Summer heat is driving up energy demand, as Americans crank up their air conditioners amid record-breaking heat to stay safe and comfortable. Over the past two weeks, more than 200 million Americans were under extreme heat alerts, with temperatures as high as 115°F across central and eastern parts of the United States.

This led to weekly electricity output hitting record levels in early July. America’s electric companies delivered twice as much energy in seven days as New York City uses in an entire year.

EEI’s member companies work every day to deliver reliable, affordable energy to the customers counting on them, maintaining a range of initiatives to drive efficiency and lower customer costs.

Dominion Energy

Dominion Energy’s EnergyShare assistance program gives eligible customers up to $300 from June 1 through September 30 and up to $600 October 1 through May 31 to help cover cooling and heating costs. The EnergyShare program also helps customers weatherize their homes to save money long term.

“Don’t make assumptions about whether you’re eligible or not. It’s not a lengthy or arduous process. You can check it out, see if you qualify, and if not, there are other options to explore,” said Dominion Energy spokesperson Craig Carper in a statement.

Entergy Texas

Entergy Texas’ energy efficiency team partners with local contractors each year to provide customers with free air-conditioning system tuneups. They recently worked with customers in the Orange and Dayton areas and are expanding to more communities across the state of Texas. Through the CoolSaver program, technicians optimize home cooling systems by cleaning, inspecting, and adjusting key components during tune-ups.

“We know summer heat in Southeast Texas can be intense, and inefficient cooling systems can add stress to a family’s budget,” said Entergy Texas Energy Efficiency Program Manager Weslyn Brown in a statement. “These tune-ups and upgrades help improve comfort, reduce energy use and put customers in a better position during the hottest months of the year.”

Eligible customers may also qualify for weatherization improvements, including air sealing, upgraded attic insulation, and duct sealing. These services help maintain indoor comfort by keeping cool air inside and blocking heat from entering the home. The company values these services at more than $250 per unit. Due to a high volume of applications, the CoolSaver program is not accepting new applications until next year.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy helps customers manage their summer energy use with tools and programs designed to meet customers where they are. Usage Alerts help customers stay informed about their projected energy use and estimated bill amount before their next bill arrives. Customers may also be eligible for a free home energy assessment, which offers personalized recommendations to help them better understand their home's energy use and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.

“Summer can be a challenging time for many households, and our goal is to give customers simple, practical tools that help them better understand their energy use and identify options that fit their needs, lifestyle and budget,” said Duke Energy spokesperson Caroline Fountain.

Depending on where they live, customers may also have access to time-of-use rates, bill credits through demand response programs and rebates for energy-efficient home upgrades. Together, these tools and programs help customers better understand their energy use and find options that fit their household needs, lifestyle and budget. Program availability varies by location, so customers should check the offerings available in their area.

Resources and Tips to Help Reduce Energy Bills

Electric companies across the country are also proponents of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps qualifying customers with their energy bills. August is LIHEAP Action Month, when EEI and the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition raise awareness about LIHEAP and advocate for continued federal funding for the program.

Learn more about how EEI’s member companies keep electricity prices low during LIHEAP Action Month and throughout the year. 

There are also simple ways you can save energy and money while simultaneously keeping your home cool. EEI and our member companies encourage customers to follow these seven energy efficient tips in the summer:

• Service Your AC: Schedule a professional tune-up and replace filters as recommended.
• Use a Smart Thermostat: Program temperatures to improve comfort and reduce energy costs.
• Keep Airflow Clear: Make sure vents and the outdoor AC unit are free of obstructions.
• Cover Windows: Close blinds, curtains, or drapes on sun-facing windows to reduce heat gain.
• Switch to LEDs: Use LED bulbs and take advantage of natural daylight when possible.
• Seal Air Leaks: Caulk and weather-strip cracks and openings to keep cool air inside.
• Cook Smarter: Grill outdoors or use a microwave to minimize indoor heat.

For more tips on how to save energy during the summer, check out EEI’s More Than 100 Ways to Improve Your Electric Bill booklet.

Electricity is having its biggest moment in a generation. After two decades of flat growth, U.S. power demand is climbing at a historic rate, driven by advanced manufacturing, electrification, and load growth from data centers. Even though data centers have captured public attention, their role in America’s energy landscape is nuanced: When connected to the grid, they lower price pressures, drive economic development, and ultimately benefit customers and communities across the country.

Large-load data centers not only help reduce electricity costs for retail customers but also deliver meaningful community benefits through investments in the local areas where they operate. EEI member companies actively work with tech companies and data center developers to strengthen benefits in surrounding communities.

Rate Payer Protection

EEI member companies ensure new customers pay their full cost of service, freezing or even lowering rates for existing customers in the process. This same principle is reflected in the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge that formalizes an approach electric companies have been executing for years: hyperscalers are responsible for securing their own power supply, funding necessary infrastructure upgrades that benefit everyone, and paying for the capacity they reserve regardless of actual electricity use.

Alliant Energy

Regulators in Wisconsin recently approved We Energies’ Customer Protection Plan, ensuring that the cost of hosting data centers will not affect residential customers. In addition, Wisconsin regulators approved a contract for Alliant Energy to power a Meta data center without impacting residential customers. Alliant Energy is currently in the middle of a five-year rate freeze facilitated by the company’s data center customers.

DTE Energy

DTE Energy announced that, following its latest filing with the Michigan Public Service Commission, it intends to pause requests for electric rate increases for at least 2 years. The decision is driven by growing demand from data centers, with two new data center agreements expected to support nearly $9 billion in grid upgrades funded by large-load customers.

NiSource

In April, NiSource announced a data center agreement with a subsidiary of Alphabet and expanded an existing agreement with Amazon. Under the NIPSCO Generation LLC (GenCo) model, NiSource customers will receive a total of $1.4 billion in savings. The GenCo model ensures residential customers are not impacted by large load customers' new generation and that tech companies pay their fair share of the cost.

“As data center demand continues to grow across our service territory, we are helping to ensure that new large-load customers support the infrastructure needed to serve them while existing customers benefit through bill credits as those customers ramp,” said NiSource President and CEO Lloyd Yates in a statement. “We are proud to support Indiana’s economic development momentum through a model that advances affordability, reliability and long-term growth.”

Southern Company

Georgia Power and Alabama Power announced plans to freeze customer rates due to their work with data centers and large load customers. Alabama Power’s freeze lasts until 2027, while Georgia Power’s freeze runs through 2028.

Investing in Communities

Beyond customer savings, data center partnerships are generating direct, measurable benefits for the communities that host them.

Dominion Energy

In Henrico County, Va., Dominion Energy has collaborated with Virginia’s Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) to create the Solar Access Henrico program. This new model helps low-income households install solar systems and lower their electricity bills through a $5 million contribution from the QTS data center.

Since launching in 2025, the program has already helped 96 homeowners in five communities across Virginia install solar systems. Over the next 30 years, these households are expected to save more than $5 million thanks to the solar system.

“County leaders worked with the data center, the developer and the power company on a strategy to allay fears and reduce expenses for residents,” said Executive Director of LISC Virginia Jame Ferrara in a statement. “It helps people protect their homes while also creating more local jobs.”

To qualify, households must earn 80 percent or less of the area median income, or up to $90,800 for a family of four in the greater Richmond area that includes Henrico County. Installation runs approximately $20,000 per home and includes a 20-year warranty.

Entergy

Entergy’s recent partnership with Meta is expected to deliver $2 billion in savings to Entergy Louisiana customers over the next 20 years, while also giving back to local educators. Increased tax revenues from Meta’s data center project have recently enabled Richland Parish teachers to receive annual bonuses of up to $50,000. The annual bonuses are 400% higher than the previous year.

“It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it’s transforming our schools,” said Superintendent of the Richland Parish School District Sheldon Jones in a statement. “Meta’s investment has made Richland Parish a destination for education as well as industry,” Jones explained.

Bringing Jobs

Data centers also create new opportunities for workers, local businesses, and regional economies.

Dominion Energy

Through the partnership among QTS data centers, Dominion Energy, and LISC, the solar panel model is not only designed to reduce utility costs, but also to support local jobs. These jobs include local solar installations and clean-energy opportunities.

“This program is offering proof of concept for the larger idea that solar and efficiency funding can address the larger housing and energy affordability challenges, while also creating jobs in partnership with utilities and major data firms,” said LISC Senior Vice President John Moon in a statement.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy has partnered with Amazon to power the AWS data center in Richmond County, NC. Amazon’s data center brings 2,000 temporary jobs to the area and 500 permanent roles. Additionally, Amazon has partnered with Richmond Community College to provide students with information about data center careers and pathways to enter the field. This initiative is designed to help local residents gain the skills and qualifications needed to secure higher-paying jobs within the data center sector.

Entergy

Meta’s partnership with Entergy Louisiana will create 1,000 jobs in a community of 20,000 people once operational. Louisiana Delta Community College is receiving a $5 million donation from Meta to create scholarships to train residents for data center jobs. Additional benefits include Louisiana local businesses receiving over $1.6 billion in contracts from Meta since construction began in 2024.

