Power and energy research

CoBank energy economist Teri Viswanath interviews energy risk expert Jack Weixel about LNG pull, basis blowouts and conflict risk.

• natural gas

Decades after stranded assets bruised local communities, electricity utilities and regulators are revisiting how to interpret “cost responsibility” for new large loads.

• a guide for serving large loads
• electricity
• large loads

The long-held expectation of “stable, cheap, domestic” natural gas is reaching the end of its lifecycle. At the core of this shift is the growing role of LNG exports in U.S. price formation. A growing winter premium and sharper price swings for U.S. buyers are being driven not by local weather forecasts but by global LNG competition. Infrastructure is not adding certainty. Much of the recent pipeline buildout is designed to move gas toward LNG facilities rather than broadly rebalancing regional U.S. supply.

• natural gas

Even with historic domestic production, U.S. fuel prices still react quickly to disruptions abroad — especially in the Middle East, the world’s leading region for proven oil reserves and spare production capacity.

• diesel
• gasoline
• oil

CoBank experts Jeff Johnston and Teri Viswanath outline the details behind key issues they’re watching in 2026.

• data center

The rise of large commercial and industrial consumers has decisively shifted the balance of bargaining power in the marketplace, raising questions whether attitudes toward service obligations need to adapt, consumer protection policies need to evolve and possibly, which regulator should be in the driver’s seat for developing and overseeing new industry guardrails.

• a guide for serving large loads
• electricity
• large loads

In the contemporary energy landscape, few developments have stirred as much discussion and concern as the expansion of data centers and other significant electricity-consuming entities.

• energy
• large loads

How G&Ts and distribution co‑ops can coordinate upstream cost allocation for data centers—balancing reliability, affordability and member protection.

• a guide for serving large loads
• electricity
• large loads

This digital guide is a practical resource to help electric cooperatives address the unique challenges of integrating large loads. Based on candid interviews, market research and analysis, this guide shows how cooperatives are earning new business and delivering value to their communities—while adopting robust contract structures to protect members from bearing the costs of serving large loads.

• electricity
• large loads

A practical guide for electric cooperatives on serving large loads—featuring case studies, rate design insights and strategies to manage cost, risk and grid reliability.

• a guide for serving large loads
• electricity
• large loads

How electric cooperatives define service obligations for data centers—covering rate design, retail choice, risk mitigation and equitable cost allocation.

• a guide for serving large loads
• electricity
• large loads

How Umatilla Electric Cooperative serves large data center loads with cost certainty, timely connections and fair rate design—without shifting risk to legacy members.

• a guide for serving large loads
• electricity
• large loads