divenewsletter.com

Utility Dive’s Feb.

2026-02-17 · 17:49 UTC ·Utility Dive ·5 min read

Brief

PJM, PG&E, and DTE illustrate the same underlying trend: rapid load growth from data centers is pushing U.S. utilities toward larger transmission builds, higher five-year capital plans, and new arguments that large-load customers can improve system economics for other ratepayers. The most concrete item is PJM’s $11.8 billion transmission expansion, with especially large awards in Virginia and Pennsylvania, signaling how interregional and high-voltage projects are becoming central to serving concentrated demand growth. On the utility earnings side, PG&E says data-center expansion has supported an 11% rate reduction since 2024, while DTE raised planned 2026-2030 spending to $36.5 billion, up 20% from its previous outlook, explicitly citing data centers and reliability. The newsletter also flags emerging industrial-policy friction: proposed 100% domestic-content rules for EV chargers could slow deployment, and Treasury’s FEOC safe-harbor guidance adds more detail on compliance calculations for clean-energy supply chains.

Why it matters

Utility Dive’s Feb. 17, 2026 newsletter centers on how data-center load growth is reshaping utility capex, transmission planning, and retail rates.

Key details

  • PJM’s board approved an $11.8 billion transmission expansion plan, including a $4.8 billion high-voltage direct-current underground project in Virginia awarded to Dominion Energy and a $1.7 billion Pennsylvania project awarded to a NextEra Energy-Exelon partnership.
  • PG&E CEO Patti Poppe said data-center growth has helped the utility cut rates 11% since 2024, while also arguing California’s wildfire policies are now a “regressive” burden on ratepayers.
  • DTE Energy increased its 2026-2030 investment plan to $36.5 billion from $30 billion in its prior 2025-2029 outlook, a 20% jump tied to data-center demand and grid reliability spending.
  • Other policy and market signals in the newsletter include a Trump administration proposal to require 100% domestic materials in EV chargers and Treasury’s interim FEOC guidance clarifying material assistance cost ratio thresholds for projects and components.
Cleaned source text

title: Feb. 17 - PJM approves $11.8B transmission expansion | Data center growth helps PG&E cut rates

author: Utility Dive

content_type: newsletter

publication: divenewsletter.com

published: 2026-02-17T12:49:07-05:00

source_url: gmail://19c6cb88aff47fe3

word_count: 1173

Daily Dive

Feb. ​ 17,​ 2026 | Today’s news and insights for utility leaders

Reveal Your Real Energy Cost Drivers

Opaque fees, demand patterns, and operational inefficiencies can often drive up your organization’s energy costs. Find where savings hide. Download our free eGuide.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR If you're a subscriber to our Weekender edition, you may have noticed something was off over the long weekend. Due to a glitch on our end, that newsletter edition didn't go out with all the stories it should have. We apologize for any confusion and for failing to give you the latest industry news and insights to read over the long weekend. If you're looking to catch up on the biggest stories from last week, you can check out our coverage of the Treasury Department’s proposed guidance for foreign entity of concern rules and of American Electric Power’s expanding data center pipeline. We're back to business as usual today.

Robert Walton

Senior Reporter, Utility Dive

X/Twitter | Email

PJM board approves $11.8B transmission expansion plan

Dominion Energy utility lands $4.8-billion, high-voltage, direct-current underground project in Virginia as NextEra Energy-Exelon is awarded a $1.7-billion project in Pennsylvania.

Data center growth has helped PG&E cut rates 11% since 2024, CEO says

But California's “regressive” wildfire policies have become a burden for ratepayers, CEO Patti Poppe said.

DTE Energy’s 5-year spending plan jumps 20% on data center, reliability investments

The company's 2026-2030 investment plan clocks in at $36.5 billion, up from $30 billion it identified in its 2025-2029 outlook.

Energy policy roadmap: What utilities can expect through 2026

Take a look at what progress has been made on Project 2025 energy sector policy recommendations to shed light on what Orennia might expect to see in 2026.

Opinion

Hidden assets: Why data centers don’t have to be the villain

Conventional wisdom treats data centers as inflexible monsters. That characterization made sense a decade ago, but not now, writes GridX CCO Scott Engstrom.

Trump administration moves to require 100% domestic materials in EV chargers

Renewable energy advocates say the proposal would further delay the buildout of charging station infrastructure and undermine U.S. competitiveness.

Treasury issues FEOC guidance, clarifies material assistance cost ratio

The notice offers interim safe harbor guidance for calculating a project or component’s material assistance cost ratio, or MACR, and provides relevant MACR thresholds.

Utility Mega Project Success Strategies

Download Now