Meta also provides training to local small businesses in Louisiana and invests in programs connecting businesses and workers to opportunities at the data center site. This includes developing subcontracting partnerships that support workforce development opportunities through local colleges and universities.

Furthermore, thanks to the increased bonuses for teachers in Richland Parish, Superintendent Jones says this is the first time in his 30-year career that every teacher who interviewed was fully certified. Higher bonuses attract better educators, and Jones is confident that if the Richland Parish School District attracts the best teachers, they will become the best school district in the region.

Research Shows Data Centers Benefit Communities

An increasing number of studies, including those from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Charles River Associates, reach a similar conclusion about data centers. Research suggests that data centers typically exert downward pressure on electricity rates and benefit existing customers.

For example, a study conducted by EPRI found that the increase in the number of data centers from 2015 to 2024 led to a 4 percent decline in retail electricity prices. In addition, the Lawrence Berkeley study found that state-level load growth was associated with a decline in average retail electricity prices across most states from 2019 to 2025.

This system will only work if “fair share agreements,” or large-load tariffs, ensure that new customers on the grid pay their full cost of service. Across our member companies, large customer partnerships are being established to deliver real, quantifiable benefits back to existing customers.

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is deploying AI technology that will give it “near-instant insights” into potential wildfire and extreme weather risks, in partnership with Qualcomm Technologies and the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The new Edge Alert Sentinel (EAS) will integrate environmental sensors, AI technologies, edge computing, and atmospheric science from wind, weather, and environmental data. One of its biggest draws is its “edge” capabilities, meaning it will be able to process data at the point of collection rather than relying on cloud computing that can introduce delays.

In Southern California’s complex weather environment, where Santa Ana winds, droughts, and terrain variability complicate traditional forecasting efforts, EAS will be able to deliver guidance in seconds rather than minutes – which can make a real difference to wildfire mitigation work.

“For nearly two decades, our region has avoided a catastrophic electrically caused wildfire because we chose to lead early and never stop looking ahead,” SDG&E President Scott Crider said in a statement. “EAS reflects that same mindset. By working with Qualcomm Technologies and UC San Diego, we’re bringing world-class technology and science together, so intelligence lives where the risk lives – on the front lines – and communities are safer because of it.”

A pilot is being set up on Mt. Palomar, about 70 miles north of San Diego. SDG&E and its partners are planning for a wider rollout in 2027.

The tool is SDG&E’s latest designed to keep customers safe from wildfires and extreme weather. Over the past decade, SDG&E has invested nearly $6 billion to prevent catastrophic wildfires.

The company’s Wildfire and Climate Resilience Center integrates cutting-edge fire science, weather forecasting, and supercomputer modeling into the team’s wildfire mitigation work, helping SDG&E respond to real-time threats while building a more resilient system to respond to longer-term threats.

In July, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the closure of a $3.26 billion loan that will support AEP Texas in its work to lower customer costs and enhance energy grid reliability and resilience.

More than 1 million AEP Texas customers will save $685 million in electricity costs during the next 30 years as a result of the loan, which will help fund 100 AEP Texas transmission projects, including the construction of 2,800 miles of new transmission lines.

“Texas is poised for incredible growth over the next five years. AEP Texas is committed to enabling this opportunity while leveraging resources to deliver future savings for our customers,” AEP Texas President and COO Adrian Rodriguez said in a statement. “This loan supports critical updates to our transmission infrastructure to strengthen reliability, connect new load and generation resources, and manage affordability.”

The loan will also support up to 41 gigawatts of new load growth by 2030, as AEP Texas invests in the grid to meet energy demand while maintaining reliability and affordability for current customers.

“This investment will modernize Texas’ electric grid, support the energy needed for AI, advanced manufacturing, the Permian Basin, and help keep electricity costs down for Texans,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

The loan is the third significant package to be announced by DOE in recent months as the government supports electric companies’ efforts to maintain a reliable and resilient grid and deliver reliable, affordable energy to customers.

In June, DOE and DTE Energy announced a similar $1.6-billion loan package that will deliver more than $700 million in cost savings to Michigan customers. In February, DOE issued its largest-ever loan guarantee to Southern Company, supporting $26.5 billion in energy projects in Alabama and Georgia.

“These loans will help lower the cost of investments in our grid that will enhance reliability and resilience for the benefit of our customers,” Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, said in a statement at the time.

DOE’s Gregory Beard appeared on a recent episode of the Electric Perspectives podcast to discuss the department’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing and how it is supporting the work that electric companies do in their communities every day. Listen here.

In June, Avangrid announced plans to build a new 82 megawatt-hour battery storage facility in Gilliam County, Ore. – bolstering reliability in the region while supporting Avangrid’s efforts to balance electricity supply and demand in the Pacific Northwest in real time.

A single discharge from the Shutler Energy Storage system will be able to power approximately 3,000 homes in the sparsely-populated county. The facility will come online in 2027, and its construction will create 35 local union jobs.

“Shutler Energy Storage gives us another tool to effectively manage our regional portfolio, improving how we coordinate across our generating assets and make better use of our existing infrastructure,” Avangrid Power CEO Sy Oytan said in a statement. “This added flexibility will allow us to respond quickly to changing grid conditions and operate our fleet more efficiently every day.”

Additionally, Avangrid announced plans to donate $110,000 annually to Condon Early Learning Center and Arlington Childcare Center, two local nonprofits supporting early childhood education and childcare.

"This generous investment by Avangrid will provide vital support not only for our organization, but more importantly for the families, children, and future of Arlington,” said Arlington Childcare Center Board President Mark Moore. “This kind of community partnership provides working families with greater security, allows local businesses to thrive, and ensures that our community’s children have access to quality early learning experiences for years to come.”

In June, NextEra Energy Transmission and the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority announced the completion of the 137-mile, 345-kilovolt Crossroads-Hobbs-Roadrunner Transmission Line near the state’s eastern border with Texas.

The line was completed ahead of schedule and is projected to reduce residential customers’ bills in the surrounding area by $13 per month.

“The Crossroads project demonstrates New Mexico's leadership in building the infrastructure that drives economic development and affordability for everyday New Mexicans,” New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Together, we are building energy, transmission and jobs that will power our workforce and economy, reliably and affordably, for generations to come.”

The project is one of several that America’s investor-owned electric companies are spearheading to deliver reliable, affordable energy to customers. EEI members will invest $1.4 trillion through 2030 to strengthen the grid and support the communities that depend on them.

“At a time when America needs more electricity, needs it affordably, and needs it now, this project shows what's possible when transmission developers, strong collaboration, community engagement and disciplined execution come together,” said NextEra Energy Transmission President Matt Valle. “This is speed-to-power at its finest and the kind of infrastructure that will power communities well into the future.”

Fair share agreements with large load customers “place downward pressure on average prices” for all customers when implemented correctly, according to a new analysis from The Brattle Group.

The study, commissioned for Alliant Energy, looked at large load demand in Iowa and Wisconsin. It found that tariffs and contracts that ensure hyperscalers and large customers pay their fair share not only protect existing customers from cost increases - they help ease price pressures by paying for grid upgrades and spreading fixed costs across a larger base.

As of June, regulators in 24 states - including in Iowa and Wisconsin - had approved at least one large load tariff, which electric companies use to ensure residential customers don’t subsidize energy infrastructure needed to serve data centers. Decisions are pending in an additional four states.

“Our analysis shows that affordability outcomes will depend significantly on how utilities structure rates, contracts, and cost allocation mechanisms,” Brattle Principal Ryan Hledik, a coauthor of the report, said in a statement. “When incremental revenues from large customers meet or exceed the costs they impose on the system, existing customers can be protected while communities still benefit from economic development and infrastructure investment.”

The study noted that states experiencing the fastest electricity demand growth have historically seen the largest declines in inflation-adjusted electricity prices. Its findings add to a growing pool of research suggesting data centers and large load customers do not drive up electricity prices for customers when electric companies implement tariffs and other specialized contracts to protect customers.

A separate recent analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and The Brattle Group found that “state-level load growth was linked to declining all-sector average retail prices in recent decades, including from 2019 to 2025, in most states.” And, earlier this year, a Charles River Associates study similarly found that electricity rates have remained broadly stable in most states and have generally tracked inflation over time. Outside the PJM Interconnection region, it found that customers have largely been shielded from cost increases related to data centers.

Alliant Energy is in the midst of a five-year rate freeze in its Iowa service territory that was made possible by data center and large load investments in the grid. Similar rate freezes have been approved in Alabama and proposed in Michigan, Wisconsin, and other states.

An Alliant Energy-supported data center project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the benefits it has provided to the surrounding community were the focus of a recent episode of the Electric Perspectives podcast. Learn more at electricperspectives.com/podcast.

Since 1922, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has presented the Edison Award, which annually recognizes a member electric company for leadership in innovation and excellence in grid operations.

