Laissez-fair? Deregulation advocates argue that competitive markets will drive down power bills. But…that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to a recent report by trade association Power for Tomorrow. (FYI: The org advocates for utility regulation).

The data: The common factor among nine out of the ten contiguous US states with the highest residential rates? They’re deregulated. Meanwhile, the ten states with the lowest energy bills are all regulated.

A growing cost gap: From 2024-2025, residential energy prices in deregulated states grew by 7.4%—nearly double the increase over that period for regulated states. It’s a sign that “large load growth is not having a uniform impact across the country,” the report said. 🤔

The reason: In deregulated states, bills are more vulnerable to market volatility and scarcity pricing. Add rising data center demand to the mix, and things are likely to get even hairier. 

The bill, introduced by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), would create over 1M jobs and save ratepayers nearly $28B/year on power bills (thanks in large part to reduced power production costs). It’s got plenty of fans, including the National Rural Electric Cooperative and the Edison Electric Institute.

While we’re on Capitol Hill: Officials have launched a bipartisan Congressional Geothermal Caucus, which includes representatives from VA, TN, NC, and CA. The goal? To “build awareness of emerging geothermal technologies and the opportunities they create for economic growth, job creation, and grid reliability,” according to a statement.

NV Energy has reported nearly 17 GW of large-load service requests by 2036, the vast majority from data centers—that’s over 2x the total peak demand faced by the company’s utilities last year. But roughly half have inked cost-allocation agreements.

PPL is forecasting over 18 GW in large-load demand by 2034-2047 (a figure that only covers executed agreements). Meanwhile, its electric subsidiary has proposed a new rider to directly charge data centers for certain transmission costs.

AEP said it has signed deals representing more than 22 GW of new large loads by 2031 (most of which is slated for the company’s Ohio footprint). That’s a 44% jump from last year’s forecast for the same period.

The throughline: As utilities’ large-load forecasts spark criticism for overinflating demand, companies are tweaking their predictions to reflect done deals—and cut out the noise from speculative (and unlikely) projects.

The problem: Veteran utility employees carry decades’ worth of wisdom—but, as we all know, plenty of this crucial info never makes it on paper.

One fix: AI agents could capture and hold onto this data (for example, a specific substation’s performance during extreme weather), AI strategist Jeff Wilser told Energy Central. By interviewing retiring workers, these agents could give future employees the 411.

Avoid AI mistakes: Wilser gave us the lowdown on the right (and wrong) ways to incorporate this tech into utility operations. Find out here.

Power Electronics recently broke ground on the facility, which will span over 800K sq. ft. The mega-factory is poised to “help shape the future of energy and AI growth globally,” said CEO David Salvo in a statement. 

The timing: The recent groundbreaking arrives two months after the Trump administration’s foreign-made inverter ban—and we’ll need plenty more homegrown capacity amid the ongoing grid buildout. As of 2020, only 7% of inverters used in the US were produced here.

Plus, a storage switch-up: California-based battery startup EnerVenue planned to open its first factory in Kentucky…but has gone with China instead. Why? The company pointed to the ample labor pool and strong supply chain in the city of Changzhou, which has hailed itself as China’s “new energy capital.