Good morning. PJM's latest auction hit the price ceiling and still came up short, utilities asked for $18.6 billion in rate hikes, and Virginia may finally hand more of the transmission bill to the data centers creating it. The power tab is arriving.
Top Stories
PJM AUCTION HITS PRICE CAP AND STILL FALLS SHORT
Reuters
The grid secured 138,318 MW for 2028-29 at the $325-per-MW-day ceiling but missed its reliability target as data-center demand outruns new supply.
UTILITIES SEEK $18.6 BILLION IN RATE HIKES IN SIX MONTHS
Stateline
Electric and gas utilities requested $9.2 billion in increases during the second quarter alone, putting more pressure on 56 million customers.
VIRGINIA MAY MAKE DATA CENTERS PAY MORE FOR TRANSMISSION
Virginia Mercury
State regulators are weighing whether large-load customers should shoulder more of the power-line costs created by their demand.
CONGRESS MOVES TO CURB INDEPENDENT REVIEWS OF NEW REACTORS
Washington Examiner
A House panel advanced a bill ending mandatory outside safety reviews of novel reactor applications as the U.S. nuclear pipeline reaches roughly 74 GW.
ERCOT HITS JUST 2.5% OF TEXAS' HOME DEMAND-RESPONSE GOAL
San Antonio Express-News
The grid fell far short of the state's 20% target as Texas braces for demand that could quadruple by 2032.
Power & Grid
WISCONSIN UTILITIES MOVE TO SHUT OUT POWER-LINE COMPETITION
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Incumbent utilities want first claim on new transmission projects as the data-center buildout accelerates, replacing competitive bids with a right of first refusal.
BATTERY-STORAGE COSTS CLIMB AS CHINESE-CELL RULES BITE
Energy-Storage.news
Lazard puts a 100-MW, four-hour battery at $210-$292 per MWh without tax credits as sourcing restrictions reshape project economics.
DOE ISSUES EMERGENCY ORDER AS PJM BRACES FOR HEAT
U.S. Department of Energy
The order lets PJM dispatch specified plants and call on backup generation through July 21 to reduce blackout risk during extreme demand.
ILLINOIS ORDERS A LINE-BY-LINE ACCOUNTING OF POWER BILLS
Utility Dive
New laws require a public breakdown of every residential charge and expand low-income discounts to households earning up to 300% of poverty.
DUKE'S MOST VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS COULD LOSE $42 A MONTH
WHQR/WFAE
About 43,000 income-qualified households could lose a monthly credit after December and then face a proposed 7.5% rate increase.
Data Centers
NEBRASKA FORCES DATA CENTERS TO DISCLOSE WATER AND POWER USE
Grist
A new state law opens the industry's black box as Google reports its Nebraska facilities consumed about 732 million gallons of water last year.
TENNESSEE DATA-CENTER POWER USE GROWS SEVENFOLD
Memphis Flyer
Memphis-area projects now need more than 1,000 MW as a new analysis tracks the widening effect on local grids and household bills.
XAI'S UNPERMITTED TURBINES HIT BLACK COMMUNITIES HARDEST
Reuters
A new analysis finds pollution from 59 gas turbines serving Colossus 2 falls hardest on nearby neighborhoods already carrying elevated lung-disease burdens.
MISSOURI WRITES TOUGH DATA-CENTER RULES FOR 1,200-MW BUILDOUT
The Kansas City Star
Independence would require special permits above 5 MW, closed-loop cooling, annual reports, impact studies and 500-foot setbacks.
DATA CENTERS HEAT UP OHIO'S SENATE RACE
E&E News
Rising electricity costs and the state's AI buildout are moving data centers into the center of a closely watched campaign.
Stat of the Day
6,831 MW
PJM's reliability shortfall
The grid hit its auction price cap and still came up nearly seven nuclear reactors short of its 2028-29 target.
Reuters ↗