An independent panel of reviewers evaluated nominations for the 2026 Edison Award and selected The AES Corporation, Baltimore Gas & Electric, and Duke Energy as finalists.

“This year’s Edison Award finalists exemplify how EEI’s member companies are committed to developing and deploying innovative technologies and solutions that are enhancing grid reliability while lowering operating expenses,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney. “Our members are meeting this critical moment in our industry through smart investments and a continued focus on powering the energy of every day for the customers and communities we serve.”

The winner of the 98^th Edison Award will be selected by a panel of former electric company chief executives and then announced during EEI 2026, the association’s annual conference and thought leadership forum, to be held June 2-4 in Las Vegas.

Read on to learn more about this year’s finalists.

The AES Corporation

• Strengthening Workplace Safety With Haven Safety AI

Crew and customer safety is a top priority for the electric power industry, and The AES Corporation has significantly strengthened workplace safety through its partnership with Haven Safety AI.

The new AI tool, which AES co-developed, takes large amounts of safety incident data and turns it into rapid, evidence-based root cause analysis (RCA) findings within hours of an incident occurring. This has reduced the amount of time AES employees spend on RCA investigations by 80 percent.

The platform’s insights also inform proactive, corrective actions across high-risk field work, which have improved the company’s prevention and operational resilience. In addition to providing incident-specific data and analysis, the platform also evaluates the data for leading indicators, emerging risks, and pathways to system-wide corrective actions.

By utilizing Haven Safety AI, AES is spending less time on incident reports and more time in the field advancing safer, smarter, and more efficient energy operations.

Baltimore Gas & Electric

• Improving Reliability Through Automatic Restoration Capabilities

Over the past six years, Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) has deployed motor-operated switchgear (MOS) into its auto-restoration system (ARS), expanding the system’s capabilities to underground feeders and addressing a gap in BGE’s distribution automation strategy.

MOS offers a cost-effective solution to automatically restore customers on underground feeders, which make up 66 percent of BGE’s primary distribution lines. Between 2020-2025, BGE installed 144 MOS devices onto its distribution system to monitor the technology’s performance and impact on customer reliability. After a successful field pilot, BGE incorporated the MOS devices into its ARS—a pivotal integration that created customized feeder configurations and automated restoration algorithms. The technology also seamlessly integrates with both new and existing infrastructure.

BGE’s MOS deployment has avoided more than 5,000 service interruptions for customers in the past year, underscoring how BGE has utilized these cost-effective, “self-healing” tools to improve customer reliability.

Duke Energy

• DeBary Hydrogen Production and Storage System

Duke Energy’s DeBary Hydrogen Production and Storage System is a first-of-its-kind, end-to-end facility that produces, stores, and combusts up to 100-percent green hydrogen generated from solar energy.

Powered by Duke Energy’s DeBary solar facility, two 1-megawatt (MW) electrolyzers split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is captured and stored on-site—then used as on-demand fuel for a peaking combustion turbine upgraded to run on a natural gas-hydrogen blend today, with the capability for 100-percent hydrogen combustion.

In December 2025, DeBary set a world record—generating 50 MW using 100-percent green hydrogen combustion—proving the technical feasibility of this approach and setting a new benchmark for the industry. By converting excess solar energy into stored hydrogen, Duke Energy’s DeBary system transforms Florida sunshine into on-demand power that strengthens grid reliability and helps keep costs as low as possible for customers.

Electric Perspectives (EP):

Linda Apsey (LA): One of my proudest accomplishments was making the decision to join ITC 23 years ago. ITC pioneered the independent transmission company model in the United States, emerging from the divestiture of transmission assets and growing into a leading owner and operator of high‑voltage electric infrastructure. At the time, making that move felt like a significant risk.

Still, I believed deeply in ITC’s vision and in what we were trying to build. I chose to take the risk, fully knowing that failure simply wasn’t an option. That decision not only shaped my career but also instilled a lasting sense of ownership and accountability.

That shared commitment became foundational to ITC’s culture, which is something I am incredibly proud of having had a part in creating.

EP: What are the biggest policy shifts that you have seen during your career?

LA: ITC was born out of one of the most significant policy shifts I’ve seen in my career from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC Order No. 888 required utilities that owned transmission to provide open, non‑discriminatory access to their systems.

At the time, there was a view that vertically integrated utilities could favor their own generation by limiting transmission access. As a result, the policy encouraged functional—and, ultimately, structural—separation between generation and transmission. That shift set the stage for DTE Energy (formerly Detroit Edison) to divest its transmission assets and led to the creation of ITC.

With that singular focus on transmission, ITC had a unique perspective early on. From the beginning, we engaged in public and regulatory policy, helping shape conversations about what the future of transmission should look like. Regulators paid attention.

Many of the policies in place today around transmission planning, cost allocation, and investment incentives were informed by our early leadership and advocacy.

ITC President and CEO Linda Apsey testified before the Senate Budget Committee on July 31, 2023, highlighting the increasing need for infrastructure investment and the role policymakers can play in streamlining permitting and planning.

EP: How do we expand America’s transmission capacity to meet rising energy demand?

LA: Expanding America’s transmission capacity really starts with proactive, long‑term planning. We need to be honest about where demand is headed and make smart investments now in the infrastructure that will give us flexibility and efficiency in the future.

When we try to cut corners or delay those decisions, it doesn’t save money. It almost always pushes costs and constraints on customers down the road—and that’s not acceptable.

Policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders are increasingly recognizing that the best way to address affordability concerns is to invest in more generation and more transmission. That means modernizing the regulatory and permitting process so major transmission projects can move forward more efficiently with greater certainty and fewer delays.

Proactive planning, regulatory certainty, and sustained investment are how we build the grid of the future.

EP: How have you seen the industry’s focus on resilience evolve over the years?

LA: When ITC was first established, we acquired transmission assets that had seen little meaningful investment for 30 to 40 years. They required significant attention. Early on, we made a deliberate decision that if we were going to be a standalone, transmission‑only company, we needed to be exceptional at what we do.

Over decades of sustained investment and maintenance, we significantly improved the performance of those assets. Systems that were once third‑ or fourth‑quartile performers from a reliability standpoint have been transformed into top‑quartile— and, in many cases, top‑decile— performers today. That long‑term commitment to investment ultimately paid off when rebuilt portions of ITC’s 138‑kilovolt transmission lines in northern Michigan withstood the ice storm in spring 2025. The powerful winter system moved across much of northern and parts of south‑central Michigan, bringing severe ice accumulation and widespread outages, marking the most severe system damage in ITC Michigan’s history. Working around the clock, ITC, in coordination with distribution utilities and Michigan’s State Emergency Operations Center, repaired damage to impacted portions of the system. These restoration efforts were most recently recognized by EEI with a 2025 Emergency Response Award.

On December 16, 2023, ITC President and CEO Linda Apsey received an honorary Doctor of Business degree from Michigan State University, where she also delivered the Fall 2023 Commencement Address to graduating students across multiple colleges.

EP: Who or what has been a source of inspiration to you throughout your career?

LA: A major source of inspiration for me was ITC’s founder and first CEO, Joe Welch. Our paths first crossed at Detroit Edison, where he took me under his wing and became a mentor for much of my career. He was a visionary leader whose bold decisions and deep commitment to both the business and our people helped define ITC in its earliest days and shape the company it is today.

I was deeply saddened by his passing in the summer of 2025. Joe’s passion for the critical infrastructure we build and maintain, along with his unwavering focus on our employees, served as a constant guide when I stepped into the role of CEO in 2016. I remain grateful for the time we shared and for the belief he had in me.

EP: What can you say about the culture you've fostered at ITC Holdings Corp.?

LA: During my time at ITC, the thing I’m most proud of is the culture we’ve built, and, just as importantly, how intentional we’ve been about it. Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It takes focus, consistency, and a shared commitment to what really matters.

When I look at our values—being better together, driving value for those we serve, maintaining an unwavering commitment to safety, taking an enterprising approach, and leading with integrity and responsibility—I don’t see them as words on a wall. I see them as something that truly anchors who we are, both collectively as a company and individually. Those values guide how we show up every day, how we treat one another, and how we make decisions, especially as we look to the future.

History has also played an important role in shaping who we are. The elements that defined ITC in its early days like the grit, the sense of purpose, and the willingness to do things differently, are still very much a part of our identity today. We’ve held onto those foundational traits while continuing to evolve and I think that balance has been incredibly important.

One thing I’ve always cared deeply about is fostering a true culture of belonging. I want every employee to feel they can be successful and that they are supported along the way. We are invested in the employee experience, and, in return, our employees are invested in the company. That sense of shared success is incredibly powerful.

As I pass the baton to the next generation of leaders and employees, I hope they take all the best things we’ve created and build on them. If they can hold onto that “secret sauce”—the sense of purpose, connection, and mutual respect—I believe ITC will continue to be a place where people feel motivated, inspired, and proud of the work they do.

On October 14, 2016, ITC Holdings Corp. became a subsidiary of Fortis Inc., and Linda Apsey was named President and CEO, succeeding ITC founder and longtime leader Joe Welch.

