Welcome back. The court of public opinion has a new verdict: 64% of Americans say utility profits are driving their rising bills, according to a recent Pew survey. But does ratepayer perception match reality? (And how much does it actually matter when trust is broken?) In the latest Power Perspectives episode, we asked whether this reflects a communications issue—or a deep structural crack. Tune in here, and give us your two cents.
P.S. Exciting news: We’ve got a new reporter onboard! Make sure to give Carrie a warm welcome.
— Molly, Carrie, and the Energy Central editorial team
Disconnected network data is slowing utilities down. Learn how leading teams unify GIS, connect field to office, and improve speed and accuracy with this practical white paper—tap into the insights here
The power squeeze has the White House hitting fast forward on energy permitting.
On the fusion side: The public comment window for the NRC’s proposed fusion regulation is shutting tomorrow. It’ll likely look much more lax than fission rules (due to the lower risks). Set to drop as early as this fall, the new framework could speed up the fusion rollout…that is, once companies actually clear the commercialization hurdles.
On the gas side: FERC has proposed natural gas permitting reforms that would enable some interstate facilities to skip case-by-case approval, offering a quicker pipeline for future pipelines to start flowing.
Southern California Edison has paid nearly $200M in claims from a devastating 2025 fire.
SCE is still paying customers harmed by the Eaton fire, the second-most destructive blaze in CA history. After denying responsibility, the utility got blasted with lawsuits…and has since admitted their equipment is “likely the cause” of the fire (which killed 19 people). As of last week, more than 1,200 claimants had received a total $175M.
In PJM territory, the DOE is moving to keep fossil fuel plants running—the grid operator is all for it.
Out of retirement: The DOE has issued its fifth 202(c) order to keep Units 3 and 4 of Pennsylvania’s Eddystone plant open. Both were set to shut down in May 2025, but PJM has backed the agency’s decision to keep them online.
Meanwhile, PJM recently got DOE permission under 202(c) to keep Unit 4 at Maryland’s Wagner Generating Station online.
Zooming out: Since May 2025, the Trump administration has churned out over 40 of these emergency orders. Unlike PJM, not everyone is a fan: Several of these orders are facing legal pushback from states and advocacy groups—a case over a Michigan Consumers Energy coal plant could reach the Supreme Court.
Smarter meters are reshaping grid operations. Tune in on June 9 to find out how Sense turns real-time data into faster fixes, sharper decisions, and stronger customer programs across the grid.
Are the US and Canada still grid allies? Unclear.
A new collab: The DOE issued a permit authorizing Basin Electric Power Cooperative to build two 230‑kV transmission lines that will connect North Dakota substations to the Canadian border. This will add up to 650 MW of transfer capacity between the two countries.
Mixed messages: As we covered last week, President Trump’s tariffs have pushed Canada to build East-West transmission interties—an effort to curb reliance on the US power market.
Hoover Dam is getting a sorely needed facelift. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
About dam time: The US Bureau of Reclamation is offering $52M to replace three aging turbines at the dam. It’s an urgent upgrade: Its reservoir Lake Mead is set to reach a record-low 1,020 feet above sea level in July 2027—and older turbines can’t operate below 1,035 feet.
Not so fast: The new, wide-head turbines could restore over 160 MW of hydro capacity…but not until construction wraps up in Oct. 2028 (at the earliest). If the hydro-dependent West keeps seeing super dry winters, such dam upgrades could become increasingly urgent.
SpaceX is planning a 10-GW solar factory…but the capacity is slated for the cosmos. (Bloomberg)
The Texas facility will stretch over 1M sq. ft., and the output is reserved for space-based data centers…which don’t yet exist. (But maybe us Earthlings can borrow a bit?)
The big picture: This facility fits into Elon Musk’s goal to build 200 GW per year of solar manufacturing capacity across Tesla and SpaceX. Reality check: Total US capacity now sits around 60 GW annually.
But this grand ambition recently ran into a huge hiccup: The Chinese government has blocked Tesla’s order of top-tier solar manufacturing equipment from Suzhou Maxwell Technologies.
[Cybersecurity] basics remain the hardest part. No amount of frontier AI capability matters if the people operating the infrastructure leave the keys in the open.
Rate cases are changing. Explore why utilities are losing time and capital — and how top teams are responding
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Thanks for reading. Talk soon!