Law & Lawyers

Bandera Electric: Transforming the Grid from the Ground Up

AEIC

“Most utilities are accustomed to smart meters providing 15-minute interval data — sometimes every hour. But for grid modernization to succeed in a decentralized energy economy, that’s not fast enough. BEC’s Apolloware operates with 1-2 second data resolution, enabling near-instantaneous visibility.”

A Day at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities

Unique Conversations

The DPU is led by Chair James Van Nostrand along with Commissioners Cecile Fraser and Staci Rubin. The PUF team discussed with them the latest events in regulation, as well as where the Bay State is headed in its energy transition. DPU Staff provided updates on what is going on in their divisions, and as a bonus, PUF Executive Editor Steve Mitnick talked with Secretary of Energy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Rebecca Tepper.

Managing Data Centers' Financial Risk

Protecting Electricity Customers

“This pioneering project shows that we no longer need to guess or debate whether a proposed data center will get built. We can wait until it’s mostly built (so we can be surer it’ll get finished and run), then build its off-grid power supply on nearby cheap land.”

Mass DPU: James Van Nostrand

Chair

“The next five years are going to be significant on the gas side as we continue to guide the transition of the industry, and on the electric side as we implement AMI and roll out time-varying rates. We need to do a lot on rate design, affordability, and heat pump rates.”

Powering the AI Century: Why Utilities Must Lead

The Grid Is No Longer Background

“Burgeoning demand for AI data centers is already reshaping load profiles in Virginia, Texas, and other hot spots. Virginia’s data center load will approach half of the state’s overall power consumption by 2030 – up from about a quarter today.”

Mass DPU: Staci Rubin

Commissioner

“We are considering whether to limit the percentage of people’s income spent on energy bills. We have an energy burden docket considering tiered discount rates or targeting the largest bill discounts to customers most in need, and changes to utility service disconnection practices.”

America's Cybersecurity Reality

A View from the Eighty-Fourth Floor

“I had the privilege of joining national security leaders, utility executives, cybersecurity experts, and public-private collaborators at the Qrypt-hosted summit on critical infrastructure protection. With cyber threats evolving in stealth, sophistication, and scale, this gathering was a wake-up call, and a roadmap, for utilities and regulators alike.”

Mass DPU: Cecile Fraser

Commissioner

“Cost to consumers is top of mind for the Commission and the Department. We understand that the high cost of energy is a burden for a lot of folks in Massachusetts, and that’s something we take seriously and are working on.”