Duke Energy recently received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a single pilot to operate up to four drones beyond visual line of sight—a key designation that will give the company greater flexibility to deploy uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to protect and maintain the energy grid.

Duke Energy began using drones for storm response in 2015, strategically integrating the technology into its operations. In 2024, drones were used to help reconductor a transmission line in Shelby, N.C., following Hurricane Helene—allowing crews to complete a potentially dangerous and time-consuming task safely and in a matter of hours.

Commercial drone deployment is overseen by the FAA, and certain activities and use cases require specific waivers, including automated, defined flight paths for inspecting infrastructure. Duke Energy already held a waiver allowing its pilots to operate drones beyond visual line of sight—enhancing efficiency and safety and decreasing reliance on ground crews, bucket trucks, and crewed aircraft like helicopters for infrastructure inspections and storm damage assessments. With the company’s new FAA waiver, a single pilot will now be able to operate multiple drones beyond visual line of sight.

Electric companies have increasingly embraced drone technologies to safely and efficiently inspect infrastructure, assist in storm response, and mitigate risks for lineworkers—particularly when high-resolution cameras, light detection ranging sensors, and thermal sensors are implemented.

This is the latest example of an EEI member company utilizing drones to enhance inspections while lowering costs. Dominion Energy is one of several electric companies using a combination of drones and AI to more frequently inspect infrastructure and more quickly make maintenance decisions. The Southwestern Electric Power Company, meanwhile, is using drones to assist in tree trimming and vegetation management efforts in Louisiana and Texas.

Last year, Southern Company received FAA approval for UAS flights beyond visual line of sight to monitor energy infrastructure, assess storm damage, and respond proactively to potential issues with the energy grid.

Florida Power & Light, similarly, began flying its FPLAir One drone in 2022. At the time, it was the first fixed-wing drone of its size to be operated commercially outside of an FAA test site. Xcel Energy was the first to receive FAA approval to utilize UAS technologies to survey transmission lines back in 2018.

In a new, wide-ranging, on-camera interview with the Washington Examiner, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney called on Congress to streamline siting and permitting processes, which he said would “go right at the affordability issue” for customers.

“In order for us to maintain our global competitiveness, we have to be able to build generation and transmission faster than we do today,” Maloney said. “The cost imposed by permitting delays and litigation puts too much on the customer. We need [reform], and we need it as soon as possible.”

Maloney estimates red tape adds up to 25 percent to the cost of building new energy infrastructure. It also inhibits America’s global competitiveness, he said, noting that “China can build a power plant in one to two years, and it takes us more than a decade.”

Maloney also discussed the findings of a new study from Charles River Associates, which analyzed historical government data and found that electricity rates have tracked at or below inflation in 34 states during the past five years. It also found that data centers have not been a driver of rate increases in states outside of the PJM Interconnection in the Mid-Atlantic.

“Data centers really aren't driving the cost. There’s a lot of long-term planning that you see in some states—you've got it in Georgia and Louisiana, Mississippi—where they can save billions of dollars for customers over the time of the investment in the data center,” Maloney said.

Among other topics discussed:

On lowering costs for customers:

“Electric companies every day are working with their customers to identify more efficiencies in the system, whether it's grid-enhancing technologies that lower costs, software development that can ensure power is well balanced in the system.”

On partnerships with data centers:

“What these large load agreements are trying to do is protect customers. They're requiring the data centers to fund their interconnection, fund upgrades to the grid, and ultimately benefit the customer. If you look at a lot of the recent announcements that we've seen, the benefits to customers, the benefits to the local tax base are in the billions of dollars. Over the long term, this is a win-win for the communities, for the electric companies, for the customers, because we're going to get a more resilient grid.”

On permitting reform prospects:

“I think now is the time. There is a recognition that, in order for us to maintain our global competitiveness, we have to be able to build generation and transmission faster than we do today. It's the only way to address the real affordability problem, because the cost imposed by permitting delays and litigation puts too much on the customer.”

On the industry’s commitment to resilience:

“The grid is the most important engine in America. If the grid doesn't work, America doesn't work. And it requires investment. That's why you're going to see America's electric companies invest more than $1 trillion during the next four years—to make sure that the grid is reliable and as affordable as possible every single day.”

On response to Winter Storm Fern:

“You saw 65,000 lineworkers come from around the country to go down to the Southeast to work through two inches of ice to try to get wires back up and running, cut trees down, and work through the night to make sure that people had power back at their houses. That’s what we do in this industry. We pitch in. We ensure that the grid—which is the economic and, I would argue, national security backbone of the country—is always up and running.”

On electricity rate stability:

“What most people don't understand about electricity rates is they are really set at the state level. You have to look at the state averages, and there are some states—on the West Coast, especially California, and also New England and New York—that have disproportionately skewed the national average.”

On the importance of an all-of-the-above energy approach:

"We need all of the above. You look at a state like Iowa—a large percentage of their power comes from wind. Texas has a good mix of wind and solar. You see during a storm like Fern, where we became very reliant on fossil fuel as sort of base load—you need that, too. We need more nuclear. We need it all. We support it all, and, as we say, we need as many electrons on the grid as possible right now."

Americans’ electric bills have been widely protected from increases related to data center development, according to a new study from Charles River Associates (CRA) that shows average retail electricity rates have largely tracked with inflation during the past 10 years.

The report compiled data from the U.S. Energy Information Association and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and found that while electricity rates vary widely by geographic location, “for most customers, rates have been largely stable.” Where rates did increase, “the timing and location of the rate increases that were observed are not consistent with the timeline of data center development.”

“This analysis underscores the important work America’s electric companies do every day to keep electricity reliable and make bills as low as possible,” said Drew Maloney, EEI President and CEO. “While CRA’s report makes clear that our industry is making good progress for most of the country, we also understand we have more work to do as we serve American families and local businesses.”

Among the report’s key findings:

• There is not a broad, national trend toward rising rates, which means some of the data driving national narratives are “misleading or misinterpreted.”
• In a handful of locations, rates have risen in recent years, driven by external drivers and operating expenses such as wholesale price increases, wildfire spending, and net energy metering programs.
• With the exception of some areas served by the PJM Interconnection, data centers are not driving up rates. New data center tariffs and agreements will insulate existing customers from the costs of serving data centers.

America’s investor-owned electric companies have been working with hyperscalers, regulators, and state and local officials to implement special tariffs that protect residential customers while ensuring large customers pay their fair share to access the grid. To date, 18 states have approved large load tariffs, with decisions pending in another 8 states.

Outside of the PJM Interconnection, customers have largely been protected from cost increases related to data centers. EEI and its member companies have long called for reform to PJM that would improve accountability and transparency, proactive resource planning, and procurement flexibility. EEI supported the January announcement from President Donald Trump and a bipartisan group of governors from states served by PJM calling for an emergency auction to require technology companies to fund new electricity generation needed to serve growing data center demand.

Read the full study here, and learn more about how electric companies are delivering value for customers at eei.org/affordability.

Electric Perspectives (EP): Vince, it’s been several years since you first outlined your thoughts in Electric Perspectives of PPL’s Utility of the Future strategy. How has that strategy evolved, and why is it more important than ever?

Vince Sorgi (VS): Our original Utility of the Future strategy to get stronger, smarter, cleaner, more resilient, and highly efficient remains largely intact, but two major industry shifts have required us to update and sharpen our approach.

First, we’re seeing massive data center requests to connect to our grids in Pennsylvania and Kentucky—demand at a scale we hadn’t anticipated just a few years ago. For example, in our Pennsylvania service territory, we have more than 20 gigawatts (GW) of data center projects in advanced planning—nearly triple the current peak demand that took more than a century to reach.

Second, while affordability has always been part of our strategy, business and household budgets have tightened further in recent years, making affordability a front-and-center issue in policy discussions and even gubernatorial races.

To create headroom for needed investments, becoming more efficient as a company and as an industry is more critical than ever. To address these shifts, we’ve updated our strategy to prioritize building highly reliable, gas-fired, combined-cycle generation. This is evidenced by our regulatory filings in Kentucky and our joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure to build generation to serve new data centers in Pennsylvania.

In addition, we’ve doubled down on deploying advanced technology and AI—AI that will be key to enabling the next wave of operational efficiency. In short, our strategy continues to evolve so we can deliver safe, reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for our customers no matter how the landscape changes

EP: What are the key components of PPL’s strategy today? And how are you defining “utility of the future”?

VS: Our Utility of the Future strategy centers on five primary objectives:

1. Improve the reliability and resiliency of our electric and gas networks through system hardening, smart grid technology, and automation.
2. Advance a cleaner energy future affordably and reliably. This includes building natural gas combined-cycle generation, renewables, and battery storage while accelerating clean energy research and development (R&D).
3. Deliver operational efficiencies to support affordability. Every dollar we save in operations and maintenance expenses is $8 that we can invest to improve infrastructure without impacting customer bills.
4. Empower our customers through digital solutions. There is tremendous potential to improve the customer experience through connected tech and AI.
5. Develop and empower our employees to thrive in a rapidly changing energy landscape, equipping them with the skills, tools, and mindset to lead and adapt as our industry evolves.

