.
RTO Insider
NYISO headquarters in Rensselaer, N.Y.
NYISO
NYISO Begins Capacity Market Structure Review
NYISO laid out the timeline for its Capacity Market Structure Review project, which will take up the better part of 2025.
6th Circuit Rules Against Michigan Local Clearing Requirement
A federal appeals court has brought Michigan’s practice of requiring some amount of locally generated electricity to a standstill, finding fault with local clearing requirements.
ISO-NE Details Evaluation Models for Transmission Solicitation
ISO-NE has outlined the transmission and economic models it plans to use to evaluate proposals submitted for the longer-term transmission planning process.
ERO Insider
Todd Bennett of Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. on the Standards Committee's monthly conference call
NERC
Cold Weather Standard Set for Posting
NERC's Standards Committee expects to have the latest version of the cold weather standard ready to post for a formal comment period by Jan. 27.
ERCOT Forecasts Highest March Risk of EEAs in Early Evening
A report from ERCOT projects that the highest risk of energy shortfalls in March's peak day will occur around 7 p.m. Central time.
CISA Leader Reiterates China Cyber Warnings
The outgoing head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that China remains intent on infiltrating U.S. critical infrastructure.
NetZero Insider
Chair Mike Lee, R-Utah, opens up the business meeting to advance President Trump's nominees on Thursday.
Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
Trump Energy, Interior Cabinet Picks Easily Pass Committee Votes
Trump's nominees for energy and interior secretary cleared the ENR committee on bipartisan votes and now head to the floor where Senate leadership has been working to approve his cabinet picks.
Santee Cooper Seeks Buyer for Unfinished Nuclear Project
Spurred by the recent wave of interest in new nuclear generation, Santee Cooper is seeking a buyer to take over an expansion project halted in 2017 amid extensive cost overruns and delays.
Critics Slam Trump’s Freeze on New OSW Leases
The order does not affect existing onshore or offshore wind leases, but it sets up potential challenges by directing a comprehensive review.
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RTO Insider
New large loads planning to connect to ERCOT's system over the past year
ERCOT
ERCOT Technical Advisory Committee Briefs: Jan. 22, 2025
ERCOT’s Technical Advisory Committee held its first meeting of 2025 on Jan. 22, with the biggest chunk of the meeting devoted to discussing the grid operator’s proposed market design framework.
Chelan PUD Commits to SPP Markets+ Phase 2 Funding
Markets+ notched another in a string of successes when the Chelan County Public Utility District in Washington said it will pay its $1 million to $2 million share of funding for the market’s Phase 2 implementation stage.
FERC Approves CAISO’s SWIP-North Development Agreement
FERC approved an agreement between CAISO and LS Power to develop a transmission line that would deliver Idaho wind power into California and could help secure Idaho Power’s participation in the ISO’s Extended Day-Ahead-Market.
SPP Markets+ Tariff a ‘Home run’, Staff Says
FERC approved SPP’s tariff for Markets+ with minor modifications in what the RTO’s staff described as a “home run” during the Markets+ Participant Executive Committee’s meeting.
ISO-NE headquarters in Holyoke, Mass.
ISO-NE
NEPOOL Reliability Committee Briefs: Jan. 22, 2025
The NEPOOL Reliability Committee voted to support changes to ISO-NE Planning Procedure 7 to comply with FERC Order 881.
PJM saw a record winter peak approaching 145 GW of load on the morning of Jan. 22, 2025.
PJM
PJM Sets Record Winter Peak Load
PJM set a record winter peak load Jan. 22, surpassing its previous seasonal peak set in February 2015. PJM officials said actions the RTO and its members took ahead of the cold snap got the system through strained conditions.
ERO Insider
SERC subregions' margins under normal (left) and extreme conditions.
SERC
SERC Assessment Warns of Winter Vulnerabilities
In its Winter Reliability Assessment, SERC Reliability said several of its subregions have high or elevated risk of energy shortfalls during extreme conditions.
NERC Board Invokes Section 321 Authority for Cold Weather Standard
Citing a looming FERC deadline, NERC's Board of Trustees voted once again to sidestep the normal standards development process to accelerate development of the ERO's cold weather standard.
NERC Report Highlights Data Center Load Loss Issues
A recent NERC report discussed the potential reliability challenges associated with load loss from data centers.
NERC Submits Energy Assurance Standards to FERC
NERC has submitted for FERC's approval two standards that would require balancing authorities to perform regular energy reliability assessments.
The National Weather Service's Hazards Outlook for the week of Jan. 10-16, indicating risks of heavy snow and much-below normal temperatures across much of the Continental U.S.
National Weather Service
NERC Pushes Cold Weather Prep as ‘Trough’ Approaches
NERC is calling on grid operators to prepare for extreme winter weather predicted in the first weeks of January.
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Top Stories of 2024
As 2025 has arrived, RTO Insider is looking back to our “most read” stories of 2024. Click here to check out the top 10 stories from RTO Insider, along with the top 5 from ERO Insider and NetZero Insider. Enjoy and Happy New Year!
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NetZero Insider
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
C-SPAN
What is and isn’t in Trump’s National Energy Emergency Order
While Trump's order calls for “a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy,” it omits any mention of solar, wind or storage and makes only passing reference to transmission as part of its definition of generation.
Trump Will Need More than Executive Orders for US to Meet Rising Power Demand
President Trump's executive orders on energy are not enough on their own for the industry to meet the rising demand for AI and data centers, and experts say another attempt at permitting reform is needed.
Prior to Trump Inauguration, Feds Lift Suspension on Vineyard Wind 1
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved Vineyard Wind 1’s plan to replace additional installed blades in the wake of a major blade failure in the summer, and resume operation.
Ørsted Takes $1.7B Impairment on US Offshore Wind
Cost increases, delays and diminished value of assets contributed to Ørsted's latest setback — which was announced before President Trump targeted offshore wind in an executive order.
President Donald Trump delivers his second inaugural address in the Capitol rotunda on Jan. 20.
C-SPAN
Trump to Declare ‘National Energy Emergency’ to Ramp up Oil, Gas Production
Minutes after he was sworn in as 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump signaled his intention to rapidly increase production of oil and gas.
David Keith's Research Group
Counterflow: A Climate ‘Game of Chicken’
Columnist Steve Huntoon says environmentalists are engaging in a "game of chicken" with climate because they won't consider solar geoengineering, such as sand or salt in the stratosphere.