Corp News
Under pressure, Entergy seeks to ease $1.8B Texas gas plant acquisition costs
Entergy CEO Drew Marsh said on Wednesday's earnings call that the company is seeking to 'mitigate' the impact of the $1.8 billion acquisition of the 1.26 GW Cottonwood gas plant in Texas. The deal requires approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and after PSC staff analysis suggested it could raise customer monthly bills by more than $7, it has drawn attention from the governor and the public.
CenterPoint expects about 14GW of Texas 'Tier Zero' large load interconnections to be eligible
CenterPoint Energy said in its second-quarter earnings call that it has submitted more than 17GW of projects to ERCOT's new large load interconnection process, expecting about 14GW to qualify as base load or study load.
NextEra executives say Dominion acquisition expected to close by end of 2027
NextEra Energy executives said on the second-quarter earnings call that the merger with Dominion Energy is expected to close by the end of 2027, with the combined company achieving an annual growth rate of 11%. The company also disclosed its renewable energy project pipeline, progress in government negotiations, and FPL business updates.
PG&E data center pipeline reaches 12.7 GW, focusing on small and medium-sized load projects
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) disclosed during its second-quarter earnings call that its data center pipeline has reached 12.7 GW, with 490 MW of projects having signed interconnection agreements and 3.9 GW in the final design stage. The company emphasized project quality over scale and expects to add 1.8 GW of data center load by 2030.
GE Vernova gas turbine backlog climbs to 116 GW, driven by dual engines of power and electrification businesses
GE Vernova reported second-quarter results with double-digit growth in both revenue and orders, mainly driven by strong performance in the power and electrification businesses. Gas turbine backlog increased from 100 GW in the first quarter to 116 GW, and the company expects it to reach 125 GW by year-end. The electrification business backlog exceeded $40 billion, up 69% year-over-year. Wind power orders declined 40% year-over-year, but the company mentioned a potential replacement cycle that could bring a turnaround.
Talent is also critical infrastructure: power companies risk losing workers to the tech industry if they don't invest more
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, U.S. power companies are facing unprecedented pressure to expand the grid, but a shortage of skilled engineers and technicians is becoming a key bottleneck constraining project implementation. Based on industry analysis, this article explores the importance of talent as critical infrastructure and proposes multi-level solutions ranging from recruitment and training to policy support.
Do not weaken the utility model when the grid needs it most
U.S. electricity demand is experiencing its steepest sustained growth since the Eisenhower era, yet policymakers are targeting utilities' return on equity and investment capacity. The author, Scott Aaronson, former senior vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, points out that cutting returns will not lower electricity bills but will instead raise capital costs, weaken grid resilience, and ultimately harm all consumers.
U.S. retail electricity price increases exceed inflation, may climb further in the future
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released its 2026 retail electricity price trends update this month, showing that U.S. inflation-adjusted retail electricity prices rose 2.6% from 2024 to 2025, exceeding inflation over the same period. The report predicts that electricity prices may continue to rise in the near term, as utility rate increase requests hit multi-decade highs and regulatory approval rates remain high. Since 2019, nominal residential electricity prices have risen 33%, while commercial and industrial prices have increased 26% and 27%, respectively. Although the national average real electricity price remains below 2010 levels, regional differences are significant, with California and several northeastern states leading the increases.
KKR plans to acquire EDF power solutions' North American business for $4.2 billion
KKR announced on June 30 that it will acquire the North American operating assets of EDF power solutions for $4.2 billion, with the transaction potentially including up to $390 million in additional payments. The investment firm stated that this move aims to support the growing electricity demand in the United States driven by AI data centers, manufacturing reshoring, and electrification, and plans to fund the transaction through its global infrastructure strategy.
CPS Energy ordered to pay approximately $400 million to settle natural gas procurement dispute during Winter Storm Uri
A Texas district judge issued a final judgment requiring CPS Energy to pay nearly $400 million to midstream energy company Energy Transfer to settle a contract dispute over natural gas procurement during Winter Storm Uri in 2021.