The future we envision is generation that’s cleaner, more diverse and less-centralized, including substantial behind-the-meter generation enabled by our networks. It’s transmission and distribution that’s intelligent, more reliable, resistant to increased storms and flooding, self-healing, and able to detect failing equipment before outages occur.

It’s decision-making driven by powerful analytics and deep insights mined from a wealth of sensor-driven data. It’s highly efficient operations using technology and AI to deliver better results at lower costs.

And, it’s technology-enabled talent, next-generation digital architecture, and a dynamic, engaging, and highly collaborative workplace shaping the future of energy.

In a nutshell, the utility of the future is one that’s ready for anything—and always ready to deliver for our customers, our communities, and our shareowners.

EP: What can you share about the progress you are making with this strategy and what you’re doing to position the company for success?

VS: We recognized early on that to implement our Utility of the Future strategy, we needed to change every aspect of our business without jeopardizing the critical services we provide. That began with how the company was organized and who we had leading it. So, over the past few years, we’ve completed a dramatic transformation of PPL—one that’s set the stage for everything we’re accomplishing now.

We built a strong, experienced, and highly collaborative leadership team aligned around a clear vision, mission, and set of new corporate values. We restructured our organization to break down silos, speed the adoption of best practices across the enterprise, and drive continuous improvement. We developed common design and operations standards across our utilities to consistently drive advanced technology and more robust engineering and construction specs. Every part of our capital plan was scrutinized and realigned to ensure it fully supports our strategy and delivers value.

Importantly, we also made bold moves on the technology front. We hired a new Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation reporting directly to me. We launched an ambitious Business Reinvention initiative and have since begun partnering with some of the biggest and brightest technology firms in the world to help us achieve our vision, deploy digital solutions, and incorporate AI. This includes firms like Accenture, Microsoft, SAP, GE Vernova, Landis & Gyr, ServiceNow, and Quant.

These are not just technology providers—they are strategic partners who have signed up to help us achieve our strategy. The level of partnership and engagement with these firms is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and it will be one of the enabling factors in achieving our vision. And, just as importantly, we established a change management center of excellence to help our teams better embrace and lead through this change.

Setting the stage in this way was not easy and took a lot of time and commitment, including from me as the CEO of the company, but we’re already seeing the benefits: faster execution, greater efficiency, and a culture that’s energized and ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead.

EP: The intersection of AI and energy is one of the hottest topics in our industry these days. How is PPL enabling the AI revolution, and how do you see AI fitting into your overall strategy?

VS: AI is like the industrial revolution 2.0 on steroids. It is reshaping the landscape, bringing new hurdles to overcome, but also opening doors to transform our operations and support our strategy in ways we couldn’t have imagined a few years ago.

At PPL, we’ve made it a strategic priority to serve this new data center demand, and our strategy is twofold. First, enable speed to market and rapidly connect data centers to the grid through industry-leading responsiveness and agility. Second, support the development of new generation to meet this growing demand.

To achieve the first objective, we’ve put in place an interconnection process that allows us to deliver a high-level scope and estimates to developers within 5–10 days, provide a full feasibility report within two months, and support construction in 6–12 months, pending required regulatory approvals. Thanks to investments we’ve made and continue to make in a highly reliable grid, we’re able to quickly connect these large customers, often with minimal additional transmission work.

On the generation side, PPL recently formed a joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure to build generation to serve new data center demand in Pennsylvania in a way that directly supports economic development, helps to mitigate rising electricity prices for customers, delivers value for our shareowners, and helps—not hurts—resource adequacy in PJM.

In addition, we’re supporting legislation in Pennsylvania that would allow regulated utilities to build and own generation again, given the PJM market, alone, is failing to deliver the generation needed to meet growing demand.

We believe unprecedented demand growth requires an unprecedented response. Given the pace and scale of new data center demand, we need everyone who is willing and able to build generation to do so as soon as possible.

Sorgi joins members of the PPL Corporation team in ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

EP: How is PPL dealing with speculation around data center demand projections?

VS: We know that demand forecasting is a critical component of system planning. In Pennsylvania, for example, our PPL Electric Utilities subsidiary collaborates closely with developers and PJM to validate the demand of proposed data center projects. 

This starts with evaluating the technical and financial feasibility of a project, as well as established land control. To ensure an accurate representation of emerging demand, only data center projects with advanced agreements are included in the annual load forecast that PPL Electric provides to PJM. To be clear, these are advanced agreements with hyperscalers or developers authorizing grid connection work—agreements with enforceable cost recovery that escalates as milestones are met, often reaching tens of millions of dollars.

Additionally, PJM is discounting the large demand forecast that we provide by up to 30 percent. In addition, we are working with other transmission owners in PJM and engaging in focused conversations with regulators to ensure consistency and confidence in load forecasts.

EP: There’s growing concern that competitive markets like PJM aren’t incentivizing new generation fast enough to meet surging demand. There has also been pushback from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) about reopening the door to regulated utility ownership of generation. What are PPL’s views on the matter?

VS: This is one of the most urgent issues facing our industry right now. All of the signals and all of the forecasts point to a problem—generation is just not being built, or built fast enough, to satisfy future demand.

PJM has warned of a capacity shortage as early as the 2026/2027 delivery year, citing accelerating retirements and slow replacement build-out. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has repeatedly warned that resource adequacy risks are rising, especially in regions relying heavily on market signals. Despite record-breaking capacity prices, PJM’s market is failing to deliver the new generation needed to meet rising demand—proving that price signals, alone, just aren’t enough. And, of the more than 800 GW of total capacity that has entered PJM’s queue since 1998, only about 11 percent has actually gone into service.

Bottom line: proposals don’t power homes and businesses. Steel in the ground does. While this is often positioned in the media as an “us versus them” debate between regulated utilities and IPPs, that’s not how we view it at PPL, and it doesn’t need to be that way. Ultimately, the grid doesn’t care who wins that debate—it just needs solutions. In a world of surging demand and evolving risks, securing our energy future requires an all-of-the-above approach, with every tool, every partner, and every solution on the table. PPL is committed to being proactive, not reactive, in addressing resource adequacy and ensuring our infrastructure keeps pace with economic growth and technological change.

The legislation introduced in Pennsylvania would allow utility-owned generation to complement the market, not replace it. It would allow utilities to build generation only when the reserve margin isn’t met through market mechanisms, with robust regulatory review and opportunities for market comparison.

In other words, utility-owned generation is only a backstop if the market doesn’t deliver. If the market delivers, then the utilities will never own generation in rate base. And, if the utility does end up owning generation, and that generation produces excess revenue, 100 percent of that net revenue would be returned to customers, ensuring customers benefit from any upside while being shielded from downside risk.

The other key aspect of the legislation is permitting long-term contracts between the state’s utilities and the IPPs to help derisk IPP construction of new generation should they want to go that route versus just relying on market price signals. In short, the proposed legislation contains the kind of smart solutions and ideas we need more of, and we’re hopeful such legislation can gain lawmakers’ support.

A recent PJM proposal to incentivize large customers to “bring their own generation” and encourage demand flexibility is also something that we think has merit, and we’ll be involved in fleshing out details to advance that concept as a workable proposal.

Markets worked when demand was flat and supply was abundant—but that world has been flipped on its head. We’re entering an era of explosive growth and shifting reliability needs, and we believe it is time to stop looking in the rearview mirror and start planning for the road ahead.

EP: Powering AI is clearly one piece of the equation for PPL. On the flip side, how are you thinking about using AI to deliver better outcomes?

VS: AI isn’t just the next wave of innovation—it’s a tidal force promising to reshape our entire industry. The more we learn about the possibilities of AI, the more we see how truly transformational it will be and how it can accelerate our strategy.

Ultimately, our vision is to embed AI as a core capability in every aspect of our business. We’re not just talking about classical and generative AI, but agentic AI that adapts and acts, and maybe even one day physical AI—think, for example, of robots performing or assisting with some of our most dangerous work.

As part of our Reinvention effort, we’ve launched cross-functional teams to advance new technology and AI in four key value streams: Advanced Customer Ops and Engagement, Predictive Field Ops and Asset Management, Grid and Pipeline of the Future, and Next Generation Enterprise Services.

In each of these areas, we’re either already using or exploring the use of AI. For example, in customer service, we’re piloting a multilingual, AI-powered digital customer service agent—Alex—that we’re incredibly excited about. Alex will eventually be available 24/7 to handle routine customer inquiries in 70-plus languages, freeing up our representatives for more complex issues.

In addition, we’re deploying an AI-driven platform that will incorporate AI at every step of the customer experience. This includes handling the initial customer contact, seamlessly handing it off to the best-fit agent, delivering AI coaching and insights to our agents, providing automated summaries post-call, and triggering backend workflows so our agents can spend less time typing and more time listening and assisting.

