Dan Wishnick

The U.S. electric grid is at a pivotal moment.   According to a new DOE report, the combination of soaring load growth — fueled by data centers, electrification, and AI — and accelerating retirements of thermal generation is pushing the grid closer to its limits. The risk of resource shortfalls and blackouts is no longer hypothetical; it’s a very real and growing challenge.   The DOE report reinforces what many of us in the industry have been seeing on the ground: ✅ Demand forecasts continue to climb beyond expectations. ✅ Planning processes and permitting timelines struggle to keep pace. ✅ Generation retirements of aging coal and gas plants outstrip the integration of reliable capacity.   What stands out most to me is the need for a balanced and coordinated approach — one that recognizes the urgency of an integrated grid while ensuring reliability, resilience, affordability, and flexibility. This isn’t just a supply-side challenge. It’s also an opportunity to: ⚫ Enhance grid flexibility with storage, demand response, and distributed resources ⚫ Modernize transmission to unlock underutilized capacity ⚫ Improve regional coordination to share resources across boundaries ⚫ Invest in grid-enhancing technologies to make the most of existing infrastructure The choices we make today will determine whether we enable a resilient, reliable and affordable grid or face preventable reliability crises tomorrow.   #GridResilience #FutureOfEnergy #EnergyTransition #PowerGrid #Reliability #Utilities https://lnkd.in/dcKhj6Gb

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The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $1.6-billion loan guarantee for projects by American Electric Power Co Inc (AEP) to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines across five states. The projects cover Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. "The upgrades supported by this financing will replace existing transmission lines in existing rights-of-way with new lines capable of carrying more energy", AEP said in a press release. #powergrid

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📊 Transformer Replacements: A Growing Challenge for Utilities Each week at Crux Energy Consulting, we spotlight insights from Halcyon's What’s Happening in Energy newsletter, which is always a great source of interesting tidbits from US regulatory filings. This week, what stood out was a chart from Central Hudson's five-year capital investment plan. It highlights a pressing issue for many utilities: the aging transformer fleet. More than one-third of Central Hudson’s transformers are over 50 years old. That’s a staggering stat and one that underscores just how urgent the need for replacement is across the grid. These replacements are becoming increasingly expensive. 📈 On page 2, I've reshared a previous Crux Energy post that visualizes how transformer prices have spiked, due in part to COVID, inflation, supply constraints, and material costs. And it doesn’t stop there: with tariffs on steel and newly announced tariffs on copper, those price pressures are only going to intensify. This is a clear example of how aging infrastructure, material supply challenges, and policy decisions converge, driving up the cost of keeping the lights on. #energyinfrastructure #utilities #gridmodernization #transformers #energycosts #tariffs #cruxenergyconsulting

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IBRs need new protection approaches, yet 5,200 MW of BES resources still use settings inside NERC's no-trip zones, creating reliability risks and compliance issues. How do we help utilities solve this? To answer, let's unpack IBRs' unique challenges: - 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Where synchronous generators deliver robust fault currents of 4-6 per unit, IBRs barely reach 1.0-1.15 pu. It's not enough to trigger conventional protection schemes. - 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: IBRs actively suppress the negative and zero-sequence currents that overcurrent and directional protection elements depend on. - 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀: Control-driven phase angle variations (±90° shifts) and super-fast response times make fault behavior nearly impossible to predict with traditional methods. - 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Each OEM implements different fault response strategies, meaning one-size-fits-all solutions don't work. - 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Weak grid scenarios compound these challenges, making protection coordination even more complex. These factors create dangerous protection blind spots. Relays either miss real faults entirely or trip unnecessarily during normal operation. That's why we need tailored, adaptive protection systems that address low fault currents, signal suppression, and manufacturer variability while ensuring NERC compliance. Facing IBR protection challenges? 📞 Contact PhasorGrid: https://t2m.io/DOXnkUG ⚡ We specialize in NERC compliance, protection and control design for power systems. 

