Good morning. Bigger grids, bigger bills and the familiar question: who pays?
Top Stories
AEP EXPANDS ITS FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO $100 BILLION
Utility Dive
The utility now has 84 GW of contracted customer load through 2031, up 22% in one quarter. Its plan includes $20 billion for gas generation and $37 billion for transmission.
FIRSTENERGY'S DATA-CENTER PIPELINE REACHES 26 GW
Utility Dive
The utility has 7.9 GW under contract and says the pipeline could add at least $4.75 billion in transmission spending. A proposed West Virginia project includes a $2.7 billion, 1.2-GW gas plant.
MINNESOTA ORDERS ITS FIRST STATE-LED DATA-CENTER REVIEW
MPR News
Google's Pine Island project will face a review of water, energy, noise and light impacts. Construction cannot begin until state and city officials approve mitigation plans.
AI GROUPS POUR MORE THAN $50 MILLION INTO MIDTERM RACES
Newsweek
Federal filings show more than $29 million in pro-AI independent spending and $21 million from AI-skeptic groups. Sen. Darline Graham received $4.5 million from pro-AI groups, more than three times any other candidate.
HOUSE BILL WOULD GIVE FERC MORE POWER OVER GRID LOGJAMS
Utility Dive
The bipartisan measure would consolidate interregional planning and let FERC reduce returns for utilities that block projects. It would also end a federal right of first refusal for incumbent transmission owners.
Power & Grid
CAISO APPROVES A FAST LANE FOR LARGE-LOAD CONNECTIONS
Reuters
California's grid operator approved a proposal to speed connections for data centers and other large customers. The plan now goes to federal regulators.
PJM REVISES ITS BACKSTOP FOR A 6.8-GW CAPACITY GAP
RTO Insider
The grid operator proposed a March 2027 bid window with a weighted maximum price of $555 per MW-day. Costs would be allocated using firm large-load growth through the 2028-29 delivery year.
A 237-MW BATTERY PROJECT TARGETS EASTERN OREGON
Oregon Public Broadcasting
A Copia Power subsidiary wants to build storage, a substation and a grid tie across 40 acres near Hermiston. The developer has not said whether the project is tied to a separate data-center proposal nearby.
CLEVELAND POWER SEEKS A $13 MONTHLY RATE INCREASE
Ideastream Public Media
The city utility wants authority to borrow $30 million for grid work beginning in 2028. Average bills would rise about $13 a month by 2029 as minor outages have more than doubled since 2023.
KIRKWOOD RATEPAYERS SUE OVER A 15% ELECTRIC INCREASE
St. Louis Public Radio
The lawsuit alleges the municipal utility raised rates after overspending its budget by $15.6 million and violated Missouri's Hancock Amendment. The claims have not been decided.
Data Centers
LOUISIANA ADDS CONDITIONS TO DATA-CENTER TAX BREAKS
The Times-Picayune
Applicants must attest that projects will support universities, local revenue, schools and nonprofits. The state had approved $39 million in exemptions by mid-September.
DESOTO COUNTY BLOCKS A DATA-CENTER REZONING AGAIN
Suncoast Searchlight
Commissioners rejected a plan for more than 15 facilities across hundreds of acres near Arcadia. The vote followed a one-year county moratorium on data-center development.
GLENDALE APPROVES THREE DATA CENTERS AND 18 GAS TURBINES
KJZZ
Project Eagle covers 160 acres and includes an APS substation near Luke Air Force Base. City officials project $150 million in revenue over 10 years.
PROTESTS DELAY A 1.7-MILLION-SQUARE-FOOT MINNESOTA CAMPUS
MPR News
Hermantown moved the vote after protesters stopped a council meeting. The developer dropped up to $80 million in tax breaks for the project, which would cover more than 200 acres.
NEW JERSEY ASKS WHO SHOULD PAY FOR DATA-CENTER POWER
Jersey Vindicator
State regulators are considering special rates, upfront payments and stranded-cost protections for large loads. Public comments are due Nov. 13.
Stat of the Day
$21 BILLION
Fixed costs AEP expects large-load contracts to offset for existing residential customers
The estimate rose from $16 billion as AEP signed 15 GW of new commitments in the third quarter.
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