In our grid and field operations, we’re using AI to monitor equipment health, predict failures, dispatch crews proactively, and optimize crew routing, outage response, and vegetation management. We’re working on AI agents to help us optimize protective settings in grid operations to enhance reliability and fault response. We’re also developing digital agents that will deliver job-specific safety messages, providing tailored reminders about hazards before crews begin a job.

Among other examples, we’re exploring the use of AI agents to lighten the heavy lift associated with complex regulatory filings. These agents will be able to assist with pre- and post-filing work, including responses to third-party discovery requests that can be incredibly time-consuming and require quick turnaround. This could trim thousands of labor hours to help keep energy affordable.

And finally, we’ve begun to roll out Copilot for Microsoft 365 to our employees, helping them work smarter and more efficiently. We have only just begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible here.

“AI isn’t just the next wave of innovation—it’s a tidal force promising to reshape our entire industry.”

EP: What’s your message to investors and analysts attending the EEI Financial Conference in November?

VS: My message is simple: PPL is not just keeping up with change—we’re leading it. Our industry is positioned at the intersection of some of the most important trends taking place in our country. And, at PPL, we have a clear strategy, a strong track record of execution, and a culture that embraces innovation.

We’re thinking bigger, we’re thinking bolder, and we have an opportunity, both as a company and as an industry, to build utilities of the future that are stronger, smarter, cleaner, and ready to power the next century of progress. The key is to enable all of this progress while, at the same time, keeping energy affordable for customers. That has been a core component of our strategy since we launched the new PPL in 2022, and it remains a core part of the strategy going forward.

EP: Any closing thoughts on what it will take to succeed in this new era?

VS: Innovation. Agility. The foresight to seize opportunities created by next-generation digital architecture, cloud solutions, and advanced technology. Enhanced collaboration across the industry, in R&D, with technology partners, and with a wide array of stakeholders, including the IPPs. And, above all, the courage to embrace change.

The challenges we face are complex, but in every challenge lies opportunity. At PPL, we’re building the utility of the future today, and we’re excited to help shape the energy future for our customers, our communities, and our shareowners.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in recent weeks announced a series of advanced nuclear energy partnerships that are expected to help the company reliably and affordably meet customers’ evolving energy needs in the years ahead.

In August, TVA entered into a power purchase agreement with Google and Kairos Power. Through the agreement, TVA will purchase electricity from Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., delivering up to 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the TVA grid that powers Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.

The deal drew recognition from several Tennessee lawmakers, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who praised the companies involved and touted advanced nuclear technologies as “essential to U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) dominance and energy leadership.”

Unlike traditional nuclear reactors, the Oak Ridge plant will rely on a fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor. Construction on the facility began late last year, and it is expected to come online by 2030.

“Energy security is national security, and electricity is the strategic commodity that is the building block for AI and our nation’s economic prosperity,” TVA President and CEO Don Moul said in a statement. “The world is looking for American leadership, and this first-of-a-kind agreement is the start of an innovative way of doing business.”

Separately, TVA in September announced an agreement with ENTRA1 Energy to develop a series of small modular reactors (SMRs) capable of delivering up to 6 gigawatts of new nuclear generation to TVA’s service territory. That sort of capacity is projected to power 4.5 million homes or 60 new data centers.

The deal stands as the largest SMR deployment program announced in the United States to date, potentially helping TVA meet rising energy demand driven by data centers and AI, industrialization and the reshoring of manufacturing activity, and the broader electrification of the economy.

"TVA is leading the nation in pursuing new nuclear technologies,” said Moul, noting that the deal “highlights the vital role public-private partnerships play in advancing next-generation nuclear technologies.”

EEI member companies will invest more than $1.1 trillion during the next five years to strengthen America’s energy grid and develop new critical energy infrastructure projects of all kinds. New and existing nuclear technologies play a vital role in America’s diverse energy mix, with advanced nuclear projects touted as a  promising source of reliable, affordable, 24/7 energy.

SMRs and advanced nuclear technologies were popular topics at EEI 2025—the electric power industry’s premier conference and thought leadership forum—in New Orleans earlier this year. Tune into the EEI 2025 Highlights series from the Electric Perspectives podcast to learn more about nuclear energy’s role in powering America’s energy future.

The roughly 1,000 goats are an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional vegetation management work, which often requires crews to scale steep hills and rocky slopes—terrain that goats can more nimbly navigate. Since SDG&E first piloted the goat vegetation management program in 2021, the herd has helped clear thousands of high-risk acres and avoid the need to utilize herbicides and heavy machinery—making it an ideal solution near homes and sensitive environmental habitats.

SDG&E has been working this summer to familiarize customers with its goat herd, featuring them as part of the company’s series of Annual Wildfire Safety Fairs. The safety fairs have been an opportunity to provide customers with emergency preparedness resources and information while also allowing them to feed and interact with the goats. The events are helping SDG&E drive home the critical role that goats play in their local wildfire mitigation. 

"Our goats may be a visible symbol of our wildfire prevention strategy, but they represent just one element of SDG&E's comprehensive, multi-layered approach for community safety and grid resilience," SDG&E Vice President for Wildfire and Climate Science Brian D'Agostino said in a statement. 

In addition to the goats, SDG&E has developed a comprehensive wildfire mitigation program that integrates cutting-edge technology, ecological solutions, and community collaboration to help reduce wildfire risk. The company maintains a wildfire and climate resilience center, which serves as a hub for research, development, and implementation of innovative wildfire prevention and mitigation solutions. 

SDG&E also operates a sophisticated weather network that applies machine learning to help predict weather patterns and better understand fire potential. And, the company has completed more than 315 miles of strategic undergrounding, installed 1,600 fire-resistant poles, and conducted more than 10,000 miles of advanced LiDAR inspections, enhancing reliability and safety for customers. 

SDG&E is far from the only EEI member company to embrace animals as a solution for vegetation management. Rochester Gas & Electric works with a team of rescue goats to control vegetation under its transmission lines. And, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company (LG&E and KU) have tapped a flock of more than 200 sheep to help with similar efforts. Read more about LG&E and KU’s sheep in the Sept./Oct. 2023 issue of Electric Perspectives. 

On August 5, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a proposed rule that would streamline the approval process associated with operating commercial uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight.

The proposed rule would set specific criteria for commercial, long-range UAS operations at or below 400 feet, including adherence to certain cybersecurity provisions, safety best practices, and other industry standards. It would apply to companies operating UAS fleets for specific purposes, including package delivery, agriculture, aerial surveillance, and civic interest. A public comment window will remain open for 60 days before potential implementation.

Current regulations require UAS operators to either position staff on the ground to oversee operations within their field of vision or apply for FAA exemptions, which are then reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The newly proposed rule would more uniformly define commercial standards for operating beyond visual line of sight in lieu of the existing waiver process.

If implemented, the rule could expand drone and UAS operations among investor-owned electric companies, many of which are already using these technologies or exploring how they can help maintain critical energy infrastructure, assist with extreme weather preparation and response efforts, and improve safety.

Electric companies have historically relied on ground crews, bucket trucks, and crewed aircraft for inspections and storm damage assessments. The use of drones and UAS technologies can provide a safer, faster, and more cost-effective alternative, particularly when high-resolution cameras, Light Detection Ranging sensors, and thermal sensors are implemented.

Earlier this year, Southern Company received FAA approval for UAS flights beyond visual line of sight to monitor energy infrastructure, assess storm damage, and respond proactively to potential issues with the energy grid.

Florida Power & Light, similarly, began flying its FPLAir One drone in 2022. At the time, it was the first large-scale drone of its size to be operated commercially outside of an FAA test site. And, back in 2018, Xcel Energy first received FAA approval to utilize UAS technologies to survey transmission lines near Denver.

Learn more about investor-owned electric companies’ reliability, resilience, and emergency response work at eei.org.

EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney and CEOs from four EEI member companies convened with industry, government, and technology leaders at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, where it was announced that the Commonwealth will see an influx of more than $90 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) and energy infrastructure investments in the coming years.

Maloney joined President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and other senior officials at the event, which emphasized the essential role electricity plays in powering the nation’s economy and advancing technologies like AI.

“We applaud Senator McCormick for convening today’s event with President Trump and for shining a bright light on the critical role electricity plays in powering innovation and driving economic growth,” said Maloney. “The more than $90 billion in new investments announced today will help fund energy infrastructure projects, connect data centers as quickly as they are built, and create thousands of jobs. These types of investments highlight the commitment of America’s electric companies to delivering the reliable, affordable electricity that makes innovation possible.”

During the summit, EEI member company PPL Corporation announced the formation of a joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure to build, own, and operate new natural gas-based, combined-cycle generation stations to power data centers under long-term energy services agreements with regulated-like risk profiles that do not expose the companies to merchant energy and capacity price volatility.

“We are committed to developing creative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges we face in today’s changing energy landscape. And in Blackstone Infrastructure, we’ve found a tremendous partner and long-term energy infrastructure investor that not only has deep expertise in data center development and power generation but also shares our passion to deliver America’s AI dominance and to help address resource adequacy concerns within PJM,” PPL President and CEO Vincent Sorgi said in a statement.

