Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Built World

Implementing Order 1920 transmission planning reforms

Seventy percent of America's power lines and transformers are over 25 years old, and nearly a third of transmission infrastructure has passed its useful life. Now electricity demand is rising at its fastest pace in decades, driven by data centers powering artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and reshored manufacturing. The Department of Energy just committed $1.9 billion to a program called SPARK that funds a deceptively simple fix: swapping old wires on existing towers for advanced conductors that can carry up to double the electricity, without the decade-long permitting fights required for new power lines.

Updated 5 days ago

Built World

Primary regulator managing CP2 approval and Plaquemines expansion review; facing legal challenges over environmental assessment adequacy

When Cheniere Energy shipped America's first cargo of liquefied natural gas from Louisiana in February 2016, the United States was a net gas importer. A decade later, the country leads the world in LNG exports, with capacity set to more than double by 2029. Venture Global's aggressive expansion—including the $15.1 billion Calcasieu Pass 2 terminal under construction since mid-2025 and a major brownfield expansion of Plaquemines LNG announced in November 2025—positions the company to produce over 100 million metric tons annually by 2028, rivaling Qatar and Australia as a global LNG superpower.

Updated Feb 18

New Capabilities

Regulating data center co-location and behind-the-meter power arrangements

Google spent $4.75 billion over a year ago to acquire Intersect Power, owning the power plants feeding its AI data centers. Amazon bought a nuclear-powered campus in Pennsylvania. Microsoft restarted Three Mile Island in September 2024. Now Meta has announced nuclear deals unlocking up to 6.6 gigawatts—through partnerships with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo—to power American AI leadership. Tech giants aren't just buying electricity. They're securing or building the grid themselves.

Updated Feb 4

Built World

Approved project license

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a 40-year license for a $2 billion pumped-storage hydropower facility on land the Yakama Nation considers sacred. The 1,200-megawatt Goldendale Energy Storage Project would function as a giant battery for the Pacific Northwest grid—pumping water uphill when power is cheap, releasing it through turbines when demand spikes. The site, known to the Yakama as Pushpum or 'mother of all roots,' has been used for ceremonies, fishing, and gathering traditional foods for centuries.

Updated Feb 2

Rule Changes

Developing new rules for data center grid connections

For decades, American households have paid roughly the same share of electricity costs regardless of which industries were expanding. AI data centers have broken that arrangement. In 2025, regions with concentrated data center activity saw wholesale electricity prices rise as much as 267% over five years, with the PJM grid operator—serving 65 million people across 13 states—projecting $100 billion in extra consumer costs through 2033 unless something changes.

Updated Jan 13

Rule Changes

Ordering PJM to rewrite tariff rules for co-located load and behind-the-meter generation

Data centers found a shortcut: park next to a generator and drink power without waiting years for grid upgrades. On Dec. 18, FERC doubled down—unanimously—ordering PJM to rewrite its tariff so co-located mega-load can’t stay “invisible” to planning, service definitions, and cost responsibility.

Updated Dec 18, 2025