The White House meeting and associated industry pledge were perhaps good theater, but would have been much more valuable a year or two ago, writes columnist Peter Kelly-Detwiler.

A new study quantifies some of the benefits that could come from more fully using the existing capacity of the grid before expanding the grid to meet demand growth from data centers and other large loads.

The agreement announced March 18 is valued at $5 billion before closing adjustments, or approximately $1,142/kW of capacity.

The Western Transmission Expansion Coalition’s 10-year outlook has spurred talks about increased coordination between jurisdictions to upgrade or build 12,600 miles of transmission in the West and fueled calls for states to create a task force to streamline permitting and other issues.

The Department of Energy argued its use of Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to keep retiring power plants online is well within its authority in response to an ongoing emergency on the grid.

MISO said its most recent financial estimates show operating costs continuing to creep up through 2030, making $500 million annual operating budgets the norm and forcing it to collect more from members.

The Washington Senate passed a bill to establish a transmission authority intended to help the state improve system capacity and meet growing demand by reducing the timeline to complete new transmission projects.

New Jersey legislators backed a bill that would require operators of AI data centers and crypto mining facilities to run them with clean energy and submit an energy use plan to the state.

Updating stakeholders on its proposal for an internal asset condition reviewer, ISO-NE said it now plans to review asset condition projects estimated by transmission owners to exceed $25 million in regionalized costs.

Public interest organizations have taken their challenge of the Department of Energy’s emergency orders keeping two Indiana coal plants operating past their planned retirement dates to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.