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Utility Dive’s Feb.

2026-02-18 · 16:53 UTC ·Utility Dive ·5 min read

Brief

The Feb. 18 Utility Dive newsletter centers on how U.S. utilities and grid operators are responding to accelerating large-load growth from data centers and industrial projects. The most concrete item is Portland General Electric’s proposed $1.9 billion acquisition of PacifiCorp’s Washington utility business, which PGE says could strengthen resilience and unlock transmission and clean-energy investment while expanding access to new large customers. In parallel, CAISO is formalizing industry feedback on large-load planning, a sign that data-center interconnection and forecasting issues are becoming core market-design and transmission-planning concerns. Entergy added a notable utility demand forecast, projecting 8% annual sales growth through 2029 across its five utilities as new industrial and high-tech customers ramp. The package also includes contrasting supply- and demand-side responses: EPRI advocates better use of existing grid assets plus new transmission technologies, while ACEEE says efficiency and flexible demand can serve incremental data-center load for around $21/MWh, materially below new combined-cycle gas costs.

Why it matters

Utility Dive’s Feb. 18, 2026 Daily Dive highlights several utility-scale load growth and grid planning stories tied to data centers, transmission, and industrial expansion.

Key details

  • Portland General Electric said its $1.9 billion deal to buy PacifiCorp’s Washington utility operations could improve system resilience, expand transmission and clean-energy investment, and add new large-load customers.
  • CAISO is soliciting input on a large-load considerations report as questions rise about how the ISO plans for and manages large loads; infrastructure policy development principal Danielle Mills said the operator is receiving heavy interest on the topic.
  • Entergy said its five regional utilities expect 8% annual sales growth through 2029, driven by both traditional heavy industry and high-tech industrial customers such as data centers.
  • ACEEE argued that energy efficiency and demand flexibility can serve growing data-center demand at lower cost, estimating large utility efficiency programs at about $21/MWh versus at least roughly double that for new combined-cycle gas generation.
  • An EPRI opinion piece said the U.S. power sector should both optimize existing infrastructure and evaluate emerging transmission technologies to meet AI-era electricity demand.
Cleaned source text

title: Feb. 18 - PGE in $1.9B bid for PacifiCorp’s Washington utility | California ISO digs into large load issues

author: Utility Dive

content_type: newsletter

publication: divenewsletter.com

published: 2026-02-18T11:53:16-05:00

source_url: gmail://19c71ac4bb5707b3

word_count: 1059

Daily Dive

Feb. ​ 18,​ 2026 | Today’s news and insights for utility leaders

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