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A coalition of electrical utilities, including two major players in Wisconsin’s power supply, is seeking federal intervention to pause competitive bidding for transmission projects needed to meet the vast energy needs of the data center boom.

The coalition filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Tuesday asking the agency to exempt at least some major grid upgrades from bidding, arguing “bureaucratic red tape” can tack months onto project timelines and strain the country’s ability to “achieve dominance” in artificial intelligence. 

“This complaint is about whether our country will seize, or squander, a generational chance to own the next century,” the utilities wrote.

Among the companies behind the complaint are Xcel Energy, owner of Northern States Power Company-Wisconsin, and American Transmission Company (ATC), which owns and operates transmission lines across much of Wisconsin. 

National and statewide ratepayer advocacy groups reacted with alarm, casting the utilities’ request as a recipe for higher electricity bills. 

“Utilities rushing to catch a ride on the AI investment gold rush need to slow down and think about the impact their proposals are having,” wrote Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Tom Content, as customers “wake up like Groundhog Day to rate hikes well above the cost of living.”

The complaint and the pushback it prompted mark the latest phase in a long-standing fight over the benefits of opening the transmission market to competition.

Stiff competition

FERC first introduced competitive bidding for regional transmission projects in 2011 after ratepayer advocates lobbied for change, arguing that the earlier process — allowing local monopolies to control all projects within their territories — all but guaranteed inflated costs.

The shift set off a race between developers angling for a piece of the action. When a developer wins a transmission project, it also picks up a new revenue stream: Regulators pre-approve developers’ “return on equity,” or profit on each dollar invested.

Dozens of developers have lined up to bid since the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), a nonprofit that manages the wholesale electricity market and grid for much of the Midwest, approved more than $10 billion in new transmission projects in 2022. A new round of projects approved in December 2024 added about $22 billion to the total, and the list of prospective bidders grew once again.

Some are local utilities hoping to maintain control of their territory; others are powerful national utilities venturing outside of their turf, international developers wading into the U.S. market, and startup transmission developers backed by private equity firms.  

While the data center rush had already begun in the Midwest by the time MISO approved the latest set of transmission projects in 2024, the approved projects often couldn’t account for the scale and breakneck pace of the data center developments that emerged in the region soon after. With the boom now in full swing, the tenor of competition for transmission projects is changing.

Debate over bidding benefits 

MISO, which is also responsible for picking a developer for each project, has favored lower-cost bids with more substantial “cost containment” measures designed to shield customers from budget overruns. Ratepayer advocates say the lower bids are proof the bidding requirements are working, pushing even major national utilities to underbid competitors.

In their complaint to FERC, the coalition of utilities — which calls itself the “Grid Acceleration Coalition” — argued the benefits of competition are “unproven.” 

Projects planned by utilities themselves aren’t subject to competitive bidding; non-competitive projects around the country routinely exceed initial budgets by millions of dollars. While cheaper bids tend to win competitive projects, the utility group argued that even those projects aren’t immune to budget overruns.

But the core of the utilities’ case is about time, not money. They argue the bidding process adds months to project timelines without clear benefits.

In their view, those delays harm customers, in part by slowing the construction of transmission lines that could expand access to cheaper electricity and prevent blackouts, and pose national security risks. 

“These projects — expressways for power — are as critical to meeting today’s challenges as the Eisenhower interstate highway system was to prevailing in the Cold War,” the coalition argued in its complaint. “China has devoted itself to overtaking America as the world’s AI leader and is just months behind.”

The utilities pointed to a recent example in Wisconsin: Last month, MISO reversed its decision to award three substations in Fond du Lac, Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties to private-equity-backed startup Viridon, instead handing the projects to ATC. 

ATC’s initial bid was more expensive than Viridon’s, but the company successfully argued it alone could build the substations in time to serve the nearby Vantage data center campus in Port Washington. 

MISO’s initial plans set a goal to complete the substations by 2033; the Port Washington data center plans to come online in early 2028. Though ATC emerged victorious, it told FERC that the 15-month delay between MISO’s initial approval of the substations and the reversal was “completely unnecessary.”

Ratepayer advocates and other observers, however, quickly pointed out that even noncompetitive projects run into delays. ATC’s Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line in southwest Wisconsin, for instance, came online in 2024 — more than a decade after MISO approved it — following prolonged legal battles with conservation groups. 

“All developers can experience construction delays,” said Claire Wayner, a senior associate with the clean energy nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute. “It’s not like there’s a silver bullet.”

Opponents also underscored that two competitively bid projects in the Southwest met their in-service date goals last year. 

“Competitive transmission projects have been shown to have a better track record of adhering to cost containment and completion schedules than noncompetitive projects,” said Paul Cicio, chair of the national Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition. “A moratorium would move us backward at precisely the wrong time.”

The back-and-forth over the merits of competition is nothing new, Wayner noted. “The tricky thing with transmission competition is that there are stories of projects from both sides of the aisle that support their positions.” 

The push to pause competition

The utility group proposed two options to FERC: Allow MISO and a Southwestern regional grid operator to exempt projects from competitive bidding on a case-by-case basis or suspend competition entirely for the next five years — “a period pegged to when our country must begin building the infrastructure that will decide which nation wins the AI race.”

The utilities added that they don’t intend to “claw back” other projects already awarded or interrupt ongoing bidding processes.

During that five-year period, national forecasts estimate data center electricity demand could reach up to 25% of the country’s total energy use. MISO alone projects that it may need to double its current pace of generation growth to avoid shortfalls in the near future.

MISO’s territory, stretching from the Upper Midwest to Louisiana, has seen by far the most dramatic increase in data center capacity since 2020 relative to other regional grid networks.

The right of first refusal fight

After FERC introduced competitive bidding in 2011, utility groups turned to state legislatures. The result: right-of-first-refusal (ROFR) laws that give established local utilities first dibs on transmission projects in their territories, including those planned by regional grid operators like MISO.

Utilities prevailed in Minnesota and Michigan; Iowa’s Supreme Court struck down its ROFR law in 2023 after a national transmission developer challenged its constitutionality, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed an ROFR bill the same year.

But similar efforts have failed in Wisconsin. State lawmakers have consistently rejected ROFR proposals, including a 2025 bill sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Wisconsin ratepayer advocates see the FERC complaint as a work-around. “It is another effort by the utilities to defeat competition,” Todd Stuart, executive director of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, wrote in an email to Wisconsin Watch. “When they lose in state legislatures and then lose out on competitive bids,” he added, “they go back to FERC.”

In the utilities’ complaint, Xcel Energy cited Wisconsin’s lack of an ROFR law, and the resulting bidding process for projects in the state, as posing a risk of delaying upgrades needed to serve a data center across the border in Minnesota. 

The company wouldn’t comment about the parallels between the options utilities suggested in the FERC complaint and ROFR laws. Instead, spokesman Kevin Coss pointed to permitting reforms in Minnesota — a 2024 law streamlining permitting for clean energy projects — as another example of the company’s efforts to “speed the buildout of critical infrastructure across our systems.” Xcel did not bid on any of the competitive projects in Wisconsin.

