EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

Faster-than-Expected Data Center Load Growth May Cause Increased Regional Short-term Fossil Fuel Generation and Wholesale Electricity Prices

LCG, March 18, 2026--The EIA released a new "In-depth Analysis" of the potential impact of faster-than-expected near-term growth in data center power demand on power generation and wholesale prices on March 12. The analysis models the lower 48 states through 2027 and compares results to its base case scenario. Key takeaway from this sensitivity analysis is the potential increase in fossil fuels in some regions and potentially a significant increase in wholesale prices in ERCOT.

Read more

Faster-than-Expected Data Center Load Growth May Cause Increased Regional Short-term Fossil Fuel Generation and Wholesale Electricity Prices

LCG, March 18, 2026--The EIA released a new "In-depth Analysis" of the potential impact of faster-than-expected near-term growth in data center power demand on power generation and wholesale prices on March 12. The analysis models the lower 48 states through 2027 and compares results to its base case scenario. Key takeaway from this sensitivity analysis is the potential increase in fossil fuels in some regions and potentially a significant increase in wholesale prices in ERCOT.

Read more

Industry News

FERC Asked to Ease Caps on Northwest Power Prices

LCG, Aug. 31, 2001--A power planning group formed by the governors of four states in the Pacific Northwest has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to relax their price caps on electricity because of concern that the controls could restrict power supplies this winter.

The Northwest Power Planning Council says FERC's pricing formula, imposed in June on 11 states in the West, is based solely on the cost of producing power in California, which has little relevance for Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

In California, peak demand occurs during the summer when air conditioners are fighting a hot climate and drops during the clement winters. The situation is just the opposite in the Northwest, where many homes are heated by electricity and the winters are cold.

The council fears that FERC's pricing formula could keep prices artificially low in the Northwest and deter power producers from selling electricity into the regional market, just when it's needed most.

The council recommended several changes to FERC's rule, including one that would base power prices on the cost of production, and voted 6-2 to file the petition with FERC.

Another of the recommendations would require power producers in California to sell electricity into the four Northwestern states -- the reverse of Clinton administration rulings when the Department of Energy ordered Northwestern power producers to sell power to California during that state's energy emergencies last fall.

Those sales resulted in power shortages in the Northwest and higher prices for consumers in the four states.

Copyright © 2026 LCG Consulting. All rights reserved. Terms and Copyright
UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
Uniform Storage Model
A Battery Simulation Model
UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
CAISO CRR Auctions
Monthly Price and Congestion Forecasting Service