The prediction: NERC pointed out that most of the US has enough capacity for normal summer conditions…but warned that New England and the Northwest could face “elevated risks” of supply shortfalls (in the case of once-in-a-decade extreme load conditions).

The problem: That’s according to industry-reported data, a recent Grid Strategies report noted, which “paints an inaccurate picture of declining resource availability.” But if you factor in additional stats, including likely-to-connect new resources, all US regions have 5-93% more reserves than their target reserve margin. 

Another summer win: The EIA expects US electricity prices to land around 8% lower than last summer. Why the discount? It’s mostly due to lower costs of natural gas (especially out West).

The damage: Households are set to pay $460 more on average in 2035 (and $490 in 2040), per a recent Energy Innovation report. And that’s a “conservative” estimate, the authors noted.

The drivers: A slew of policy shifts since Jan. 2025, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and other actions targeting renewable projects. As fossil fuel dependence increases, so do natural gas prices.

Yes, but: Clean energy gains and emissions reductions under OBBA largely remain on track, as we recently reported.

In Oregon: The state PUC has approved Portland General Electric’s nearly 30% rate hike for large customers like data centers. It’s the first utility to increase data center rates under the state’s 2025 POWER Act, which carved out a rate class for projects over 20 MW. This will offer PGE’s residential customers a 1.3% bill decrease and knock 2% off commercial customers’ bills.

And in the Carolinas: Duke’s proposed tariff would charge a 75% minimum on demand for customers over 100 MW (and for some over 50 MW). The issue? Duke isn’t creating a new rate class for data centers…so nearly $200M in costs for the utility’s proposed grid upgrades would fall on other customers, including residential ratepayers.

The details: AEP Texas will use those funds to build, repair, or reconductor nearly 3K miles of transmission lines—and support up to 41 GW of load growth. The utility predicts nearly $700M in customer savings over 30 years.

Good timing: Texas will need the added transmission capacity to accommodate rising hyperscaler interest. The Lone Star State faces an estimated 368 GW of demand by 2032 (ERCOT’s all-time peak: 86 GW). 

On the geothermal side: Startup Quaise Energy has raised $134M for its Oregon geothermal plant, Project Obsidia, which is set to come online by 2030. The company relies on a sci-fi approach: blasting millimeter waves to melt and vaporize rocks too deep and hot for traditional tech to reach.  

On the nuclear side: Fuel producer Standard Nuclear aims to raise $3.5B in its IPO. If successful, the company would trounce Fervo’s $1.9B IPO and X-energy’s $1B IPO.

The mine could yield valuable supplies of zinc, silver, and manganese, strengthening the domestic critical mineral supply chain (a major White House goal). These materials are used to produce energy infrastructure like battery storage, nuclear plants, and renewable installations.