In a statement to Wisconsin Watch, ATC argued the options its coalition suggested to FERC “would not operate as a substitute” for an ROFR law, “even temporarily or on a case-by-case basis.”

Buildout costs fall to ratepayers

Regardless of who builds a transmission line, ratepayers cover the construction and maintenance costs through their electricity bills. We Energies estimates that transmission-related costs account for about 10% of customers’ bills. 

Customers across the Upper Midwest share the costs of MISO-designed projects across multiple states, spreading costs among a larger number of ratepayers.

But billing practices vary. In some cases, utilities can only bill ratepayers for the costs of building a transmission project after it comes online. When ATC builds a transmission line, FERC allows the developer to begin billing customers while the line is still under construction.

ATC says this approach saves customers money in the long term by reducing interest on construction costs.
Ratepayer advocates see it differently. “Consumers are paying for projects without receiving the benefits,” Cicio said. Transmission projects take years to complete, and short-term increases in monthly electricity bills don’t square well with concerns about affordability and the risk of stranded assets if the AI boom goes bust.

Adding to the frustration: a planned 9.2% electricity rate increase for We Energies customers in eastern Wisconsin over the next two years. That rate hike in part reflects the addition of generators, including new natural gas plants in Milwaukee and Kenosha counties, needed to meet data center demands.

Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission will soon decide how to divvy up costs of powering We Energies-served data centers — a decision that could set a statewide precedent.

This story was updated to clarify which transmission projects are subject to competitive bidding.

Utilities seek federal pause on grid bidding amid AI-driven power demand is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Late last month, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the federal government will pay a French energy company nearly $1 billion — not to build clean energy here in the U.S., but to kill it.

The developer, which was set to invest private dollars in two offshore wind projects that could have powered more than a million American homes, will be paid off by our government to simply walk away. In exchange for this extraordinary payment of taxpayer dollars, the company will use the government payoff to expand fracking and drilling operations in the U.S. 

“The era of taxpayers subsidizing unreliable, unaffordable and unsecure energy is officially over,” declared the secretary as he unveiled the deal. 

The comment is laughable in the face of skyrocketing energy prices caused by — no surprise — unsecure, unreliable oil and gas. The price of gas has risen more than a dollar per gallon in a matter of weeks as the war with Iran upends global oil markets.

Fossil fuels always come with volatility. Even American oil is sold on a global market influenced by geopolitics, supply shocks and other events outside our control. Wind and solar, on the other hand, can be paired with battery storage to offer reliable American power at the lowest cost.

That was the plan in 2022 when Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a historic investment in domestic clean energy like wind, solar, and battery storage. The idea was simple: generate more energy here, reduce dependence on global fuel markets and give families more control over their energy bills. It was a hedge against exactly the kind of volatility we’re seeing right now.

But that strategy was dismantled through the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” That law repealed the IRA’s clean energy tax credits, ripped away help for families to install better insulation and rooftop solar and rolled back pollution protections. Now, energy costs are on the rise as the federal government chokes the supply of wind and solar, the cheapest forms of energy. In states like Wisconsin, where more than $140 million in clean energy grants have been canceled, the ugly side of that “beautiful bill” is showing. 

Over the next decade, projections show that Wisconsin could miss out on about 17 gigawatts of generation capacity due to measures in the bill. That’s more energy than current peak demand for the entire state. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is spending about $14 billion to bring in oil, coal and gas from out of state — money that could be kept in Wisconsin if we prioritized capturing abundant and free energy resources like wind and solar. Despite this, state energy regulators have approved expensive new gas-burning power plants to power the surge of energy-hungry data centers. Wisconsinites will pay more for electricity and breathe dirtier air as a result.

As these long-term consequences take shape, utilities are moving ahead with rate hikes that will cost Wisconsinites even more. In 2025 alone, Wisconsin utilities proposed or enacted more than $2.7 billion in increases, affecting millions of customers.

So, Mr. Burgum, where is this “affordable energy” and who is benefiting from it?

There’s a deep contradiction in turning away from clean energy in this moment. At a time when electricity demand is rising dramatically from data centers, why are we choosing to build fewer of the resources that can be deployed most quickly, scaled most affordably and insulated most effectively from unstable global markets?

There is simply no path to American energy independence that relies heavily on fossil fuels. Wisconsin families and businesses could be enjoying lower bills and cleaner air instead of bracing for the next geopolitical shock. 

The good news is that none of this is set in stone. Congress could restore clean energy tax credits and invest in energy sources that are built here, priced here, and controlled here. But they need to hear from their constituents to understand how important this is. If the past few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that the most unreliable and unaffordable energy system is the one we don’t control.

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As the United States of America marks its 250th anniversary this year, the relationship between the states and the federal government is approaching a breaking point.

Led by a bellicose president, the executive branch has moved to dominate states, resulting in more than a year of escalating confrontations between the two levels of government.

President Donald Trump has worked quickly: In the first year of his second term, he surged thousands of immigration enforcement agents into a resistant Minneapolis and other cities, with fatal results. He seized control of the National Guard in some states against the will of governors.

His administration is trying to force states to turn over sensitive data on millions of voters ahead of the midterms. And it is blocking states from receiving, and distributing to their residents, billions of federal dollars for child care, public health, housing and a host of other congressionally approved programs.

Political parties have swung in and out of power in Washington for centuries, and recent administrations have increasingly clashed with states run by the other party. This time is different, dozens of sources in and around government told Stateline.

Trump and a coterie of loyal aides have set out to remake the nation in the president’s image. Along the way, retribution and raw power have become the administration’s primary tools to bend recalcitrant states to its will. Grants are pulled, armed force deployed, disaster aid withheld.

The states have repeatedly gone to court, asking the federal judiciary to rein in the executive branch. They have also started testing the bounds of their own authority, such as moving to restrict the actions of federal immigration enforcement agents.

The past year has led to a period of sustained state and federal conflict without parallel in modern U.S. history. The consequences for Americans over time will prove enormous, shaping the very nature of our government.

“This kind of battle between the federal government and the states, we’ve just never seen that before and it makes no sense,” said former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who was elected as a Republican but later helped co-found the centrist Forward Party.

Tensions between the states and the central government are as old as the nation itself. Alexander Hamilton famously favored a strong central government, while James Madison offered the Bill of Rights — including what became the 10th Amendment, which reserves for the states and the people those powers not delegated to the federal government.

But current strains are testing the bedrock principles of federalism, the uniquely American system created by the framers of the Constitution of power sharing between Washington, D.C., and the states.

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding on July 4, Stateline is exploring how the Trump era is transforming the relationship between the states and the federal government. This article is the first in an occasional series, The 50 vs. The One, that will examine the current fraught moment and what evolving — and often deteriorating — state-federal ties mean for the country, now and in the future.

