Ken Sands

U.S. transmission policy is changing as regions implement FERC Order 1920 and Congress weighs passage of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) during a lame duck session. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/bCm45100n7h

FERC has approved the sale of FirstLight Power’s U.S. generation resources to Hull Street Energy, finding that the transaction would not adversely affect competition, rates or regulation. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/Wngx50ZYi6S

An investigation into how the complaint against MISO’s $22 billion long-range transmission portfolio was orchestrated shows an absence of public input among the five states that signed onto it. #energysky #energysky 🔌💡ow.ly/Oa8W50ZZ3xU

Just as the Revolution Wind project nears full commercial operation, the Department of the Interior has taken one more shot at forcing it into bureaucratic limbo. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/vJLk50ZXYNZ

You’ve got mail! At the CREPC-WIRAB meeting earlier this week, Bonneville Power Administration Administrator Travis Kavulla said he received a 30-page white paper from SPP detailing why BPA should stick with its 2025 decision to join Markets+. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/Env950ZXYTg

The U.S. Department of Energy is putting up $250 million and the Tennessee Valley Authority an additional $331 million to fund 84 transmission and distribution projects across eight states. 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/148252-doe-t...

Even knocked down slightly to $14.74 billion, MTEP 26 is still MISO's most expensive annual transmission portfolio. Meta's Hyperion data center campus in northern Louisiana is the driving force behind more than 25% of the transmission spending. 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/147660-large...

No so fast, says FERC: the MISO attempt to help large power users connect to the grid faster is deficient. 🔌💡 @yes-energy.bsky.social

The U.S. clean economy supply chain has grown extensively but unevenly, a new report concludes, and as a result it is still vulnerable to foreign disruptions. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/nJLW50ZX8zp

What, me worry? Speaking at the Energy Bar Association’s Energy Forum in Arlington, Va., Potomac Economics President and MISO Independent Market Monitor David Patton said he is not worried about the third-party review of his practices. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/c4j050ZWGxf

New: BPA Issues Proposed Agreement to End Transmission Planning Pause 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/147341-bpa-i...

I will be talking about energy headlines in 2026 at the pre-conference workshop. And if you're going, say hello. 🔌💡

Inexpensive renewables a problem? ERCOT: “We see the need for more baseload generation... but mostly because of how inexpensive renewables are, prices are not supporting capital flowing to those resources.” 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/146863-texas...

BPA, EDAM, Markets+ rhetoric heats up: "But, make no mistake, if the administrator ultimately decides to have Bonneville join EDAM without realizing the necessary improvements... NRU will not hesitate to challenge Bonneville’s action..." 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/143530-small...

Breaking news today: Federal court rules DOE was wrong to force coal plant to stay open. Ramifications for all of the other such orders. 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/143205-dc-ci...

This is interesting news, though a bit inside baseball. The SAA allows a state to work with PJM to identify transmission upgrades required to achieve a policy goal and take on the costs of those projects: "...the costs of the transmission upgrades will be assigned to SoftBank.." 🔌💡

Big news. BPA switcheroo? Previous administrator 100% Markets+; new administrator seems to favor EDAM. www.rtoinsider.com/142342-kavul...

Big deal for those in the know. Northwest utility officials make last-minute plea for BPA to NOT reverse course and join CAISO's EDAM and stick with SPP's Markets+ 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/142160-for-b...

A new report indicates that installed U.S. battery energy storage capacity jumped 20.2 GWh in this year’s second quarter, the largest quarterly increase ever. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/IONS50ZI1SW

North Dakota lawmakers will consider a temporary statewide ban on all nondisclosure agreements between data center developers and government regulators during a special legislative session that begins Sept. 2. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/Vt1650ZHx2W

What you're missing if you're not subscribed to @rtoinsider.bsky.social 68 pages = one week of news on rtoinsider.com 🔌💡

So much at stake. So much in flux. Here's one nuance of the data center boom - who's going to make the turbines to generate the power? 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/141659-mad-s...

ACP The grid is not a collection of standalone assets; Pairing thermal generation and renewables with energy storage creates a portfolio that is cleaner, faster to deploy and more resilient than gas alone. 🔌💡 @yes-energy.bsky.social www.rtoinsider.com/141186-new-b...

3/3 Black Helicopter edition - PSYOPs "A troubling trend has shown up in some communities around the U.S.: Public officials are being inundated with seemingly fake public feedback that aims to block renewable energy and promote fossil fuels." @canarymedia.com 🔌💡 www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...?

Ratepayer advocates in a handful of PJM states and D.C. aren’t happy with the RTO’s concept for a reliability backstop procurement and have urged FERC to reject the idea. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/hWca50ZG31y

Two fossil fuel plants will continue to operate in Maryland into 2031 after FERC approved reliability-must-run extensions for the Brandon Shores and H.A. Wagner generating plants outside of Baltimore. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/UiSn50ZFafM

Fascinating conundrum. How do you socialize the costs? Making utilities pay just raises the rates. Same with insurance. Pre-emptive fire mitigation of utility lines also causes rates to rise quickly. California is trying to figure it out. Maybe harden homes or not build in danger zones?🔌💡

Jersey City, New Jersey’s second-largest city, has joined a growing wave of municipalities that have moved to stop the development of data centers. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/QEvR50ZEKAp

@electricitymaps.com @ryansholin.bsky.social

ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas and General Counsel Chad Seely told the Texas PUC and lawmakers that it will likely take the grid operator most of 2026 to complete Gov. Greg Abbott’s data center audit request. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/uN7r50ZEKtH

In electricity markets, "virtual transactions" are used to arbitrage price differences between day-ahead & real-time energy markets & hedge financial exposure from physical positions. What are increment offers; decrement offers; up-to congestion trades? 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/23402-virtua...

Mark Christie, Re: FERC on PJM governance: "Do not settle for cosmetic half measures to get some ‘kumbaya’ moment that falls short of what is needed." 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/139339-chris... @yes-energy.bsky.social

The Bonneville Power Administration has launched an initiative to accelerate the integration of large loads while seeking a “bolder and faster” approach to major policy initiatives, the agency’s new leader, Travis Kavulla. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/u1iW50ZzPvx

New York is moving to consolidate its utilities’ customer direct load control programs into a single statewide platform. #energysky 🔌💡 ow.ly/SiZW50ZzPS4

In the weeds? Yes. Important? Also yes. The July voltage disturbance in Virginia provides strong evidence of the potential instability large data centers can introduce to a local grid when they move to quickly to disconnect during disturbances. 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/138974-va-da...

Really thorough update on the hotly debated New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line. Lessons for all regions. 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/138788-final...

47 stories in the past week on electricity generation, transmission, load regulation @rtoinsider.bsky.social , collected in a 74-page pdf. This is what you're missing if you don't subscribe. www.rtoinsider.com 🔌💡

Breaking news. Wisconsin Tells ATC to Start Over Again on $1.4B Tx Line to Power Stargate Data Center. 🔌💡 www.rtoinsider.com/138679-wisco... 564 revisions cited for muddied process.

Quite the abrupt change of direction for Texas. The backlash against data centers seems to concern all sides of the political spectrum at this moment. 🔌💡

One former colleague lost his house. Not sure about other friends in the area. www.spokesman.com/galleries/20...