The bill: The Grid Connection and Congestion Management Act, recently introduced by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), would order grid operators to create a fast-track process for new generation. The tradeoff? During grid congestion, these energy sources have to curtail generation.

The background: It’s a similar concept to ERCOT’s “connect and manage” process. Energy pros have long been eyeing this strategy, which links up new projects roughly two years quicker than the rest of the country. Now, this bill could make faster interconnection the norm nationwide.

The forecast: The country’s power system is relatively reliable…for now. But as for the next decade, NERC’s reliability outlook “hasn't been this risky ever,” John Moura, NERC’s Director of Reliability Assessment and System Analysis, told us. (FYI: NERC has produced these long-term assessments for some 60 years.)

The surprising takeaway: “New data center growth can really amplify the grid's reliability, not challenge it,” he told us. The caveat? That’s only “if we plan it correctly.” 

The plan in question: Data centers can strengthen grid resilience by offering their energy, including from backup generators, to the local system—and can even cut down on transmission costs. But for that to pan out, operators need to work ahead with utilities.

The latest: Amid continuous US strikes on Iran, Wright said that “a little under” 14M barrels of oil are leaving the Arabian Gulf region per day, or two-thirds of pre-war traffic…despite headlines that most of the traffic has halted. Wright claimed that the US is ensuring that oil and gas can flow through the strait “with or without Iranian cooperation.”

Yes, but: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said that US talks “could be pursued based on national interests.” Meanwhile, oil prices could (yet again) exceed $100/barrel if Hormuz traffic doesn’t pick back up.

The details: It’s not just drought hindering hydro generation. It’s getting increasingly tricky to source the custom-built large-power transformers (LPTs) that help whizz water power from turbines to homes and businesses. A sobering stat: One LPT unit can cost up to $10M, according to a recent report from the National Laboratory of the Rockies.

This report lays out the supply chain struggles, including 1) a shortage of manufacturing know-how 2) years-long equipment waitlists and 3) permitting and regulatory delays. 

VPP operator Voltus is raising up to $100M, Axios reported (which could mark its last private fundraising round before going public). Last month, Voltus announced a deal with Google to launch the first hyperscaler-funded VPP.

Meanwhile, Emerald AI, which creates data center management software, is looking to pull in around $100M (which could bring its value above $1B). Want to learn how the company turns data centers into grid assets? Get the scoop from Arushi Sharma Frank, Emerald AI’s Senior Advisor on Power Utilities.