Good morning. Dominion and NextEra are asking South Carolina to approve a utility giant serving 10 million accounts, Los Angeles has traced the deadly Eaton fire to an idle transmission tower, and an appeals court has blocked EPA from freezing $20 billion in clean-energy grants. Scale, accountability and funding, all contested at once.
Top Stories
DOMINION AND NEXTERA SEEK TO CREATE THE WORLD'S LARGEST REGULATED UTILITY
WIS-TV
The proposed company would keep NextEra's name and serve roughly 10 million utility accounts across Florida, Virginia and the Carolinas, with South Carolina regulators targeting a final order by Jan. 29.
IDLE EDISON TOWER CAUSED THE DEADLY EATON FIRE, OFFICIALS SAY
The Associated Press
Investigators found two arcing events sent burning material from Southern California Edison's equipment to the ground, igniting the blaze that killed 19 people.
COURT BLOCKS EPA'S FREEZE OF $20 BILLION IN CLEAN-ENERGY GRANTS
Al Jazeera
The full D.C. Circuit said the agency likely violated federal law, but paused its ruling temporarily so EPA can seek Supreme Court review.
ABBOTT MOVES TO BREAK MUNICIPAL POWER MONOPOLIES
KSAT 12
The governor wants to open retail competition to more than 5 million Texans now served by a single municipal utility, over 60% of them in Austin and San Antonio.
$700 MILLION MICROGRID BILL WINS INDUSTRY AND STATE SUPPORT
Utility Dive
Sen. Peter Welch's STRONG GRID Act would pair a $200 million DOE pilot with $500 million in state grants, making microgrids and distributed resources eligible for federal energy funding.
Power & Grid
SIEMENS ENERGY ORDERS HIT A RECORD ON U.S. DATA-CENTER DEMAND
The Wall Street Journal
Comparable orders rose more than 8.5% from a year earlier as American AI infrastructure drives demand for turbines and other grid equipment.
NEW HAMPSHIRE STUDIES AN EXIT FROM ISO NEW ENGLAND
Concord Monitor
A new report finds the state could attempt to leave the regional grid operator, but would face steep costs and substantial legal barriers.
NEW JERSEY BUILDS A BLUEPRINT FOR VIRTUAL POWER PLANTS
Utility Dive
Regulators are shaping a program that could enlist customer and utility-owned batteries to reduce congestion and support the grid.
UT SENSOR AIMS TO SQUEEZE MORE CAPACITY FROM TEXAS POWER LINES
Austin American-Statesman
The technology monitors line conditions as data centers and severe weather put more pressure on a legacy grid built for a smaller load.
HACKERS FIND AN OPEN DOOR IN MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEMS
The Conversation
Internet-exposed controllers governing tanks, pipes and valves give attackers a path into small utilities that often lack dedicated cybersecurity staff.
Data Centers
PJM TO DATA CENTERS: BRING POWER OR FACE A CUTOFF
Canary Media
The grid operator wants a registry for loads of at least 50 MW and would make projects without new capacity subject to emergency curtailment beginning in June 2027.
VIRGINIA ORDERS A NEW TARIFF TO SHIFT GRID COSTS TO DATA CENTERS
Virginia Mercury
State regulators told Dominion to develop a rate structure assigning more of the high-voltage transmission bill to the large loads driving expansion.
WISCONSIN MAY RESTART A CONTESTED DATA-CENTER POWER-LINE CASE
WISN
State regulators are taking public comment on whether the utility application process must begin again as residents challenge the lines planned for new computing campuses.
CIGNA GOT $17 MILLION IN DATA-CENTER TAX CREDITS FOR FIVE JOBS
Inside Investigator
Connecticut auditors found the required review was not documented before a commissioner approved at least 20 years of incentives by email.
RURAL ALABAMA COUNTIES HAVE LITTLE SAY OVER DATA CENTERS
AL.com
A development fight exposes how state law leaves county governments with few tools to regulate industrial projects outside municipal boundaries.
Stat of the Day
$3.4 MILLION
Connecticut tax credits per job at a Cigna data center
The state approved at least 20 years of incentives by email, without documenting the required review, in exchange for five positions.
Inside Investigator ↗