In interviews and public remarks, current and former elected officials at all levels of government, as well as experts on American government, have described the country as approaching a pivot point. Trump’s second term could mark a defining moment for American federalism, one that will be studied in history books alongside Reconstruction, the New Deal and the Civil Rights Movement.

The United States will either continue to adhere to the principles of federalism, they say, or it will take a significant step toward a more powerful central government that sidelines the states.

“We are in a period of challenged federalism,” said Lisa Parshall, a federalism researcher and political science professor at Daemen University near Buffalo, New York. “The fact that we’re here talking about federalism tells you something about the current state of American politics.”

Dramatic changes in a year

Fears of diminishing state authority have animated state officials over the past year. Republican lawmakers in Utah have invested in federalism education and expanded a group to assess state-federal boundaries, for instance.

In July, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, both Democrats, publicly abandoned the nonpartisan National Governors Association, in part because they said the organization was not doing enough to protect states’ rights.

States are “laboratories of democracy,” Kelly said during an interview in February, using a classic civics textbook description. States have traditionally operated with relative freedom to pursue their own agendas and solutions to the challenges they face. In turn, states learn from one another.

“That’s been the beauty of it,” Kelly said. “If that’s to go away, if the federal government were — and they are, at this point — undermining states’ authority and responsibility, I think you end up slowing down the entire country.”

In the same way the three branches of government — the legislative, the executive and the judicial — provide checks and balances on one another, federalism imposes a state check on federal power. The U.S. Constitution, which went into effect in 1789, ensured states would command broad power over local commerce, policing, elections and other matters within their borders.

But Trump has at times raised doubt about whether he will always follow the Constitution and has claimed that he can ignore some of its requirements.

Last spring, Trump replied “I don’t know” when asked whether he needed to uphold the U.S. Constitution in the context of due process for immigrants. In 2022, he said massive election fraud allows parts of the Constitution to be terminated. And after his 2020 election defeat, he urged then-Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the results, even though the vice president has no constitutional authority to do so.

In February, Trump asserted that “states are just an agent of the federal government” as he called to “nationalize” elections. Under the Constitution, the responsibility of running elections belongs to the states.

Trump’s critics fault the Republican-controlled Congress for failing to challenge his sweeping assertions of executive power. His administration’s efforts to withhold from states billions in dollars appropriated by Congress, for instance, have spurred relatively little outrage among GOP lawmakers.

“What I think we’re seeing now is a whole different system of crushing state and local government,” said U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat who has been in Congress since 2005. “And bowing down to a new system where we are almost living in a one-person government.”

In response to questions from Stateline, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement: “The Trump Administration faithfully upholds our Constitution and the immortalized American principles of federalism, the rule of law, and the separation of powers.”

Trump and his allies have cast the president as a heroic figure capable of smashing through the machinery of government to achieve results on behalf of his voters and at the expense of his enemies. “For those who have been wronged and betrayed … I am your retribution,” he said in 2023.

He has at times taken steps that his supporters argue empower states, including effectively gutting the U.S. Department of Education, which Republicans have long accused of federal overreach. His appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court during his first term helped cement a conservative majority that in 2022 returned the issue of abortion access to the states.

In a statement, the Republican Governors Association told Stateline the current administration trusts governors to run their own states.

“By cutting government bureaucracy and unnecessary red-tape, President Trump is empowering governors to make decisions that best serve their individual states,” wrote Kollin Crompton, an RGA spokesperson.

Scrambled identities

The U.S. Constitution has been gradually amended in ways that have limited state power, most importantly through amendments that abolished slavery, required states to treat their citizens equally under the law, and prohibited states from denying suffrage on the basis of race and sex.

The federal government has also expanded its reach through legislation. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s and President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society in the 1960s imposed new economic regulations and created a federal social welfare apparatus that touches nearly every American.

Over time, Democrats broadly came to be seen as the party more comfortable with an active federal government and Republicans as the party seeking a more restrained Washington.

But the Trump era has scrambled those identities.

Trump has shown less respect for traditional conservative ideology, such as limited government and a general deference to the authority of states. Instead, he has taken a maximalist approach to executive power.

His actions have placed Democratic state officials in a position of advancing limits on the federal government, whether through lawsuits or legislation. And they have put Republican supporters of the president at odds with decades of conservative rhetoric.

“I do think that progressives are seeing that federalism — there’s a reason it’s in our constitutional order and it isn’t just something that’s left for conservatives,” said Sean Beienburg, an associate professor at Arizona State University who researches federalism and constitutional law.

In Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, Trump deployed federalized National Guard troops onto city streets before courts held him back and he withdrew. For a time, active-duty Marines also patrolled Los Angeles, an extraordinary use of the military for domestic purposes.

Oregon Democratic Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who challenged the deployment of the National Guard in his state, said the fight underscores why lawsuits matter in checking Trump’s power.

“People should be shocked that Oregon has filed 55 lawsuits,” Rayfield said in an interview earlier this year. “Their mind should be blown. But their mind should be equally blown at how often we’re winning these cases.”

The Trump administration has won seven court decisions — and lost 58 — so far, according to a New York Times litigation tracker.

Democratic state lawmakers have also searched for ways to restrict federal immigration agents. In California, Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee has proposed prohibiting state tax breaks for Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractors — a move that could carry national implications because of the size of the state’s economy.

“We also, now, are reasserting what the role of the states and the federal government are,” Lee said.

But among Republicans, Trump has successfully maintained his grip. Many conservative state leaders have supported the president’s most controversial moves, even those criticized as federal overreach.

During President Joe Biden’s term, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was a staunch proponent of state autonomy and repeatedly challenged the federal government on regulatory issues and its deployment of a state’s National Guard. But Abbott has supported Trump’s expansion of federal powers, going so far as to authorize the deployment of the Texas National Guard to aid immigration enforcement in Illinois and Oregon.

Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, the previous governor of West Virginia, said federalism remains “alive and well” under Trump. He said he was worried about the nation’s trajectory before coming to Washington in 2025.

“We’ve had to change things,” he said. “There’s new things that are going on that no question they’re disrupting folks on the other side of the aisle.”

Still, other Republicans have pushed back on the administration’s escalating hostility toward liberal states.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt sharply criticized the deployment of the National Guard, saying “Oklahomans would lose their mind” if a Democratic-controlled state sent troops to his state during Biden’s presidency. He has warned that the expanding power and spending of the federal government is dangerous no matter which party controls Washington.

“When we have this powerful of a federal government, it should be frightening for everyone,” Stitt said during a February event at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C.

‘States created the Constitution’

As the reach of the federal government ballooned over generations, Democratic and Republican presidents have used federal funding to wield more influence over state and local governments.

Federal dollars account for an increasingly large percentage of state revenues, rising from 22% in 1989 to 36% in 2023, according to Pew, which analyzed census and federal economic data. States received more than $1 trillion in federal grants that year.

Over the years, that largesse has encouraged states to pursue policy agendas favored by the current party in power at the federal level.

