IDACORP (IDA) is experiencing strong growth driven by rising electricity demand across its service territory. Idaho Power added 15,000 customers with 2.3% annual growth, and industrial revenues increased 17% in Q2 2026. The company expects retail electricity sales to grow 8.3% annually and peak demand to rise 5.1% annually over five years, supported by major customers like Micron and Meta. IDA plans capital expenditures of $1.3-$1.5 billion in 2026 and $7.1 billion through 2030.

Alliant Energy (LNT) is leveraging a diversified generation mix of natural gas, wind, coal, solar, and hydropower to support reliability and growth. The company plans to invest $13.4 billion from 2026-2029 in new capacity, targeting 5-7% EPS growth. LNT's balanced portfolio helps manage fuel price volatility and grid reliability while meeting rising electricity demand from data centers.

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) is capitalizing on rising electricity demand in its service territory, with Q2 2026 customer growth of 2.1% and weather-normalized sales up 5.6%. The company plans $7.95B in infrastructure investments through 2028 and forecasts 5-7% long-term EPS growth, driven by data centers and industrial customers. Similar trends are benefiting other utilities like Alliant Energy and PPL Corporation, which are seeing significant demand from large commercial customers and data center pipelines.

PPL Corporation is expanding its generation portfolio to meet rising electricity demand, particularly from data centers and large industrial customers. The company's Kentucky operations include 2,000 MW of natural gas, 240 MW of solar, and 500+ MW of battery storage, with $5.7 billion in planned investments through 2029. PPL Electric's data center pipeline reached 31.8 GW with over 11 GW under signed agreements. The company's joint venture Invium Energy has sites capable of supporting 8-14 GW of capacity, with 5+ GW of gas projects in interconnection queues.

Xcel Energy is capitalizing on rising electricity demand from data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. The company expects 3% weather-adjusted electric sales growth in 2026, with a strong large-load pipeline exceeding 20 GW. XEL plans $70 billion in capital investments through 2030 and targets 6-8% long-term earnings growth, supported by expanding infrastructure and rate-base expansion.

Alliant Energy's stock has surged 12.4% year-to-date, hitting an all-time high, driven by three key factors: robust demand from AI data centers in the Midwest with 3 GW of contracted load and 2-4 GW in negotiations, favorable regulatory conditions in Iowa and Wisconsin providing earnings visibility, and a 17% increase in capital expenditure to $13.4 billion to expand capacity through natural gas, energy storage, and renewable energy investments.

Meta Platforms announced a $1 billion data center investment in Wisconsin while facing scrutiny over potential accounting practices, with investor Michael Burry raising concerns about potential earnings overstatement.

The article discusses the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Utilities ETF (RSPU), a smart beta exchange-traded fund that offers exposure to the utilities and infrastructure sector. The ETF has performed well year-to-date and over the past 12 months, and the article compares it to other similar ETFs in the space.

CMS Energy (CMS) is set to add 100 MW of battery storage in collaboration with Jupiter Power, which will help CMS achieve its clean energy goal.

DTE Energy (DTE) to build a battery energy storage center in the Great Lakes region, which will benefit its consumers by decreasing the grid's load.

Avangrid (AGR) to be acquired by Iberdrola in an all-cash transaction, expected to close in fourth-quarter 2024. AGR expects to produce clean energy post-acquisition.

Alliant Energy's (LNT) first-quarter 2024 earnings and revenues decrease year over year. The company's retail electric and gas customers grow during the same period.