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Good morning. What can Jurassic Park teach us about today’s grid? More than you might think, according to EC’s Matt Chester. When he recently rewatched the cult classic, Matt (naturally) noticed a major fault with the island-wide power grid—and realized that modern utility and energy leaders face a similar challenge. Hint: It’s not dinosaurs. 🦕
— Molly, Carrie, and the Energy Central editorial team
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The DOE is moving beyond the pilot to boost US next-gen nuclear.
Ready to launch: The agency’s nuclear reactor and fuel pilot programs went according to plan—now, officials are moving things along. The DOE has chosen 13 projects for its Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, an initiative to fast-track the advanced nuclear tech rollout.
The winners include Antares Nuclear, Oklo, and Valar Atomics, with projects ranging from reactor development to nuclear fuel cycle advancements.
The context: The Launch Pad adds to a growing list of Trump administration pro-nuclear moves, including billions in funding to shore up a domestic nuclear supply chain and build advanced reactors.
ArcLight is launching a $1B transmission business.
Live wires: ArcLight is forming an independent company called Anchor Point Transmission, which will work with utilities to ramp up the high-voltage Tx buildout amid speedy load growth from AI, manufacturing, and electrification.
BTW: In May, data center investor DigitalBridge announced it was acquiring ArcLight, creating “a leading alternative asset manager at the convergence of power, AI, and digital infrastructure.” But, as noted in a statement, ArcLight runs “as a separately managed business.”
The takeaway? This move highlights transmission as a key piece of the power puzzle.
Gas capacity slated for US data centers nearly doubled in the first half of 2026.
Yes, you read that right: Planned on-site gas for these facilities leapt from 97 GW in 2025 to 189 GW in H1 2026, Global Energy Monitor found. Over that period, overall US gas development increased by 50% to 378 GW.
The gassiest states: Texas now has more gas in development than any country (besides, well, the US). The Lone Star State upped its gas development >50% in H1 2026 to 122 GW—nearly a third of the US total. Ohio, PA, and WV also saw significant gas development boosts in the first half of the year.
Slow your roll: As of mid-2026, construction had kicked off on just 14% of proposed US gas projects. “It is nearly impossible nowadays to guess what is a pie in the sky proposal, and what has a real chance of getting built,” said Jenny Martos, project manager for the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker at Global Energy Monitor, in a statement. “The projects that eventually clear those hurdles are paying top dollar for turbines, locking in emissions, and pushing up electricity prices.”
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Instead of relying on overloaded utilities, businesses are bringing in bigger-than-ever onsite power.
The energy shift: It’s not just sprawling data centers securing their own power. Facilities like hospitals are increasingly nabbing onsite energy—and in larger chunks than before, microturbine company Capstone Energy+ told Reuters. Capstone is seeing more orders for 3- to 6-MW systems as companies wait on utility capacity.
The mindset shift: Rather than prioritizing ROI, everyone from hyperscalers to healthcare providers is opting for quick, on-demand electrons.
More PG&E customers can now funnel energy from their EVs to the grid—and get paid for it.
Mobile batteries: PG&E is helping more customers turn their EVs into “a home backup and a grid asset.” How? The utility is broadening its Vehicle-to-Everything program to include more cars, chargers, and software (via partnerships with Bidirectional Energy and PowerFlex.)
What’s in it for me? Customers can get up to $13K in California incentives, in addition to $2.5K upfront (or $3K for disadvantaged communities) from PG&E.
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