As the hometown electric company, Duquesne Light thanked the organizers of the summit and emphasized the company’s economic impact in Pittsburgh and throughout western Pennsylvania.

Five EEI member companies—Duquesne Light, FirstEnergy Corporation, PECO, PPL Electric Utilities, and UGI Utilities—collectively serve more than 5.9 million customers in Pennsylvania. Their investments in grid infrastructure in Pennsylvania are projected to more than double during the next four years to meet customer demand, boosting economic development and job growth in local communities.

Although future projections vary, experts agree that Pennsylvania’s and America’s appetite for electricity is only moving in one direction: up. Nationally, EEI member companies are projected to make more than $202 billion in grid investments this year alone.

“Through 2029, FirstEnergy is investing more than $28 billion in capital systemwide to modernize local distribution systems and strengthen the transmission network. In Pennsylvania, that includes spending $15 billion in the infrastructure enhancements, people, processes, and facilities needed to deliver safe, reliable power,” FirstEnergy Corporation Board Chair, President, and CEO Brian X. Tierney said in a statement. “This year alone, more than 40 new journey-level hires and apprentices will join our Pennsylvania team in well-paying, meaningful careers with long-term growth opportunity.”

Additionally:

• Duquesne Light plans to invest $2.7 billion during the next five years to upgrade the safety, reliability, and resilience of its service and grid infrastructure.
• PECO is investing approximately $9.3 billion during the next five years across its electric and natural gas systems to complete targeted system enhancements and corrective maintenance, invest in new equipment, inspect equipment, and perform enhanced tree trimming and other vegetation management. 
• PPL Electric Utilities, PPL’s regulated utility subsidiary in Pennsylvania, has made more than $13 billion in grid investments since 2013 and plans to invest nearly $7 billion more through 2028.
• Between the company’s 2023 and 2025 fiscal years, capital expenditures for UGI Utilities are projected to reach nearly $1.4 billion.

These investments allow electric companies to meet new and rising demand from data centers and AI technologies, industrialization and the reshoring of manufacturing activity, and the electrification of the transportation sector, among other drivers. Just last month, PECO committed to partnering with Amazon Web Services to support data center development in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Investor-owned electric companies also are increasingly embracing AI-enabled tools to power their operations, drive efficiency, and keep customer bills as low as possible. FirstEnergy is among several EEI member companies to use AI technology to inform its vegetation management strategy to help prevent wildfires and mitigate storm damage. Duquesne Light last year announced it would install an AI-powered system to help make underground grid maintenance safer and more efficient. 

This trend of electric company AI adoption extends well beyond Pennsylvania’s borders. Last month at EEI 2025, Southern California Edison was awarded the 97th Edison Award for its Advanced Waveform Anomaly Recognition system, which uses advanced sensors and AI models to detect faults and reduce the number and length of outages within SCE’s service territory. Learn more about the project and catch up on highlights from EEI’s annual thought leadership forum at eei.org/2025.

Upgrades and expansions to Entergy Louisiana’s generation and transmission infrastructure will help power a planned $5.8-billion Hyundai Motor Group steel manufacturing facility in Donaldsonville, La.

The facility, announced in late March, will produce 2.7 million metric tons of steel each year and help create an estimated 5,400 new jobs in the area. It also will solidify Hyundai’s vehicle manufacturing footprint within the United States, and the electric arc furnace serving the mill is expected to produce 70 percent fewer emissions than a traditional blast furnace.

“This historic investment will help set up Louisiana for long-term economic success, creating thousands of high-quality jobs and positioning our state as a leader in next-generation, low-carbon steel production,” Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May said in a statement.

For years, Entergy Louisiana has worked with the Louisiana Public Service Commission and other stakeholders to upgrade its transmission capacity along an area that, to date, has been the largest undeveloped tract of land along the deepwater stretch of the Mississippi River.

Last year, the company installed self-healing grid technology along the border of the surrounding Ascension Parish and East Baton Rouge, making local infrastructure more resilient.

Entergy Louisiana separately announced a $39-million project to fortify nearly 60 miles of power lines in Ascension Parish. Upon completion, the upgrades will help prevent 5.6 million hours of outages and save nearly $140 million in restoration costs during the next five decades. Work on additional transmission projects in the surrounding area also is underway.

Increased industrialization and onshoring of manufacturing activity in the United States is contributing to significant energy demand growth across the country and creating new opportunities for America’s electric companies to collaborate with their industry partners.

“Entergy Louisiana is proud to support Hyundai Steel Company with the reliable, sustainable energy solutions needed to power such an ambitious and forward-thinking facility. Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable future for our state,” May said.

Days after the Louisiana announcement, Hyundai opened its nearly $7.6-billion mass-production electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid plant in Ellabell, Ga., which is powered in part by nuclear energy generated from Georgia Power’s Vogtle Units 3 and 4. And, last year, AES Ohio unveiled a new $175-million substation, which powers a new Honda-LG Energy Solution EV battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio.

Manufacturing activity is one of several factors driving demand growth projections higher in the years ahead, alongside the electrification of transportation and the buildout of data centers supporting artificial intelligence technologies.

Since 1922, the Edison Award has recognized electric companies for their distinguished leadership, innovation, and contribution to the advancement of the electric industry for the benefit of all. The Edison Award is the most prestigious honor.

In March, an independent panel of reviewers met to evaluate nominations for the 2025 Edison Award and selected projects from The AES Corporation, Duke Energy, Edison International and Southern California Edison (SCE), and Southern Company as domestic finalists. Projects from ATCO Electric and Fortis Inc. were selected as international finalists.

“EEI’s member electric companies continue to drive innovation across their companies by investing in and deploying cutting-edge technologies and solutions that benefit the customers and communities they serve,” said EEI interim President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn. “This year’s Edison Award finalists have demonstrated exceptional leadership and ingenuity, and this recognition is well-deserved.”

The winners of the 97th Edison Award will be selected by a panel of former electric company chief executives and will be announced during EEI 2025, EEI’s annual conference and thought leadership forum, to be held June 2-4 in New Orleans.

Learn more about the Edison Award at eei.org/awards.

Domestic Finalists

The AES Corporation

• Maximo, the AI-Powered Robot

The AES Corporation unveiled Maximo, a first-of-its-kind robot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and built to install solar panels quickly, precisely, and efficiently, in 2024. The robot works alongside construction crews to automate heavy lifting and precise placement tasks associated with installing solar panels, ultimately making the installation process safer and reducing costs.

Maximo is on track to install more than 100 megawatts of solar panels in 2025 and is slated to be deployed across 5 gigawatts (GW) of projects during the next three years, including the 2 GW Bellefield solar project in Kern County, Cali. That project, under contract with Amazon, is the largest solar-plus-storage project to be permitted in the United States to date.

Using advanced sensors and cameras, an industrial robotic arm, and generative AI to refine exact coordinates and dimensions for placement, Maximo can install solar panels in half the time and at half the cost of traditional crews while also opening the door for new career opportunities. Already, AES crew members have continued to work onsite alongside Maximo when they otherwise would have been sidelined from installation due to unpredictable weather conditions or staff shortages.

Duke Energy

• Setting a New Bar for Climate Resilience and Storm Response

In 2024, Duke Energy advanced its science-based planning to enhance grid resilience and reliability in the face of extreme weather. The company published the first comprehensive assessment of climate risks across generation, transmission, and distribution for a vertically integrated electric company: the Duke Energy Climate Resilience and Adaptation Study. 

Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton impacted customers in all six states served by Duke Energy, leaving catastrophic damage in their wake and demanding a historic coordinated response from across the electric power industry. Duke Energy mobilized more than 20,000 workers in response to Helene and nearly 19,000 following Milton, and Duke Energy Foundation provided more than $2.3 million in grants to 78 organizations for disaster relief and recovery.

Resilience and restoration efforts were aided by the $4 billion Duke Energy invested last year in hardening and modernizing the grid, which included undergrounding lines, upgrading poles to steel and concrete in coastal areas, and installing innovative self-healing grid technology. These investments helped to avoid nearly 550,000 customer outages and saved 7 million hours of total outage time during Debby, Helene, and Milton.

These real-world challenges tested and validated the importance of Duke Energy’s commitment to resilience and system adaptation, solidifying the need for the industry to continue collaborating to further prepare for extreme weather events. Duke Energy is investing $70 billion during the next decade to make the grid smarter, stronger, and more resilient. The resilience and adaptation study also identified future opportunities, like new infrastructure design standards, to accommodate higher temperatures and mitigate impacts from flooding.

Edison International and Southern California Edison (SCE)

• AWARE System

SCE’s Advanced Waveform Anomaly Recognition (AWARE) system supplements advanced sensors and other applications already used by many electric companies with state-of-the-art physics-based AI models and machine learning technologies. The resulting grid anomaly detection and proactive fault management technology can help to identify and locate problematic equipment on SCE’s circuits before a failure occurs, mitigating outages and helping to keep customers and communities safe and energized.

