The agencies reported “no significant disruptions” to the country’s gas or electric systems this past winter.

We’ve come a long way: During Winter Storm Uri in Feb. 2021, ERCOT ordered the country’s largest-ever controlled load shedding event (20 GW). And during Winter Storm Elliott in Dec. 2022, grid operators in the Southeast directed over 5.4 GW of blackouts, a regional record. 

This time around: During severe cold snaps over the past two winters, the US grid avoided the need for these controlled blackouts.

How?: The power industry 1) applied lessons from past winter storms 2) secured advanced commitments from generators and 3) followed NERC cold weather reliability standards. The report also credited federal emergency orders, which enabled some plants to run at maximum output and bypass certain environmental rules.

Yes, but: There’s still room for improvement, including better load forecasting, more collaboration between the electric and natural gas sectors, and more natural gas infrastructure, FERC Attorney-Adviser Hampden Macbeth wrote on LinkedIn. 

What happened: A federal appeals court has overturned the DOE’s order to extend the lifetime of Consumers Energy’s J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan. Why? The authority wielded here by the agency is meant for actual emergencies, the court said—not Energy Sec. Wright’s dubious claim of reliability risks in the Midwest. And it’s up to states, grid operators, and utilities to handle supply and demand, according to the ruling.

What’s next: This case addressed the first DOE emergency order for J.H. Campbell…which the agency has renewed six times (costing ratepayers over $180M). It’s unclear how the ruling impacts the order currently in effect, but Consumers said it’s keeping Campbell running for now. 

The big picture: This decision could bolster legal challenges to similar DOE orders extending the lives of six other fossil fuel plants throughout the country.

On the physical side: Following a spike in attacks on substations in recent years, FERC has approved new NERC standards to fortify “vulnerable” electric infrastructure. The new requirements include regular risk assessments and physical security plans. 

On the digital side: Duke Energy, Exelon, Southern Co., and NextEra Energy met with OpenAI to hear a pitch for the tech company’s $1B cybersecurity initiative, Politico reported. It’s interesting timing, considering how some of Open AI’s own models recently went rogue. Our interpretation: Cybersecurity is top of mind for utilities right now, and OpenAI sees a lucrative opportunity.

The hikes: This year, DTE filed a $470M+ rate-hike request, while Consumers Energy asked for a $450M+ bump. These proposals could raise Michigan residents’ electric bills by over 9%, adding roughly $155 to $180 in annual costs, according to Consumer Reports. 

The opposition: In June, MI Attorney General Dana Nessel said she’ll “intervene” in Consumers’s rate hike request. Meanwhile, a Michigan ratepayer advocacy coalition is pressuring utilities to stop pouring money into politics. 

The big picture: Michigan’s electricity prices have jumped by more than 17% over the past three years. Meanwhile, DTE reported nearly $1.5B in earnings last year, and Consumers’s parent company made over $1B. 

Plus, profits down South: TX utilities Oncor and Houston Electric (a subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy) reported 65% and 43% year-over-year rises in profits from April-June. Why? Both were granted higher ROEs in recent rate cases.

The new suit: Environmental groups are suing TVA, claiming the utility failed to obtain the proper air quality permit for a 1.45-GW gas plant in Tennessee (located next to a coal plant that TVA had planned to retire by late 2028—but decided to keep online).

The new ruling: In a separate case, a federal court ruled that TVA violated the law in building a $2.5B, 1.5-GW plant elsewhere in Tennessee (also on the site of a recently revived coal plant). Why? The utility “failed to evaluate cleaner and cheaper alternatives to the gas plant” and “improperly committed” billions in ratepayer funding before even deciding to build the plant, according to a statement from the Center for Biological Diversity. The court decision overturns the environmental impact statement for the plant.

The throughline: TVA sees fossil fuels as key for near-term reliability (it’s eyeing 7-26 GW of new gas by 2040 and delaying coal retirements), and many ratepayers aren’t pleased.