Good morning. These days, nuclear is (literally) taking off: The first-ever commercial nuclear-powered satellite launched into the cosmos last week. This steady power source could prove especially handy in deep space—and on the dark side of the moon, where solar just won’t cut it. 🌚
— Molly, Carrie, and the Energy Central editorial team
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The White House wants utilities and data center developers to commit to footing the AI expansion bill.
The context: In March, tech titans including Amazon, Google, and OpenAI signed a largely symbolic pledge to pay for new electricity infrastructure for data centers. What would give it teeth: the recent Ratepayer Protection Act, which now sits in the House.
The latest: Now, the Trump administration wants utility companies and data center developers to make a similar commitment. It’s not clear yet which organizations will participate…but we can expect an announcement in the coming weeks, Reuters reported.
The new Extended Day-Ahead Market is already boosting grid efficiency—here’s how.
That was quick: In May, PacifiCorp and CAISO launched EDAM (which builds off the real-time Western Energy Imbalance Market). Two months in, EDAM is helping PacifiCorp improve resource planning.
The key to this success? Continuous seven-day planning, Mike Wilding, PacifiCorp’s VP of Energy Supply Management, told Energy Central. It’s especially critical during holiday weekends and extreme weather events. “The grid can take a lot if it’s planned for accordingly, or if you know what the conditions are,” he said.
The outlook: In the long run, Wilding thinks improved forecasts and ramped-up regional coordination can 1) lower customer costs 2) keep the grid stable during extreme weather and 3) enable more efficient use of renewables. In fact, the market could save Western states up to $1.2B a year.
PG&E could owe $22M for a fire that burned 76K acres.
The California PUC is proposing a settlement that would “penalize” PG&E for the 2022 Mosquito Fire. During an investigation, the CPUC discovered that PG&E violated state rules for overhead line design, construction, and maintenance.
The payout: Under the agreement, PG&E would hand $21M in shareholder funds to the state. It would also pay $1M for a third-party review of its transmission inspection practices.
Mounting costs: This settlement would add to the utility’s “significant” financial burden from recent wildfires. PG&E was liable for roughly $1B for the 2019 Kincade fire and $2B for the 2021 Dixie fire.
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The country’s cheapest energy sources? Utility-scale solar and onshore wind—even as renewable costs rise.
The breakdown: The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for solar and wind sit at $40/MWh and $37/MWh, according to a new Lazard report. Meanwhile, combined cycle gas plants start at $51/MWh.
The heavyweight: Solar wins out despite an 18% LCOE jump from last year—that’s due to factors like tariffs, rising interest rates, and the supply chain squeeze. Still, utilities and data center developers are eyeing new gas as the key ingredient for near-term reliability…if they can snag equipment off the yearslong waitlist, that is.
The South is the next EV charging frontier…thanks (in part) to fried chicken. 🐔
Even as US EV sales fall, charging infrastructure continues to crop up—and recent growth is especially quick in Southern states like Florida, Texas, and Georgia (where the number of charging ports jumped 29% over the past year). Now, EV drivers can even charge up at popular regional chains like Bojangles and Buc-ee’s.
Pennsylvania’s new budget takes aim at the state’s energy crisis, but some critics say it misses the target.
The Keystone State’s $50B 2026-2027 budget locks in provisions to tame skyrocketing bills and bolster the grid, notes David Hess, former Sec. of PA’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). These include:
A push for advanced transmission tech: Utilities are now required to consider ATTs when building new lines or updating existing ones (and the state PUC can order them to integrate ATTs if it sees fit).
Data center transparency: It also orders data centers >10 MW to report their annual energy and water usage to the state DEP, which will become publicly available.
What’s missing: Rules targeting pollution and energy cost-shifting from data centers, environmental groups note, which were blocked by the state Senate.
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