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FEATURED STORY
NERC Issues Level 3 Alert on Large Load Challenges as Data Centers Strain Grid Reliability
NERC issued a Level 3 Alert on May 5, 2026, warning utilities and grid operators about reliability risks from large load additions. The alert focuses on data centers, crypto mining, and industrial facilities connecting to the grid faster than transmission can handle. NERC specifically flags inadequate interconnection studies, underestimated load growth, and insufficient reactive power support as immediate threats to bulk power system stability.
News
EIA: U.S. on track for record 86 GW of new capacity in 2026, led by solar and storage
Developers plan to add roughly 86 GW of new utility-scale capacity to the U.S. grid this year, with solar accounting for about 51% (43.4 GW), battery storage 28% (24 GW), and wind 14% (11.8 GW). Texas alone is expected to host about 40% of new solar projects and 53% of new battery storage. The forecast underscores how clean energy and storage are becoming the default response to rapidly rising load, even as policy headwinds continue.
Source: PV Magazine USA
New England transmission owners ask FERC for higher ROE
Eversource, Avangrid and other New England transmission owners filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 30 to raise their base return on equity to 11.39% from 9.57%, with a requested effective date of June 30. The filing follows 15 years of litigation and a FERC order requiring the owners to refund roughly $1.5 billion to ratepayers by May 2027. The owners argue a higher ROE is necessary to attract capital for a major build-out of regional transmission supporting reliability and clean energy integration.
Source: Utility Dive
IEA: Data center electricity use surged 17% in 2025, AI-focused sites grew even faster
Global data center electricity demand jumped 17% in 2025, with AI-focused facilities outpacing the broader category and far outrunning overall power demand growth of about 3%. The IEA projects total data center consumption will roughly double by 2030 to ~945 TWh, and AI-focused load could triple. The findings sharpen the question facing U.S. utilities and grid operators: how to serve gigawatt-scale, location-flexible AI loads without raising costs for other customers.
Source: IEA
MIT researchers: AI could be a key tool to optimize the U.S. power grid
MIT researchers argue that AI is not just a driver of demand but a potential solution for grid operators struggling with extreme weather, distributed energy resources and increasingly complex flows. AI tools can speed up generator interconnection studies, improve forecasting, manage two-way power from rooftop solar and batteries, and squeeze more capacity out of existing transmission via dynamic line ratings and reconductoring. The piece highlights a growing utility appetite for AI in operations and planning.
Source: MIT News
FERC orders PJM to write new rules for data center colocation and large loads
FERC has directed PJM Interconnection - the largest U.S. grid operator - to develop three new transmission services for colocated loads such as data centers: interim non-firm, firm contract demand, and non-firm contract demand. PJM's compliance filings and briefs are progressing through 2026, with the goal of giving large hyperscale customers regulatory certainty while protecting other ratepayers from cost shifts and reliability impacts. The order is shaping how utilities, IPPs and developers structure new gigawatt-scale data center projects in the PJM footprint.
Source: Utility Dive/FERC
EVENTS THIS WEEK
PLMA Spring 2026 Conference
Dates: May 11-13, 2026
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL
Why it matters: The flexible load management community's premier spring event focuses on demand response, DERs as grid resources, EV managed charging, and data center load flexibility. With 400+ practitioners from utilities, aggregators, and technology providers, sessions cover real-world case studies on hyperscaler collaboration, VPP deployments, and equitable access through flex load.
U.S. DOE Better Buildings & Better Plants Summit
Dates: May 11-13, 2026
Location: Arlington, VA
Why it matters: DOE's flagship event for industrial energy efficiency and decarbonization brings together manufacturers, building owners, and utilities to share best practices on energy management systems, efficiency upgrades, and emissions reduction.
Feel free to reach out if you would like more details or have any specific topics of interest!