But Trump has weaponized federal funds in unprecedented ways, experts say. Bypassing Congress and despite numerous court losses, the White House has held up funding for higher education, transit, housing and infrastructure — particularly for states that displease him.

The administration’s attempts to terminate funding for the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey remain entangled in a lawsuit. New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the White House has caused millions in cost overruns and delays, in what she characterized as the most urgent and consequential infrastructure project in the country.

In February, Politico reported Trump told congressional leaders he would release funding for the project in exchange for renaming Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia and Penn Station in New York City in his honor.

Parshall, of Daemen University, noted that more state leaders of both parties are pushing to reassert state-federal boundaries — whether in the areas of agriculture or the future of artificial intelligence.

“Federalism scholars are seeing this as a potentially pivotal moment in federal-state relationships,” she said.

Last August, elected leaders gathered at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Boston, where in 1773 colonists hurled chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of Great Britain’s King George III. At the conference, lawmakers grumbled about a federal government increasingly sidelining states. That organization, representing more than 7,000 state and territory legislators, has consistently urged the Trump administration to respect states’ inherent authority.

In December, a bipartisan group of more than 40 lawmakers from 30 states gathered to discuss federalism issues, unanimously approving a declaration on the importance of states’ ability to legislate independently. That document noted that the Constitution did not create the states, “but rather the states created the Constitution, ratifying a framework in which we would both govern collectively and independently.”

New Hampshire state House Speaker Sherman Packard, a Republican, said state-federal tensions have been mounting for decades. He noted that the major tax and spending law the president signed last summer — often called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — both cut federal funding to states and saddled them with new costs and administrative work. But it’s just the latest example of what he views as a federal government overstepping its bounds.

“And it’s getting more and more prolific that they’re taking on and doing things that most of us feel is inappropriate,” Packard said. “If we don’t fix this, we’re going to lose state sovereignty altogether. And that’s just not the way it was set up.”

Reporter David Lightman contributed to this story. Stateline reporters Jonathan Shorman and Kevin Hardy can be reached at jshorman@stateline.org and khardy@stateline.org.

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Click here to read highlights from the story

• A big shift in Wisconsin’s power grid fight: The regional grid operator pulled a key project from a Blackstone-backed developer and gave it to ATC — the latest twist in who gets to build (and profit from) the data center boom.

• Surging power demand is fueling billions in grid upgrades and intensifying competition between utilities and investors. The data center boom has amped up demand and competition even further. Ratepayers will ultimately cover the costs through their utility bills.

• The decision isn’t final. Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission still has to weigh in.

The Midwest’s data center boom requires a vast electrical transmission buildout to keep servers online, and transmission developers are clamoring for a share of the action.

An example of that tug-of-war played out last week, when the regional grid operator for much of the Upper Midwest reversed its earlier decision to allow a developer backed by the investment firm Blackstone to build a series of substations in eastern Wisconsin.

Instead, the operator handed the substations to the American Transmission Company (ATC), which owns and operates most transmission lines in eastern and central Wisconsin. The company argues it’s better-positioned to complete the project before a new Port Washington data center comes online by early 2028, five years ahead of the transmission project’s original deadline.

The about-face is a win for Wisconsin’s largest transmission developer after a series of losses in Wisconsin’s Assembly, where lawmakers have repeatedly rejected a proposal to give regionally established developers like ATC a monopoly over portions of multistate transmission projects within Wisconsin, leaving the door open for competition. 

The new arrangement itself likely won’t drive up costs for Wisconsin ratepayers. But ATC will now fold the substations into a larger $1.3 billion buildout to serve the Port Washington campus — another phase in the ongoing fight over who will pay to supply power for new data centers.

How the Midwest’s grid is planned and paid for

The North American grid is an ever-evolving network of transmission lines and substations that carry electricity from generators to customers.

In much of the country, nonprofit “independent system operators” coordinate regional power grids, managing a wholesale electricity market and interstate transmission projects. Wisconsin is within the territory of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which spans from the Upper Midwest to Louisiana. 

MISO has approved roughly $32 billion in transmission upgrades for the Upper Midwest since 2022, including new “backbone” power lines capable of carrying a higher voltage than existing lines in the region.

Among the latest round of projects: a series of transmission lines and substations in eastern Wisconsin. 

Just months after MISO’s board approved the eastern Wisconsin buildout in 2024, Port Washington’s city council approved a $15 billion data center on the city’s northern edge. Three new substations outlined in MISO’s plans are within easy reach of the campus.

Blackstone-backed developer takes the lead

Four transmission developers bid on the eastern Wisconsin upgrades, including ATC, which submitted a joint bid with Dairyland Power Cooperative and the nonprofit WPPI Energy, owned by municipal utilities in Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

MISO initially awarded the project to Viridon, owned by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners — a private equity fund under the umbrella of Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset management firm.

Viridon’s roughly $350 million bid was by far the lowest — just over half of MISO’s estimate and more than $100 million below the next-cheapest bid. In its January announcement, MISO acknowledged the budget “may not be achievable” but cited Viridon’s promises to limit cost overruns and profits as reasons to pick the company over its competitors. 

Who pays for transmission depends on who builds it

When MISO awards a long-range transmission project, the developer spreads costs across customers in multiple states, meaning each customer pays less.

When a developer plans a transmission project within its own territory, that developer’s customers bear the costs alone.

Transmission developers pass costs along to customers through electrical utility bills. We Energies, for instance, estimates that transmission-related costs account for about 10% of customers’ bills. 

Those fees include a “return on equity” for shareholders: profits generated for each dollar invested. As of 2025, ATC collects a 10.48% return.

Competitive bidding for multistate projects is relatively new. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees regional grid operators like MISO, began requiring competitive bidding for regional projects in 2011, following criticism that monopoly developers were driving up ratepayer costs. 

Competition for Midwestern projects escalated after MISO’s board approved billions of dollars in grid upgrades in 2022. MISO was “ahead of the game in terms of how much regional transmission it was planning” compared to other regional grid operators, said Ari Peskoe, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School.

Grid expansion draws new competitors and investors

MISO’s transmission buildout plans offered utilities a golden opportunity to pick up new, dependable revenue streams. “I would have said generational,” Peskoe said, “but then we have the data center rush starting shortly thereafter.” 

Dozens of utilities, including some of the nation’s largest, have since lined up to bid for MISO transmission projects.

Also competing for a share of the buildout: newly formed developers financed by powerful investment firms.

Blackstone sponsored Viridon’s launch in 2023, and the new developer soon threw its hat into the ring for Midwestern transmission projects. Stonepeak, a smaller private equity firm, entered in 2025, backing startup developer Longview Infrastructure.

Well-established utilities have their own ties to multinational investment firms. 

As of December 2025, investment giants BlackRock and the Vanguard Group both owned more than 10% of shares in Wisconsin’s four largest investor-owned utility companies: Wisconsin Electric Power Company, Xcel Energy, Alliant Energy and Madison Gas and Electric Company. 

State Street, another powerful investment firm, owns more than 5% of shares in each utility. 

