RTO Insider
Emerald AI, InfraPartners Team up to Deploy Flexible Data Centers
A visualization of Flex-Ready Data Centers
InfraPartners, Emerald AI
InfraPartners and Emerald AI's new partnership aims to embed flexibility from the start in data centers, which can make the facilities work much more smoothly with the power grid.
RTO Insider
Grid Strategies' Rob Gramlich says regulatory jurisdictional issues could hamper the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.
© RTO Insider
Questions Raised over Ratepayer Protection Pledge
Figures in the energy industry are casting doubt on the White House’s proposal to shield ratepayers from the costs of interconnecting large loads, saying it ignores the jurisdictional responsibility between regulatory authorities.
ERO Insider
Grid Strategies' analysis used data from Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory to argue that predicted resource additions in the LTRA are too pessimistic, and that most regions will likely have sufficient generation when counting Tier 1 resources to meet their reserve margins.
Grid Strategies
Grid Strategies Calls NERC LTRA Too Pessimistic
Grid Strategies wrote that NERC's Long-Term Reliability Assessment did not consider some factors that could address potential energy shortfalls.
RTO Insider
PJM's 2026 Load Forecast found large load growth is expected to add tens of gigawatts to the system, largely stemming from data centers.
PJM
PJM Plans to Release Reliability Backstop Design in April
PJM has updated its thinking on the design of its reliability backstop procurement to meet rising data center load, gravitating toward a model in which the RTO would determine the amount of capacity to be purchased and act as the administrator and counterparty to the resulting agreements.
NetZero Insider
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted to end the state's renewable energy standard.
Tucson Electric Power
Ariz. Commission Axes State’s Renewable Energy Standard
Arizona regulators have repealed the renewable energy standard for electric utilities in the state, saying it's time for renewables to "stand on their own two feet."
RTO Insider
SPP CEO Lanny Nickell opens SPP's Energy Synergy Summit.
© RTO Insider
‘With the Skill to Survive,’ SPP Faces ‘Massive Challenges’
“Massive change, massive challenges, massive opportunities,” SPP CEO Lanny Nickell said in kicking off the grid operator's second Energy Synergy Summit that focused on meeting data center growth.
Searchlight Report Calls for Infrastructure Fund for Data Center Development
A new report argues for an infrastructure fund to entice data center developers to commit to modernizing the grid as they invest in upgrades required by their new demand.
NYISO Yields to Stakeholder Requests on Transmission Planning Changes
After receiving pan-sector feedback from stakeholders asking for more time to review NYISO's proposed changes to the reliability planning process, the ISO said it would delay proposing tariff language.
ERO Insider
The ongoing move from thermal generation to weather-dependent resources like wind and solar plants has contributed to narrower reserve margins in shoulder seasons, NERC said in the report.
Xcel Energy
NERC Report Reviews ‘Shoulder Season’ Load-shedding Events
A new report from NERC reviewed several incidents in which unexpected strains during spring or fall led to load shedding.
AES Indiana to Pay $90K for NERC Violations
FERC approved settlements with AES Indiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District for violations of reliability standards.
Report: GridEx VIII Highlighted Areas for Improvement
NERC's report on the GridEx VIII security exercise outlined the challenges that participants weathered during the distributed play and executive tabletop.
NetZero Insider
Change in average hourly generation by fuel type in 2025 compared to 2024
CAISO DMM
Battery Capacity, Coal Use Rise in WEIM in 2025
CAISO’s Western Energy Imbalance Market saw an increase in battery storage capacity and coal use in 2025 compared with 2024, although the total load across the market did not increase over the year.
Wash. AG, PIOs Sue to Overturn DOE Order to Keep Centralia Plant Running
Washington’s attorney general and a coalition of public interest organizations filed separate lawsuits to overturn the Department of Energy’s order requiring TransAlta to continue operating the state’s last coal-fired plant beyond its scheduled retirement.
Energy Secretary, Congressman Call for Restart of N.Y. Nuclear Plant
No specifics are being offered, and the site’s owner indicates significant financial and political support must be established before such a restart of Indian Point could be considered.
Want us to be your eyes and ears?
Let us put you "inside the room."
RTO Insider
MISO and SPP's Core + and Core draft portfolio options
MISO and SPP
MISO, SPP Draft New Joint Portfolio that Could Run $3.6B
MISO and SPP put forth two potential, 500-kV joint transmission portfolios valued at either $1.3 billion or $3.6 billion to beef up their transfer capability.
2025/26 Most Expensive Winter in History of ISO-NE Markets
The winter of 2025/26 was the most expensive winter in the history of ISO-NE’s wholesale markets, driven by the lowest average temperatures in 20 years.
Kentucky Lawmakers: PSC Makeover Necessary to Bring Down Rates
Kentucky lawmakers are working to overhaul the Public Service Commission in what they say is an effort to combat rising rates, while the governor characterized it as political maneuvering.
N.J.’s Utilities Board Backs Storage, Solar Expansion Package
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved the state’s first incentivized storage projects and launched new community and grid-scale solar solicitations.
Adrian Rodriguez represents SPS during an SPP board meeting.
© RTO Insider 
SPS’ Rodriguez Named AEP Texas’ President, COO
American Electric Power named Southwestern Public Service Co.’s Adrian Rodriguez president and COO of AEP Texas, the company announced.
Outgoing BPA Administrator John Hairston
BPA
BPA Job Posting Spurs Questions About Search for New Administrator
The Bonneville Power Administration opened the selection process for the agency’s next administrator via an online job posting, prompting questions about the salary range and the level of input Northwestern lawmakers will have.
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.
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?
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.
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.
MISO CEO John Bear (left) and SPP CEO Lanny Nickell
© RTO Insider 
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.
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.
MOTUWETHFRSASU
Stakeholder Meetings
Industry Gatherings
Upcoming Event
Want us to be your eyes and ears?
Let us put you "inside the room."
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.
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.
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 Energy
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.