US federal regulator
Appears in 17 stories · Last updated Nov 2, 2026
Holds the Plaquemines authorization in docket CP17-66
On October 31, 2026, Venture Global declared commercial operations at the first phase of its Plaquemines LNG terminal in Louisiana, 53 months after the project's May 2022 final investment decision. The first cargo under a long-term contract left the next morning at 3:26 a.m. aboard the carrier Malaga Knutsen, lifted by Shell.
Updated Nov 2
Approved the transaction without conditions
Vistra finished buying Cogentrix Energy on October 30, adding ten natural gas plants and 5,496 megawatts to a fleet that now reaches nearly 50,000 megawatts. The deal was announced in January at a net price of about $4.0 billion.
Updated Nov 1
Rejected PJM's 'bring your own capacity' proposal in October 2026
Google and Voltus have added 1,070 megawatts of virtual power plant capacity across PJM, on top of the 100 megawatts they signed in June. Google calls the result a 1-gigawatt plant; the combined total is about 1.17 gigawatts.
Updated Oct 28
Approved Duke tariff; overseeing national large-load review
A data center that asks Duke Energy Carolinas for grid upgrades must now commit to paying at least 75% of its planned transmission service for 15 years, even if usage falls short. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the revised tariff on a 4-1 vote, its first ruling since June orders told grid operators to justify their large-load rules.
Updated Oct 26
Approved the proposal
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved ISO New England's plan to review utility-planned transmission replacement projects. The order, issued October 16, 2026, takes effect January 1, 2027. The review is advisory: ISO New England reports its conclusions to its Planning Advisory Committee but does not decide whether a project proceeds or rule on whether its costs are prudent.
Updated Oct 24
Approved the fast-track process, rejected protests
On October 8, PJM Interconnection accepted its first three fast-track grid connections: 1.66 gigawatts of battery storage from Engie and a 455-megawatt gas-plant uprate from LS Power. All three are expected online by mid-2029.
Updated Oct 19
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. In December 2025, FERC ordered PJM to rewrite its tariff so co-located mega-load can't stay invisible to planning and cost responsibility. In June 2026, FERC expanded the push, ordering six grid operators to justify or overhaul how they connect AI data centers.
Updated Oct 16
As of October 2026: Source of the legal framework limiting the bill's reach
The House voted 417–3 on September 16 to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act, which tells state regulators to hold hearings on whether data centers drawing 100 megawatts or more should pay the full cost of the power infrastructure built for them. States can hold the hearings and decline to adopt the standard, and the Senate fell three votes short of advancing the bill on September 30, 57–43.
Updated Oct 3
As of September 2026: Rejected ComEd's cancellation notice; declined jurisdiction over contract dispute
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 22, 2026, rejected Commonwealth Edison's (ComEd) attempt to cancel a transmission security agreement with PowerHouse Hillwood Holding, the developer behind a 1.8-gigawatt, $20-billion data center planned for Joliet, Illinois. The agency declined to take jurisdiction over the contract dispute, saying the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the right venue to resolve it.
Updated Sep 23
As of August 2026: Issued PacWave South's operating license
The first wave energy test site connected to the continental US electric grid opened off Oregon's coast this week. PacWave South took a decade to permit and build, backed by nearly $150 million in federal investment.
Updated Aug 27
As of July 2026: Reviewing 35-plus Order 1920 compliance proposals from utilities while implementing transmission planning reforms
Seventy percent of America's power lines and transformers are over 25 years old. On June 30, 2026, Secretary Wright issued two emergency orders for the Mid-Atlantic grid after PJM Interconnection forecast demand near 166,000 megawatts—approaching the region's all-time record.
Updated Jul 3
As of June 2026: Writing the national rule
For decades, the cost of upgrading the power grid was spread across everyone's electric bill. On June 18, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) acted on a rule that could put much of that cost on the data centers that trigger it.
Updated Jun 18
As of June 2026: Approved Shapiro-PJM cap; weighing broader reforms
Pennsylvania power bills jumped on June 1 as utilities passed through record wholesale prices set by PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for 67 million people across 13 states. PECO's commercial supply charge rose roughly 15 percent, with PPL Electric, Duquesne Light, and FirstEnergy's four Pennsylvania utilities also raising rates.
Updated Jun 1
As of May 2026: Primary regulator managing CP2 approval and Plaquemines expansion review; facing legal challenges over environmental assessment adequacy
When Cheniere Energy shipped America's first LNG cargo from Louisiana in February 2016, the U.S. 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.
Updated May 27
As of May 2026: 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 May 26
As of May 2026: Developing new rules for data center grid connections
For decades, American households paid roughly the same share of electricity costs regardless of which industries were expanding. AI data centers have broken that arrangement.
Updated May 20
As of May 2026: Regulating data center co-location and behind-the-meter power arrangements
Google spent $4.75 billion over a year ago acquiring Intersect Power, owning power plants that feed its AI data centers. Amazon bought a Pennsylvania nuclear campus; Microsoft restarted Three Mile Island in September 2024; Meta announced nuclear deals with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo unlocking up to 6.6 gigawatts for American AI. Tech giants now control the grid.
Updated May 16
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