/ Energy News
New York Just Got a Huge Influx of Clean Power. It Still Needs More
June 8, 2026
The Champlain Hudson Power Express is delivering hydroelectric energy from Quebec to Queens, providing a major supply of carbon-free power to help New York State meet its targets for renewable capacity and emissions cuts.
The 339-mile transmission line can transmit up to 1,250 megawatts of electricity and is expected to deliver about 10.4 terawatt-hours of clean energy annually to the New York metropolitan area.
FERC approves SPP non-firm, large-load transmission service
June 8, 2026
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday approved the Southwest Power Pool’s proposal for providing transmission service to data centers and other large loads that agree to be curtailed during grid emergencies.
Under the “conditional high impact large load service,” or CHILLS, SPP will provide transmission service using available transmission capacity for up to seven years while large loads acquire firm service.
TransAlta to buy pair of gas-fired plants from Blackstone for $1-billion
June 4, 2026
Calgary-based power producer TransAlta Corp. said on Wednesday it will acquire two natural gas-fired peaking facilities near Denver, Colo., from Blackstone for about US$1-billion, strengthening its presence in the Western U.S. power market.
The assets, Mountain Peak Power and Canyon Peak Power, have a combined capacity of 318 megawatts and are fully contracted under long-term tolling agreements with investment-grade customers for more than 25 years.
MISO’s resource outlook improves as forecast generation additions outpace demand growth
June 4, 2026
The resource outlook for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator continues to improve, with excess power supplies expected over the next five years, according to a survey discussed at a workshop the grid operator held Thursday.
MISO members are expected to add 15 GW a year, on average, in accredited summer capacity over the next five years, up from expectations for up to 8.6 GW in annual additions a year ago, according to the latest Organization of MISO States-MISO annual survey.
Google to fund 100-MW virtual power plant in PJM in ‘first-of-its-kind’ deal
June 3, 2026
Google will fund a three-year, 100-MW virtual power plant in the PJM Interconnection with the aim of creating an “industry-leading scalable blueprint” for unlocking capacity to meet data centerdemand, the tech giant announced Tuesday.
The company is partnering with VPP operator Voltus, which will aggregate distributed energy resources from residential, commercial and industrial customers across the regional transmission organization, a spokesperson for Voltus said in an email.
Canada and the Republic of Korea Deepen Co-Operation on Energy Resources and Critical Minerals
June 2, 2026
Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, met with the Republic of Korea’s Chief of Staff to the President and Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation, Kang Hoon-Sik.
They agreed that the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and Natural Resources Canada will develop a joint plan on critical minerals stockpiling by the end of 2026 as part of a shift to a more integrated supply chain partnership.
Newfoundland launches calls for bids on 16 offshore energy exploration parcels
June 2, 2026
Newfoundland and Labrador is launching calls for bids on 16 offshore oil and gas parcels, with the province set to provide up to $30-million to support the drilling of exploration wells, Premier Tony Wakeham announced Tuesday.
The province hopes that the financial incentive for companies – along with the recent benefit agreement signed for the deep-water Bay du Nord project – will help boost exploration for new wells, kick-starting a new wave of offshore development.
Princeton Endowment Backs Out of Oil and Gas Divestment Vow
June 1, 2026
Princeton University’s endowment is backtracking on its pledge to divest from publicly traded oil and gas companies, four years after it said it would exit such holdings as way to move toward a net-zero portfolio.
A trustee-mandated decision to divest from thermal coal and tar sands companies remains in effect, Vincent Tuohey, President of the Princeton University Investment Company, known as Princo, said in a statement Monday.
Canadian guidebook for green and transitional investments will target six industrial sectors
June 1, 2026
Developers of a made-in-Canada guidebook certifying green and transitional investments have chosen six industrial sectors to zero in on over the next 18 months, concentrating on climate action within them.
The new taxonomy, aimed at attracting more than $115-billion a year for meeting the country’s net-zero targets, will spell out eligible investments in electricity, buildings, transportation, mining, manufacturing and forestry, the council in charge of the effort said Tuesday.
Newfoundland eyes development of significant offshore natural gas reserves
June 1, 2026
Massive potential reserves of natural gas off the shore of St. John’s could be worth roughly US$400-billion on the European market, the province says, as it works to develop a new royalty regime for the fuel to attract investment.
The N.L. government study evaluated 39 prospective development areas in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin, a mature producing region roughly 350 kilometres east of St. John’s.
Canada and the Republic of Korea Deepen Co-Operation on Energy Resources and Critical Minerals
June 1, 2026
Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, met with the Republic of Korea’s Chief of Staff to the President and Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation, Kang Hoon-Sik.
They agreed that the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and Natural Resources Canada will develop a joint plan on critical minerals stockpiling by the end of 2026 as part of a shift to a more integrated supply chain partnership.
FERC Proposes Sweeping Changes to Pipeline Blanket Certificate Rules
May 29, 2026
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has proposed changes to its blanket certificate program that would allow interstate natural gas pipelines to undertake larger projects without requiring a case-specific authorization order, part of a broader effort to streamline infrastructure development and reduce regulatory burdens.
Under the proposal, the cost threshold for prior-notice projects would increase to $86 million from current levels, while the limit for automatically authorized projects would rise to $30 million.
Oregon PUC approves PGE’s large-load tariff framework for data centers
May 28, 2026
Oregon regulators on May 7 approved a new large-load tariff framework for data centersexceeding 20 MW that requires long-term contracts, customer-paid distribution upgrades and a surcharge for the largest projects.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission order is the first major implementation of Oregon’s 2025 POWER Act in Portland General Electric territory and links large-load interconnection approvals to emissions and clean energy requirements.
MISO pushes back on utility complaint over competitive transmission bidding
May 28, 2026
Utilities are overstating how much time competitive solicitations can add to the transmission development process, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator told federal regulators on Wednesday in response to a complaint filed by incumbent companies seeking exclusive rights to build certain power lines.
“MISO disagrees with the exaggerated length of the delay alleged in the Complaint as MISO’s actual experience differs from the alleged 16-20-month timeframe,” the grid operator said in a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Data center firm DigitalBridge in $1.1B deal to buy ArcLight
May 27, 2026
DigitalBridgeGroup, which owns data centers and other digital infrastructure, plans to buy ArcLight Capital Partners, a private power plant company, in a $1.05 billion deal, the companies said Wednesday.
ArcLight has one of the largest private power generation portfolios in the United States and a roughly 15-GW project pipeline, according to the company.