The four major utilities collectively own a majority of ATC.

Duluth-based utility ALLETE, also an ATC investor, belongs to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The board’s purchase of ALLETE last year gave more than 22 million Canadians a chance to shore up their retirement savings through the Midwest’s grid buildout. 

A fight over competition

ATC and its peers have criticized competitive bidding from the outset. As MISO set up the new bidding process, Peskoe said, utilities fought the change in federal court and urged state legislatures to pass right-of-first-refusal (ROFR) laws.

ROFR laws give local utilities first dibs on transmission projects within their territory, including those planned by regional grid operators. 

In the view of Wisconsin’s utilities, ROFR laws ensure that utilities with local experience lead transmission projects, avoiding delays and missteps newcomers might face. “Out-of-state single-project developers lack local connection,” an ATC spokesperson wrote in an email to Wisconsin Watch. “We maintain relationships with our regulators that go beyond a single project.” 

But a coalition of critics, including many Midwestern ratepayer advocacy groups, argue that ROFR laws drive up consumer costs by stifling competition and preserving local monopolies. “We firmly believe that competitive bidding makes sense,” said Tom Content, executive director of Wisconsin’s Citizens Utility Board.

MISO has favored lower-cost bids thus far, but ATC argues that celebrating the cost savings from competitive bidding is premature. “Evidence of a low bid is not evidence of cost savings,” the company spokesperson wrote, because bid prices often do not match final project cost. Substantial overruns are common, even in projects without competitive bidding.

The two sides have battled in state legislatures and courts across the Midwest for more than a decade. Utilities prevailed in Minnesota and Michigan; Iowa’s Supreme Court struck down a ROFR law in 2023 after a national developer challenged its constitutionality.

Despite extensive lobbying, ROFR bills have repeatedly failed in Wisconsin’s Assembly, including one introduced in 2025 by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

That leaves ATC to compete for the MISO-planned transmission upgrades, including the plans for eastern Wisconsin.

Data center complicates planning

Shortly after MISO began soliciting bids for the project in February 2025, ATC alerted the grid operator to a complication. The Port Washington data center would need to connect to the grid by the end of 2027, and ATC would be responsible for making the plug-in possible with new substations designed to support the campus’ vast energy needs.

ATC jointly bid on MISO’s eastern Wisconsin grid upgrades in July 2025.

Two months later, the company filed an application with Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission (PSC) to build substations and transmission lines to serve the new data center campus. ATC projected a price tag of at least $1.3 billion for its broader project, which includes infrastructure not in MISO’s reliability-focused plan for eastern Wisconsin. Both proposals called for three substations — albeit at different scales, on different timelines and for different purposes — in roughly the same locations. 

From ATC’s perspective, at least one set of substations would need to be built in time for the Port Washington data center’s opening day. If MISO awarded its project to ATC, the company could address regional grid reliability concerns and serve the data center in one fell swoop, spreading some costs across the Upper Midwest to ease ratepayer burdens. Even if MISO didn’t award the project to ATC, the utility said it would still seek state approval to build the necessary substations. 

But others saw the overlap as an attempt to sidestep competition.

“We have concerns that attempts are being made to circumvent competitive bidding,” Content said.

MISO soon raised concerns of its own with the Wisconsin PSC. In early January, the grid operator argued that ATC was effectively applying to build the “same substations” as those outlined in its own eastern Wisconsin project. Because MISO had not yet selected a winning bidder for its transmission upgrades, it urged regulators to “consider this uncertainty” before allowing ATC to move forward.

After MISO selected its bid, Viridon also raised objections.

“Put simply, if ATC constructs the substations, Viridon cannot, and ATC will have circumvented MISO’s planning processes,” the developer’s attorneys wrote in a motion filed with the PSC. Allowing ATC to build the substations, they added, would prevent costs from being distributed across multiple states, “potentially requir(ing) Wisconsin customers to pay more.”

ATC pushed back, arguing the projects serve different purposes. The project MISO envisioned aims to improve regional grid reliability and did not require a rapid turnaround, ATC attorney Amy Miller wrote in filings with the PSC. The project under consideration by the PSC, on the other hand, was tied to a specific customer with a firm deadline.

ATC emphasized that Viridon is not yet certified as a public utility in Wisconsin — a process that could take a year or more. That timeline, ATC argued, makes it impossible for Viridon to complete the substations in time. “MISO cannot cause Wisconsin customers to go without timely access to power,” Miller wrote.

Vantage Data Centers echoed the urgency, telling regulators it had “a considerable amount to lose” if the substations aren’t ready by the time the Port Washington campus opens.

MISO changes course — benefiting ATC

Behind the scenes, the timeline began to shift.

Shortly before filing its PSC application last fall, ATC asked MISO to expedite a review of its eastern Wisconsin upgrades in light of the data center’s plans.

MISO adjusted its schedule in February, setting a new in-service date of Dec. 1, 2027. Viridon submitted a plan to meet that deadline, Jeff Dodd, president of Viridon’s Midwestern subsidiary, told Wisconsin Watch.

The grid operator wasn’t persuaded. 

In a revision released quietly on Thursday, MISO reassigned the substations to ATC, noting its “uncertainty” that Viridon could clear administrative hurdles in time. 

The reassignment is a first for MISO. The grid operator has previously worked with developers to update plans when problems arose, with the exception of a 2023 case in which MISO canceled a project because of Texas’ right of first refusal law. 

Viridon retains a fraction of MISO’s original project: a set of transmission lines and one substation scheduled for completion by 2033. 

Under the new arrangement, Midwestern customers will collectively cover the costs of Viridon’s project and about $40 million of ATC’s substation upgrades. 

The regional cost sharing of the substations is a small relief for ratepayer advocates. ATC now plans to fold the substations into the larger grid buildout it brought to the PSC last September, which includes transmission lines needed to serve the Port Washington data center. Wisconsin ratepayers alone are set to cover the remainder of the project’s more than $1 billion budget. 

“Now that the dispute over ownership of the substations is resolved,” Content wrote in an email to Wisconsin Watch, “our overriding concern is over the costs of the transmission line itself that ATC has proposed. Critical changes are needed to prevent utility customers across Wisconsin as well as customers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from footing the bill for this project and other data center-feeding power lines that should be paid for by the tech companies.”

The final outcome for the Wisconsin transmission projects still hinges on state regulators. Neither Viridon nor ATC can begin construction on their respective substations or transmission lines without approval from the PSC. The commission is reviewing ATC’s application and weighing where the infrastructure will be built.

For now, construction crews are racing to bring the Port Washington data center online by the end of next year. The PSC will soon decide who pays for the power to run it.

