Energy News Beat — The question is no longer whether Winter Storm Uri was a one-off. The question is whether the United States is still pricing electricity as if kilowatt-hours were interchangeable, when what grids actually sell is energy that shows up when people need it. A widely circulated Electroverse post this weekend put the […]
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The U.S. power grid faces a long-standing vulnerability that has resurfaced in recent discussions: a coordinated attack on a small number of critical substations could trigger a cascading nationwide blackout lasting months—or longer. This warning, originally highlighted by former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, stems from analysis following the 2013 Metcalf substation […]
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The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) aims to finish Governor Greg Abbott’s comprehensive verification and audit of data center and large-load projects by December 2026. The review, ordered on August 3, pauses advancement of new data center interconnections until projects demonstrate compliance with state law, Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) rules, and ERCOT […]
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Oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin are driving electricity demand skyward in West Texas, even as technology companies race to site data centers in the world’s most prolific shale play. The dual surge—from electrifying drilling, fracturing, and production operations, plus hyperscale computing loads—is straining the regional grid and prompting warnings of potential reliability […]
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(Updated August 19, 2026, with actual August 18 numbers and latest peak forecasts)The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) continues to brace for a multi-day stretch of extreme heat that is expected to push power demand past the current all-time record of 91.089 GW. ERCOT is forecasting that peak demand will exceed that mark each […]
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California’s aggressive pursuit of Net Zero and 100% clean electricity has produced record solar milestones, massive battery buildouts, and political talking points about climate leadership. It has also delivered some of the nation’s highest electricity prices, chronic reliability problems, heavy reliance on out-of-state imports, and a grid vulnerable to regional shortfalls and global energy shocks. […]
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s directive pausing new data center interconnections to the ERCOT grid has placed nearly one-fifth of the entire U.S. data center development pipeline at risk of delays, according to analysis from BloombergNEF (BNEF). The move, announced August 3, 2026, requires a comprehensive audit of energy use, water consumption, financing, ownership, and community […]
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This action, announced August 3, 2026, comes roughly three weeks after New York became the first state to impose a temporary statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. It applies to projects seeking to interconnect with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) system and pauses related transmission planning work, including the “Batch Zero” study. […]
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Texas ratepayers are on the hook for a $33 billion high-voltage transmission expansion that critics call a classic power grab—funneling guaranteed returns to transmission monopolies, condemning thousands of acres of private land, and primarily enabling more intermittent wind and solar that many of today’s assets won’t economically or physically outlast another decade. The Electric Reliability […]
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Back-to-back heat waves sweeping the United States are pushing electricity grids to a tipping point, as temperatures topping 100°F (38°C) drive households to max out air conditioners while a surge in around-the-clock demand from AI data centers and factories shrinks power reserves and strains decades-old transmission equipment. This is emerging as the new normal for […]
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