The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved $250 million in fines for FirstEnergy, which comes after a federal investigation in 2020 found the utility had bribed lawmakers to secure a bailout for its nuclear plants.

FERC and state regulators examined issues around ISO/RTO governance during a meeting of the Federal-State Current Issues Collaborative in Boston, with members from PJM pushing for the biggest changes.

The PUCO ruling seeks to ensure that other ratepayers are not stuck with paying for infrastructure upgrades made to accommodate data center power demand that does not materialize as requested.

Ohio's governor signed into law a major reform of how the state regulates utilities, eliminating electric security plans that utilities have used to meet demand from non-shopping customers since a 2008 law authorized them.

AEP Ohio submitted a settlement agreement that would provide a buffer on the cost risks of building infrastructure to serve future data centers that may not use as much electricity as they initially propose.

AEP Ohio is asking state regulators to create new tariffs that would force data center developers to pay for 90 to 95% of their projected electrical demand for their first 10 years of operation, even if they use less.

Three former Ohio utility and regulatory officials face dozens of new charges in the House Bill 6 scandal.

Ohio and Pennsylvania lawmakers met in Columbus for a hearing on the future reliability of the PJM grid, quizzing RTO and industry insiders on the role states can have in maintaining resource adequacy.

Former PUCO Chair Sam Randazzo pleaded not guilty to charges that FirstEnergy paid him $4 million in bribes before his appointment to aid the utility.