Competition intensifies over who builds Wisconsin’s grid as data centers drive power demand is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

With the rise of power-hungry applications like AI and data centers, it’s critical that the performance of renewable energy sources keeps pace. Researchers in the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Department of Chemistry are exploring ways to improve the efficiency of a promising new type of solar cell made from perovskite crystals. Perovskites are a group …

The post Improving solar cell performance appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

VANCOUVER, Canada,  – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (Nasdaq: GP) (“GreenPower” and the “Company”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today announced that the Company has received formal notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) confirming that the Company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1), the “Equity Rule,” and otherwise satisfies all applicable criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

“Over the past few months GreenPower has completed a series of transactions including raising new capital with an equity offering of Series A Convertible Preferred Shares for up to $18 million, term loans of $5 million and a new banking relationship with CIBC including a line of credit and term loan. In addition, the Company exchanged $7 million of related party loans for convertible debentures and $3 million of related party loans for Series B Convertible Preferred Shares,” said Fraser Atkinson, CEO of GreenPower. “These transactions have helped the Company regain full compliance with the Nasdaq listing criteria as well as with the execution of our strategic goals.”

Notwithstanding the Nasdaq compliance determination, the Company will remain subject to a Panel monitor for one year. If, within that one-year monitoring period, Staff finds the Company again out of compliance with the Equity Rule that was the subject of the hearing, the Company will be subject to a delisting determination and will not have the opportunity to present a compliance plan for the Staff’s consideration. However, the Company will be afforded the opportunity to request a hearing before the Hearings Panel, and the hearing request will automatically stay any suspension or delisting action pending the conclusion of the hearings process and the expiration of any additional extension period granted by the Panel following the hearing.

The Company’s common stock will continue to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “GP.”

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com

The post GreenPower Regains Compliance with Nasdaq’s Equity Requirement appeared first on School Transportation News.

VANCOUVER, Canada  – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (Nasdaq: GP) (“GreenPower” and the “Company”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today reported revenue of $8.5 million and net income of $4.2 million as a part of its financial results for the period ended December 31, 2025.

“Despite significant headwinds in the EV sector in general, GreenPower has made substantial strides with its transition from building EVs on spec., to a production strategy driven by building EVs to customer orders.” said Fraser Atkinson, GreenPower Chairman and CEO. “This transition has required recapitalization of the Company, retooling our manufacturing, managing inventory, and obtaining sources of production funding.”

“GreenPower is very excited about the excellent progress in the deployment of all-electric, purpose-built school buses during the last quarter in New Mexico; Continuing to perform on the state sponsored, two-year, zero emissions school bus pilot project.” said Brendan Riley, President of GreenPower. “This project uses the compelling West Virginia pilot project as its model but is focussed on the specific needs of New Mexico school districts where there will be challenges on deploying in both city and rural settings, challenges with charging infrastructure and operating the school buses in extreme cold weather at high elevations.”

Third Quarter 2026 Highlights
Generated revenues of $8.5 million in the third quarter of the 2026 fiscal year compared to $7.2 million for the third quarter in the previous year. Revenue was generated from the sale of vehicles, parts, leases and deferred income. Gross profit on the sale of vehicles was approximately 28%.

Total sales, general and administrative costs of $2.4 million in the third quarter compared to $5.2 million for the third quarter in the previous year representing a significant reduction in the Company’s recurring expenses. Excluding non-cash items, the sales, general and administrative costs in the current quarter were less than $2 million.

Working capital of more than $5 million and increased cash from the beginning of the fiscal year.

During the quarter the Company undertook the management of the New Mexico All-Electric, Purpose-Built, Zero-Emission School Bus Pilot Program. The contract with the state of New Mexico provides funding of more than $5 million for the deployment of GreenPower’s all-electric Type A Nano BEAST, Type A Nano BEAST Access, Type D BEAST and Type D Mega BEAST school buses, charging infrastructure and management of a pilot project in the state.

During the quarter the Company raised gross proceeds of $1,120,050 from the issuance of Series A convertible preferred shares (the “Series A shares”) with a stated value of $1,179,000. The initial tranche was comprised of 754 Series A shares issued pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement and 425 Series A Shares issued in a concurrent private placement. The Company and investor agreed that a follow-on tranche of 926 Series A Shares with a stated value of $926,000 and purchase price of $879,700 will be issued at a later date. The institutional investor has the right to acquire and the Company has the right to issue additional Series A Shares in tranches of up to $2 million, subject to certain terms and conditions, to a total of up to US$16 million

Subsequent to the end of the quarter GreenPower completed several transactions to recapitalize the Company. The Company closed on two term loans for a total of $5 million, closed on the new banking relationship with CIBC including a line of credit and Term Loan, paid out the existing bank line of credit, exchanged $7 million of related party loans for convertible debentures and exchanged $3 million of related party loans for Series B Convertible Preferred Shares.

For additional information on the results of operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 with the financial statements and related reports posted on GreenPower’s website as well as on SEDAR Plus or on EDGAR.

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com

The post GreenPower Reports Revenue of $8.5 million and Net Income of $4.2 million for Third Quarter appeared first on School Transportation News.

VANCOUVER — GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (Nasdaq: GP) (“GreenPower” and the “Company”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today reported revenue of $8.5 million and net income of $4.2 million as a part of its financial results for the period ended December 31, 2025.

“Despite significant headwinds in the EV sector in general, GreenPower has made substantial strides with its transition from building EVs on spec., to a production strategy driven by building EVs to customer orders.” said Fraser Atkinson, GreenPower chairman and CEO. “This transition has required recapitalization of the Company, retooling our manufacturing, managing inventory, and obtaining sources of production funding.”

“GreenPower is very excited about the excellent progress in the deployment of all-electric, purpose-built school buses during the last quarter in New Mexico; Continuing to perform on the state sponsored, two-year, zero emissions school bus pilot project.” said Brendan Riley, President of GreenPower. “This project uses the compelling West Virginia pilot project as its model but is focussed on the specific needs of New Mexico school districts where there will be challenges on deploying in both city and rural settings, challenges with charging infrastructure and operating the school buses in extreme cold weather at high elevations.”

Third Quarter 2026 Highlights

• Generated revenues of $8.5 million in the third quarter of the 2026 fiscal year compared to $7.2 million for the third quarter in the previous year. Revenue was generated from the sale of vehicles, parts, leases and deferred income. Gross profit on the sale of vehicles was approximately 28%.
• Total sales, general and administrative costs of $2.4 million in the third quarter compared to $5.2 million for the third quarter in the previous year representing a significant reduction in the Company’s recurring expenses. Excluding non-cash items, the sales, general and administrative costs in the current quarter were less than $2 million.
• Working capital of more than $5 million and increased cash from the beginning of the fiscal year.
• During the quarter, the company undertook the management of the New Mexico All-Electric, Purpose-Built, Zero-Emission School Bus Pilot Program. The contract with the state of New Mexico provides funding of more than $5 million for the deployment of GreenPower’s all-electric Type A Nano BEAST, Type A Nano BEAST Access, Type D BEAST and Type D Mega BEAST school buses, charging infrastructure and management of a pilot project in the state.
• During the quarter, the company raised gross proceeds of $1,120,050 from the issuance of Series A convertible preferred shares (the “Series A shares”) with a stated value of $1,179,000. The initial tranche was comprised of 754 Series A shares issued pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement and 425 Series A Shares issued in a concurrent private placement. The Company and investor agreed that a follow-on tranche of 926 Series A Shares with a stated value of $926,000 and purchase price of $879,700 will be issued at a later date. The institutional investor has the right to acquire and the Company has the right to issue additional Series A Shares in tranches of up to $2 million, subject to certain terms and conditions, to a total of up to US$16 million.

