The background: The 1.2-GW Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) funnels Canadian hydropower into the New England grid—but, like the Champlain Hudson Power Express, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing over the first few months.

The lawsuit: Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil are suing Hydro-Québec for cutting power eight days after the line went into operation in January…during a bout of brutal cold. The MA utilities claim Hydro-Québec violated its contract by charging them for non-existent electrons over 12 days. To keep the grid running, they dropped $40M on pricier energy sources.

The (other) lawsuit: Hydro-Québec countered with its own lawsuit—filed the same day—alleging that the utilities owe $50M for power sent over NECEC in Jan. and Feb (which they’ve “refused to pay”). The company also noted that the frosty temps in January forced emergency reliability curtailments, which allowed Hydro-Québec to halt power exports.

Today’s demand: The data center buildout has propelled a gas turbine shortage—they now come with six-year lead times. That’s sending production into overdrive: Global gas turbine production capacity is set to reach 102 GW by 2030 (up from 67 GW in 2025). 

Too gassy? If AI power demand lands lower than expected (or other speed-to-power equipment, like batteries, end up outcompeting gas), we could see an oversupply.

In Michigan: Consumers Energy has shared its 20-year “all-of-the-above” gameplan to more than double its capacity by 2040 (while keeping ratepayer cost increases below the rate of inflation). It includes over 19 GW of new solar, wind, and BESS by 2040 (along with 1.4 GW of new gas). Consumers expects a decision from state officials within the next year.

In Illinois: ComEd is flexing its grid hardening efforts. The utility reported a 48% boost in reliability over the past decade, and said it has saved customers $5B in outage costs. But…the company’s proposed $15.3B four-year grid plan has sparked criticism for including over $1B “in questionable spending,” according to consumer advocates.

In Maryland: Potomac Edison is asking for a nearly $53M rate hike (which would up the average residential customer’s bill by roughly 5%). Why? To give aging infrastructure an upgrade and prep for severe weather. The company noted that the increase would still keep rates lower than other Maryland IOUs.

Kicking it up a notch: The American Power Forward PAC (affiliated with SEIA) will support local and state candidates who are pro-solar and battery storage. The group will launch its first campaign in Nevada, backing Assemblymember Elaine Marzola. 

The trend: This announcement arrives just months after the launch of Amped, a clean energy advocacy firm, along with the pro-renewables Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC. The common goal? To give renewables more political muscle amid fierce federal resistance.

Meanwhile, on the geothermal front: Hexagon Energy has signed a deal with a major timberland company to develop geothermal on some 145K acres across WA and OR. All that land could host over 3 GW of geothermal, Hexagon said. 

The pitch: The NY PSC has approved a National Fuel Gas pilot that will aim to curb demand on peak days and shape future system planning. How it works: The program will incentivize load-shedding and load-shifting for some commercial and industrial customers. It will run for three winters, beginning later this year.

The big picture: In recent years, utilities including Con Edison, Xcel Energy, and National Grid have looked into whether gas demand-response is a worthwhile tool to reduce emissions and infrastructure investments. But so far, the industry hasn’t reached a verdict.

The order: Indiana residents signed over 1.3K petitions urging state officials to challenge a federal order that extends the lives of two coal plants (and expires Sept. 19). But… they probably won’t convince Gov. Mike Braun. In July, Braun issued his own executive order to reopen retired plants (or prevent existing ones from shuttering).

The cost: NIPSCO has asked FERC’s permission to collect $38M from ratepayers to keep coal units running.