Good morning. This spooky season, there’s nothing more terrifying than skyrocketing fuel prices. One sign of the times: On Tuesday, a ‘round-the-world tour on the MV Odyssey cruise ship came to a screeching halt. Why? The ship’s operator cited “unsustainable financial pressure,” noting that average monthly fuel costs per cabin recently rose more than 4X in parts of Asia. For now, the cruisers must put their odyssey on pause. 🚢

— Molly, Carrie, and the Energy Central editorial team

Is Compliance Enough to Protect Your Grid? The grid is becoming more connected and complex. Get practical guidance on strengthening your IT and OT cyber posture before new risks become bigger problems. Register Now

Take a peek at Q3 earnings highlights from top power players. 👀

  • AEP has upped its five-year capex plan by nearly 30% to $100B (five months after the company raised it to $78B). The power giant also reported a 22% year-over-year jump in Q3 earnings.

  • PG&E’s Q3 earnings fell by 9% year-over-year, which the company attributed to a reduced return on equity (as ordered by the California Public Utilities Commission). Plus, PG&E said that it’s going ahead with a previously announced $2B cut to its 2027 capex plan.

  • NextEra saw a nearly 10% earnings boost over Q3 2025, and expects compound annual growth >8% through 2032.

  • What happened: For over a decade, the two grid operators have mulled over potential interregional transmission projects—and each year, the duo has stopped short of advancing any proposals. This year is no different.

  • Why? MISO and SPP were considering several projects to connect their Southern seam. They hoped these could boost reliability and curb congestion costs in both grids. But this week, the orgs said that none would pencil out.

  • The issue: The grid operators “understate the value of interregional transmission,” according to a Brattle Group report prepared for the Southern Renewable Energy Association. In fact, they may undervalue the cost savings of these projects by 2-3X, according to the report.

  • “The interregional planning process is broken, hurting the affordability and reliability of both regions,” the regional clean energy group wrote in a statement.

Share your utility’s weather-related challenges and help identify technology gaps and opportunities to strengthen grid resilience. Complete the 5-minute survey

Domestic solar capacity could soon get a 3.4-GW boost.

  • First Solar has opened the first phase of its $330M solar module factory in South Carolina. The plant can currently churn out 1.7 GW of modules annually—that’s set to double by mid-2027.

  • This marks First Solar’s sixth US facility, bringing the company’s annual domestic capacity to >18 GW.

Maryland is rolling out a (catchy) $200M clean energy auction program.

  • Earlier this week, Gov. Wes Moore announced the “Megawatts for Maryland” program, which will offer grants to storage and renewable developers to offset development and construction costs. The goal? To boost in-state generation (by “hundreds of megawatts”) and lower Marylanders’ steep power bills in the process.

  • So, where’s that cash coming from? Payments made by electricity suppliers who don’t meet the state’s renewable portfolio standard.

Trying to get the energy sector's attention? Energy Central has the eyes, ears and trust of 120K+ industry pros who actively consume our newsletters, webinars and sponsored content. Want to borrow our microphone? Reach out today

Thanks for reading. Have a spooky (but not too spooky) Halloween!

Keep Reading