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We’re excited to announce that we were recommended by regional grid operator PJM Interconnection to deliver critical energy to communities across Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia in partnership with NextEra Energy, Inc. Transmission. Through the partnership, the approximately 220-mile 765-kilovolt high voltage transmission line will support the delivery of safe, reliable and affordable energy to families and communities across the region. Learn how this partnership will improve resilience while minimizing impact on the land: http://spr.ly/6043CBO2L

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For utilities of every size, distribution planning isn’t just about meeting today’s energy demand—it’s about preparing for tomorrow’s growth. In a new T&D World article, Cody Davis, Associate Technical Director of Grid Modernization, explores how proactive distribution planning enables utilities to build capacity ahead of demand, which reduces delays, manages costs, and supports clean energy goals. Learn how proactive planning supports future growth: https://lnkd.in/eaNNhAdA

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📈 With PJM capacity prices rising and load growth surging from data centers, #DemandFlexibility is urgently needed to mitigate bill impacts, capacity constraints, and power interruptions. For states and utilities looking for a clear path forward, check out the Demand Flexibility Maturity Model, which I developed with Berkeley Lab. It’s grounded in well-documented industry best practices and barriers to broader adoption. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 — we need a plan to scale. It’s time for demand flexibility to grow up. https://lnkd.in/gvuEenGD

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ELECTRICITY PRICES INCREASING AGAIN IN 2026 PJM Capacity Auction Results yesterday revealed an additional increase of 22% in Capacity charges putting Prolonged Upward Pressure on Consumer Electricity Bills.  Electricity consumers across PJM territory—spanning NJ, PA, MD, DC, OH, IN, and IL—are facing continued rate escalation, with retail electricity prices up nearly 100% since 2020 behind an enormous increase in 2025 and further increases are expected. Behind the scenes, the July 2024 PJM Base Residual Auction (BRA) for the 2025/2026 delivery year revealed an unprecedented surge in capacity prices—9 to 10 times higher than prior auctions—signaling fundamental shifts in load growth, generation dynamics, and investment risk. The cost of capacity for the 2025/2026 planning year is estimated at $14.7 billion, driven by sharp increases in clearing prices across most Utilities. With yesterday’s announced results for 2026/2027, the pricing trend shows no sign of abating. Capacity costs for June/26 - May 27 Cleared at $329/MW-D, up from $28/MW-D in 2023, and up from $269 in 2025. $329 MW-D results in an estimated $18 billion dollars from consumers for 2026-2027 for additional capacity. Market Drivers: Structural Demand Growth and Resource Pressures Capacity markets are reacting to significant structural changes in grid demand profiles and resource availability. PJM’s auctions reflect a rapidly tightening reserve margin due to: Explosive growth in AI and high-performance computing (HPC), with data center clusters projected to add several GW of incremental load. Electrification of transportation and industrial sectors, accelerating beyond earlier forecasts. Reindustrialization efforts, including onshoring of manufacturing and domestic supply chain expansion, further increasing baseload requirements. One notable example: Amazon’s Anthropos-linked data center development in Indiana is expected to draw 2.2 GW at full buildout—equivalent to the load of over 1 million homes. These projects are redefining locational capacity requirements and driving interconnection backlogs. Contact your MSI Rep for additional information and to design proactive hedging strategies to better navigate the increases.

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A 150-MW/300-MWh battery storage farm is now supplying power and delivering grid reliability services into the Independent System Operator of New England after two years of construction and eight years of development in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. #GridReliability #Battery #Fuel

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TS Conductor is well-positioned to help your utility organization maximize ampacity flowing across existing infrastructure. This DOE funding program is an attractive opportunity for utilities as it is a 50% cost-share to complete these re-conductoring projects (for IOUs…and a 25% cost-share requirement for Munis & Co-Ops), significantly reducing the cost impact to utilities and ratepayers. TS can help your team with Concept Paper development. Please reach out to discuss further.

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