What happened: During a recent MISO meeting, the chairs of the Iowa and South Dakota utility commissions criticized the DOE’s ongoing orders to delay fossil-fired plant retirements across the country. The two officials claimed that these moves have hindered grid planning and driven up customer bills, POLITICO reported.

Their takes: The DOE orders “add a level of chaos and uncertainty that just plain doesn't help the situation that we're in at the moment,” said Iowa Chair Sarah Martz. And MISO data shows that they aren’t necessary to maintain reliability, SD Chair Chris Nelson pointed out.

Zooming out: This DOE strategy is facing mounting legal opposition. In September, a federal appeals court overturned an emergency coal plant order in Michigan. And a US House bill introduced last month would ban the tactic altogether. 

The deal: The Montana PSC has greenlit a proposed merger between Black Hills Corporation and NorthWestern Energy, marking the deal’s final state sign-off. The combined org would serve over 2M electric and natural gas customers across eight states, and they’re planning over $7B in capital investments through 2029.

The backlash: As with the NextEra-Dominion merger, customers have raised concerns that the deal could drive up their bills and muddy utility oversight as the region’s data center buildout accelerates. Black Hills has over 3 GW in its data center pipeline, while NorthWestern said it has signed agreements with several large-load customers.

The response: The two companies told the Montana PSC that rates won’t rise “as a direct result” of the merger, and that NorthWestern’s operations will remain in the hands of local management. The orgs said the merger would position them to better “capture data center opportunities,” but NorthWestern Energy plans to prevent cost-shifting through a large-load tariff (which is now under review by the Montana PSC).

The constants: The TVA board has again held off on raising base rates. Also intact: CEO Mike Skaggs’s $500K base salary, which hits the cap ordered by President Trump in March.

The change: In August, the board approved a new rate class for data center customers, who will see an average 10% bill increase spread over three years.

The numbers: In its Q3 earnings report, buzzy geothermal company Fervo Energy noted a nearly $44M operating loss. But the company said its contracted revenue hit $11.9B, up from $7.2B the previous quarter. 

The turbulence: Fervo has had an eventful few months. In September, the company made geothermal history when it announced first power at its Cape Station plant. But in October, a report alleged that Fervo has kept “existential” technical challenges under wraps—this sent the company’s stock tumbling (the claims are currently under investigation).

The increase: Baltimore Gas and Electric has proposed a $156M rate increase. The city estimates that it would add $100 per year, on average, to customer bills. This is necessary to cover costly equipment repairs and other grid-strengthening efforts, according to the utility.

The pushback: A recent Baltimore City Council resolution urges the Maryland PSC to reject this rate hike. Baltimore officials are also directing state regulators to reduce BGE’s return on equity.