Subsequent to the end of the quarter, GreenPower completed several transactions to recapitalize the Company. The Company closed on two term loans for a total of $5 million, closed on the new banking relationship with CIBC including a line of credit and Term Loan, paid out the existing bank line of credit, exchanged $7 million of related party loans for convertible debentures and exchanged $3 million of related party loans for Series B Convertible Preferred Shares.

For additional information on the results of operations for the period ended Dec. 31, 2025 with the financial statements and related reports posted on GreenPower’s website as well as on SEDAR Plus or on EDGAR.

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.

GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, GreenPower’s business and operations and the environment in which it operates, which are based on GreenPower’s operations, estimates, forecasts and projections. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “upon”, “may”, “should”, “will”, “could”, “intend”, “estimate”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “believe” or “continue”, or the negative thereof or similar variations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. A number of important factors including those set forth in other public filings (filed under the Company’s profile on www.sedar.com) could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Consequently, readers should not place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. In addition, these forward-looking statements relate to the date on which they are made. GreenPower disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

All amounts in U.S. dollars. ©2026 GreenPower Motor Company Inc. All rights reserved.

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January 28, 2025 – At a time when the administration claims the U.S. is facing a nationwide energy emergency and consumers are increasingly concerned about rising electricity costs, its efforts to stop five large offshore wind projects under construction along the Atlantic Coast could cost consumers billions of dollars and keep much-needed new electricity off …

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By: Britt Burt, Senior VP of Research for the Power industry A new round of headlines has revived an old storyline about the United States “bringing coal back.” As an expert of nearly four decades, I can confidently say that this interpretation misses what is actually happening on the grid. Coal is not gaining ground …

The post The US Is Seeing Slower Coal Plant Retirements, But Don’t Mistake It for a Return to Coal appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

SANTA TERESA, N.M. – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (NASDAQ: GP) (“GreenPower” or the “Company”) a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today cited New Mexico’s electric vehicle ecosystem, the Santa Teresa Foreign Trade Zone designation and financial incentives offered by the state as reasons the Company has announced plans to open a manufacturing facility in New Mexico.

“This is a big win for New Mexico,” said U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich. “After hosting a congressional briefing with GreenPower on strengthening domestic EV supply chains, it was clear that building these electric heavy-duty vehicles in America means creating high-quality jobs and staying competitive in the race for the future of transportation. I’m proud that this partnership helped bring GreenPower’s manufacturing, servicing and operations to New Mexico — creating 340 permanent jobs in Santa Teresa and delivering cleaner air for our kids.”

“We are excited about yesterday’s announcement of an agreement with the state of New Mexico for the establishment of GreenPower’s new manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico,” said Fraser Atkinson, CEO of GreenPower. “The Company looks forward to working closely with local stakeholders, government leaders and financial partners to create new jobs, drive economic development and accelerate the transition to zero-emission transportation in New Mexico and beyond. Being part of a larger ecosystem in the electrification of transportation for the region will ensure a successful and economically strong manufacturing presence in the state.”

“We are proud to welcome GreenPower to Doña Ana County and the Santa Teresa region,” said Scott Andrews, Doña Ana County Manager. “This announcement reflects the power of collaboration, between local government, the state of New Mexico, the New Mexico Partnership, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance and the Border Industrial Association — working together to create an environment where innovative manufacturers can thrive. GreenPower’s investment reinforces our region’s role as a leader in advanced manufacturing, clean transportation and cross-border trade.”

In May 2025 New Mexico entered into a contract to help achieve its fleet mandate which requires all state agencies to buy zero-emission vehicles when available, with the entire state fleet being zero-emission by 2035. The contract will help electrify more than 5,000 state fleet vehicles through EVaaS (Electric Vehicles as a Service) with a turnkey electrification solution. A separate contract, also awarded in 2025, makes a $400 million investment over four years to provide comprehensive EV fleet electrification, supporting the state’s zero-emission goals by electrifying more than 2,000 school buses and 3,500 state transit and “white fleet” vehicles, deploying charging infrastructure and integrating V2G technology, all under New Mexico’s “Electrify New Mexico” initiative.

“The state of New Mexico has established several policies and programs designed to aggressively promote the adaption of zero-emission vehicles,” Atkinson continued, noting major contracts and requirements have been put in place in the state. “GreenPower’s redesigned capital, assembly and distribution goals fit perfectly within the state’s direction allowing us to benefit from both manufacturing and deployment strategies.”

A strategic investment totaling $14.6 million was committed by the state to provide the financial incentives necessary for the establishment of the new manufacturing facility and was a major factor in the Company’s decision to locate a new facility in New Mexico. Of the total $5 million was offered through the New Mexico Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) program which helps local governments support businesses locating in the state, focusing on job creation and economic growth through public-private partnerships. Additionally, GreenPower will receive $4.6 million in job training incentive funds (JTIP), $1.36 million in Rural Jobs Tax Credit (RJTC) and $3.65 million as part of New Mexico’s High-Wage Jobs Tax Credit program.

The Santa Teresa Borderplex is a rapidly growing economic zone in southern New Mexico, centered around the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, a key U.S.-Mexico trade hub with major rail links (Union Pacific, BNSF) connecting to ports like Long Beach and Houston. It’s a hub for manufacturing, logistics and advanced tech, where significant state investment has been made in infrastructure, like the Border Highway Connector.

“Santa Teresa’s designation as a Foreign Trade Zone offers substantial benefits for GreenPower,” Atkinson stated. “The FTZ allows us to streamline customs procedures and cost-effective import and export operations. Most importantly it allows the Company to take financial advantage of the designation related to inventory, parts and distribution. The ability to make capital decisions without fear of tariff uncertainties is a game changer in the current environment.”

GreenPower anticipates setting up operations at the facility in Q1 of 2026 and take possession of the manufacturing plant June 1, 2026.

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com.

The post Company Cites Electric Vehicle Ecosystem, Foreign Trade Zone & Financial Incentives as Reasons for New Mexico Facility appeared first on School Transportation News.

VANCOUVER, Canada, – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (Nasdaq: GP) (“GreenPower” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today announced that it has received credit approval from CIBC for $5 million in financing facilities, comprised of a $3 million revolving line of credit and a $2 million term loan with a three year term. Additionally, the Company has received credit approval from CIBC to enter into a letter of credit of $450,000, secured by cash collateral, and a letter of credit facility of up to $2.5 million, which is subject to approval from another financial institution. GreenPower’s transaction with CIBC is subject to finalizing documentation, as well as satisfaction of all closing conditions, and all parties are actively working towards a timely completion. In addition, GreenPower has announced that it has closed $5 million in term loans from two family offices, which have provided personal joint and several guarantees in support of these credit facilities. A portion of the net proceeds from the financings will be used to repay and close the Company’s existing operating line of credit, with the remainder used for general corporate purposes. These transactions represent an important step in the recapitalization of the Company and will allow GreenPower to accelerate production of all-electric vehicles to fulfil existing customer orders.