Many smart grid technologies use electric waveforms to detect faults, but the energy grid’s increasing complexity and the rise of customer-sited distributed energy resources can add noise that is difficult for traditional detection programs to sift through.

SCE’s AWARE system uses AI and machine learning to identify the unique waveforms for different kinds of equipment failures. It also can help to pinpoint where failures take place within SCE’s service territory, accelerating restoration times and supporting safer and more targeted restoration efforts.

Southern Company

• Plant Vogtle Unit 4

Plant Vogtle Unit 4 entered commercial operation in April 2024, following the completion of Vogtle Unit 3 the year prior. Each unit can power 500,000 Georgia homes and businesses and will serve communities across the state for decades to come. Collectively, the units have created 800 new good-paying, high-quality permanent jobs while helping to strengthen America’s nuclear energy supply chain and talent pipeline.

Sitting on 3,000 acres of land on the banks of the Savannah River, Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of carbon-free nuclear energy in the United States, capable of producing more than 30 million megawatt-hours of electricity annually.

The nuclear energy produced by Vogtle Units 3 and 4 will prevent an estimated 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to planting 165 million trees every year, all while powering Georgia’s economy.

International Finalists

ATCO Electric

• Jasper National Park Wildfire Response

The 2024 wildfire in Jasper National Park was one of the most devastating in Canadian history, destroying nearly a third of the town of Jasper and forcing 25,000 residents to evacuate. Despite extensive damage to more than 800 electric and natural gas assets, ATCO Electric restored power to all properties able to receive it within 16 days of the fire’s outbreak—preventing economic losses while supporting community livelihoods.

The Jasper fire was first reported on July 22, 2024, and spread quickly and aggressively. ATCO Electric employees were among the last to evacuate and first to return as they worked to restore power to impacted communities. Through ATCO Electric’s extensive experience with wildfires in Alberta, the company effectively collaborated with Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper to rebuild infrastructure safely and as quickly as possible.

Grid hardening was critical to ATCO Electric’s response and restoration efforts. ATCO Electric undergrounded nearly 8 kilometers (5 miles) of distribution lines near a popular ski hill, replaced cables and converted lines associated with a local sky tram, and installed non-combustible composite poles to protect against future fire risk—highlighting the company’s commitment to supporting the area’s key economic driver and source of jobs.

Fortis Inc.

• Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission System

The approximately $1.9-billion Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission System is Canada’s largest Indigenous-led electricity project. Fortis partnered with Wataynikaneyap Power and 24 First Nations communities to construct the 1,800-kilometer (1,118-mile) transmission line connected to 22 substations. The system connects 17 rural and remote First Nations communities to the Ontario provincial energy grid.

Construction of the system began in 2020 and was completed in May 2024. With 16 of the 22 substations and half of the transmission line accessible only during winter months, construction timelines needed to be compressed, meaning, in some cases, a year’s worth of work needed to be completed in a matter of months.

The new transmission system is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 6.6 million tonnes during the next 40 years and will reduce First Nations communities’ reliance on diesel generation. Construction on new homes, offices, health facilities, fitness centers, and schools has already begun in areas that previously were unable to expand due to lack of access to reliable, affordable energy—underscoring the industry’s critical work to drive communities forward.

The Diablo Canyon facility is California's only nuclear power plant in operation and generates nearly 9 percent of the state's electricity. (Photo: Pacific Gas & Electric Company)

Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) recently launched an on-site generative artificial intelligence (AI) program at its Diablo Canyon Power Plant, marking the first time such technology has been commercially deployed at a U.S. nuclear plant.

The program, developed by technology company Atomic Canyon using Nvidia’s AI platform, is helping facility operators with document search and retrieval, saving time and significant cost while improving operational efficiency. PG&E estimates it maintains billions of pages of technical documentation to adhere to federal and state regulations and that its new AI capabilities will cut search times from hours to seconds.

“Atomic Canyon’s AI solutions will enable faster data retrieval, boosting collaboration and ensuring continued safe, but more efficient, operations,” PG&E Vice President of Business and Technical Services at Diablo Canyon Power Plant Maureen Zawalick said in a statement. “Accessing critical information in seconds will let us focus on what truly matters—delivering reliable clean energy safely and affordably.”

The Diablo Canyon facility opened in 1985 and is California’s only nuclear power plant in operation. It is surrounded by 12,000 acres of coastal terrain between Los Angeles and San Jose. The plant generates nearly 9 percent of the state’s electricity and will be critical to meeting growing customer demand and California’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045. The California Energy Commission estimates energy demand in the state will increase 43 percent during the next 15 years.

“With skyrocketing energy demands and increased support from tech leaders, we are witnessing the growing excitement and need for nuclear energy in real time,” said Atomic Canyon Founder Trey Lauderdale. “This is the future of nuclear plant operations, and we’re just scratching the surface.”

Nuclear energy has generated attention around the world in recent years as demand for electricity accelerates. Georgia Power made headlines in 2023 and 2024 for completing Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, Ga. They were the first newly constructed nuclear facilities to be built in the United States in more than 30 years. Plant Vogtle Unit 4 was recently named a finalist for the Edison Award, which will be issued at EEI 2025 in New Orleans in June.

AI technologies and the data centers that power them also have been a central focus for the electric power industry—because of their substantial energy needs and their potential to revolutionize how electric companies operate and serve their customers. AES last year launched Maximo, an AI-powered robot designed to help install solar panels. And, Avangrid recently launched a new AI program to help technicians more quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues on wind turbines.

In late March, Avangrid unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool built to help the company’s field technicians more quickly and efficiently respond to technical issues at its wind plants.

The First Time Right Autopilot generative AI program helps technicians diagnose and resolve possible problems on wind turbines. Technicians engage with the program via voice or text, providing background information on the issue, and the program provides them with step-by-step instructions and documentation through their mobile devices. The program already has been installed at plants in Iowa and New York. Avangrid is planning to deploy it across its fleet later this year.

“By leveraging generative AI to provide real-time, expert-level support, we are empowering our technicians with the tools they need to improve reliability and efficiency within our fleet,” Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra said in a statement. “This is a testament to our commitment to shaping the future of energy through continuous innovation and technological advancement.”

The program is helping Avangrid technicians safely and more quickly identify technical problems, cutting down on the amount of time turbines are taken offline. It is the company’s latest effort to leverage AI capabilities to assist in its operations and better serve its customers. Last year, Avangrid unveiled Ava, a customer-facing AI energy assistant, in certain markets, and it announced a pilot project involving an AI-powered robotic dog to assist with substation inspections. And, in 2023, Avangrid and Iberdrola stood up a data science and analytics team to manage the company’s AI systems that help improve grid reliability and serve customers.

Executives from Eversource and their partners break ground on the Greater Cambridge Energy Program substation project in January. (Photo: Eversource)

In late January, Eversource broke ground on a $1.8-billion project in Cambridge, Mass., that, upon completion, will include the largest underground electrical substation in the United States.

The Greater Cambridge Energy Program substation will occupy 35,000 square feet and feature eight new 115-kilovolt transmission lines, which will span more than 8 miles and power portions of Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, and surrounding communities. The facility will be more than 100 feet underground at the site of a former parking garage and underneath what will be a new public green space.

“By taking a collaborative approach with the community and local leaders, this critical energy infrastructure meets several needs for our customers and the region’s energy supply while helping to enable the clean energy transition,” said Eversource Chairman, President, and CEO Joe Nolan.

By placing the facility underground, Eversource hopes to minimize its footprint within the city while enhancing grid resilience and insulating lines from above-ground threats such as extreme weather. Eversource has spent years designing the facility and conducting community engagement efforts with customers, local leaders, and other stakeholders, having started public outreach efforts in 2019. The company has since partnered with the city of Cambridge, the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, and real estate investment company BXP to bring the project to life.

“This region is experiencing a surge of new residential and commercial development, while at the same time moving away from fossil fuels. This generates a growing demand for a reliable electrical grid,” said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang. “The Greater Cambridge Energy Program helps address the increased energy needs in the region, enhance the resiliency and reliability of the grid to reliably serve customers in our community, and support the decarbonization goals of both Cambridge and the Commonwealth.”

Eversource designed the substation to help meet the needs of customers now and in the future, particularly as the economy continues to electrify. For example, the company estimates that the substation will allow it to handle all of its East Cambridge residential customers who are converting their traditional heating systems to electric heat pumps while cutting the area’s reliance on natural gas in half.

“The Greater Cambridge Energy Program is a creative solution that helps shape a more sustainable and resilient energy future for our customers,” said Nolan.

The undergrounding of substations is not a new concept in the United States, with the first such project opening in Anaheim, Calif., in 2006. Upon its completion, the Cambridge substation will be more than twice the size of the underground substation in Anaheim.

Eversource anticipates that it will be able to operate at least some of the facility by 2029 and that it will be fully operational by 2031, creating and supporting an estimated 500 full-time jobs.