The Company has agreed to issue 3,205,128 non-transferable share purchase warrants (each, a “Loan Bonus Warrant”) to one of the family offices. Each Loan Bonus Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (each, a “Share”) at an exercise price of US$0.78 per Share for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the closing date of the Loan. In addition, the Company has agreed to issue to one of the family offices an aggregate of 641,025 Shares (each a “Loan Bonus Share”). The family offices are each considered to be a “related party” within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101”) and each of the loans with the family offices and issuance of Loan Bonus Warrants and Loan Bonus Shares, as applicable, is considered to be a “related party transaction” within the meaning of MI 61-101 but each is exempt from the formal valuation requirement and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 by virtue of the exemptions contained in Sections 5.5(g) and 5.7(e) of MI 61-101.

All securities issued in connection with the loans with the family offices will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the closing of the loan in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com

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SANTA FE, N.M.— Electric vehicle manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company (NASDAQ: GP) today announced they have reached an agreement with the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) to establish operations in Santa Teresa, NM.

Internationally headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with current operational facilities in southern California and West Virginia, GreenPower is a leading manufacturer and distributor of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space, and school bus sector.

The new 135,000 sq. ft. facility in Santa Teresa will become the company’s base for North American operations and US corporate headquarters. The move is estimated to generate over $200 million in economic impact for New Mexico over the next decade, creating more than 340 jobs.

The company will receive a $5 million LEDA award from the state and $4.6 million in job training incentive funds (JTIP). The company also qualified for a $1.36 million Rural Jobs Tax Credit (RJTC) and $3.65 million as part of New Mexico’s High-Wage Jobs Tax Credit program.

“Establishing GreenPower’s new manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa marks a significant milestone in our expansion and commitment to safe, sensible, sustainable transportation solutions,” said Fraser Atkinson, CEO of GreenPower. “This strategic move leverages the region’s highly skilled and dedicated workforce, which has long been recognized as a key driver of economic growth and innovation in southern New Mexico.”

Santa Teresa’s Foreign Trade Zone designation was a key factor in the company’s decision, offering streamlined customs and cost-effective trade that support efficient production and distribution of zero-emission vehicles across North America. The designation also provides access to the North American Development Bank, underscoring the project’s cross-border economic and environmental impact.

These incentives and programs enhance the company’s ability to efficiently produce and distribute zero-emission vehicles, parts and inventory throughout North America and beyond, reinforcing New Mexico’s role as a hub for green manufacturing and international commerce.

“Our decisive commitment to the goal of net zero emissions ensures New Mexico’s position as a leader in the nation’s clean energy transition,” said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “With this strategic investment, we’re creating high-quality jobs and strengthening our economy while building the carbon-free energy future New Mexico’s families deserve.”

In 2025, GreenPower worked with EDD to launch the state’s first all-electric, zero-emission school bus pilot project at two Las Vegas public schools and a Santa Fe charter school. The continuing 2-year pilot program supports New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act, designed to transition the state toward the goal of 100% zero-carbon electricity supply by 2045.

“The electric school bus pilot project was an important first step in bringing GreenPower manufacturing and their high-quality jobs to New Mexico,” said EDD Cabinet Secretary Rob Black. “The real-world data and insights we are gaining from the pilot project will help inform New Mexico’s electric school bus roll-out and specifications, ensuring that fleets are safe, efficient and tailored to the unique needs of local districts.”

“Governor Lujan Grisham’s steadfast commitment to advancing zero-emission vehicles has provided a supportive policy environment that encourages companies like GreenPower to invest and innovate,” said GreenPower President Brendan Riley. “Her administration’s ambitious sustainability goals align perfectly with GreenPower’s mission to deliver clean, reliable transportation solutions, contributing to a healthier environment and a stronger state economy.”

“We know the transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the nation — here in New Mexico, we want to lead on policy, manufacturing and deployment of zero emissions vehicles,” said New Mexico Secretary of Transportation Ricky Serna. “GreenPower’s move to the state is an important part in helping the state achieve these important energy transition goals.”

In support of those sustainability goals, GreenPower will offer dealer-level pricing to the state for a comprehensive lineup of Class 4 all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission commercial vehicles. The selection includes a variety of options like box trucks, refrigerated trucks, passenger vans, buses, utility trucks and stakebed trucks meeting the diverse needs of public agencies and commercial operators throughout the region.

A public press conference featuring the company’s all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission Class 4 commercial vehicles and school buses will take place in Santa Fe during the state’s upcoming legislative session.

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Tribal utility, localities, and consumer and environmental groups argue tax guidance illegally hurts renewable energy. WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 18, 2025) – A broad array of groups with strong interests in clean and affordable energy sued the IRS and Treasury Department over new rules for tax credits that unfairly and illegally discriminate against wind and solar …

The post IRS Sued Over Anti-Solar and Wind Tax Rules appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

Boston, MA – Last night, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that Donald Trump’s executive order banning wind projects in the United States was unlawful and vacated the order. Donald Trump issued an executive order on the first day of his administration that paused all leasing, permitting and approvals for wind projects, killing tens of …

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We rely on batteries now more than ever, from our phones and laptops to electric vehicles. But the ones powering today’s technologies aren’t without their shortcomings. They can be expensive, flammable, and they rely on increasingly in-demand materials that must be mined and processed. Researchers at Western University are working on a new type of …

The post Solid-state sodium batteries could be safer, cheaper, more powerful option appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

BOGOTÁ, NOV. 12, 2025 – Atlas Renewable Energy, a leading international provider of renewable energy solutions, officially inaugurated the Shangri-La solar project, located in Ibagué, Tolima. It marks the start of operations of its first project in the country. Shangri-La has an installed capacity of 201 MWp, representing a decisive step in the expansion of …

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As more homes in the UK move away from gas heating systems, the need for a sustainable but effective method of heating and providing hot water for the home has become paramount. Heat pumps are rapidly emerging as a lead player in the game of decarbonised energy systems. But they are more than just efficient …

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Stop-work orders for wind undercut investor confidence in financing all energy projects, including nuclear September 3, 2025 – The administration’s energy dominance agenda will fail, done in by collapsing investor confidence, unless the White House stops issuing stop-work orders for offshore wind. Undercutting these projects, each of which has billions of private investment dollars committed …

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New heat-transfer system targets HVAC’s biggest inefficiencies, delivering up to 10x the performance without refrigerants, pumps, or significant energy input. When it comes to building a sustainable energy future, there are two sides to the equation: generation and demand. While most of the attention has been placed on producing more clean power, there’s an equally …

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