US utilities request $18.6 billion in rate increases through mid‑2026

Investor‑owned electric utilities in the United States have filed requests for a total of $18.6 billion in rate increases since the start of 2026, breaking previous quarterly records with a $9.2 billion request for the second quarter of 2026 alone. The hikes would affect more than 56 million customers, with the South region seeing the steepest increases – $4.5 billion for 26.1 million customers – driven by large requests such as Oncor’s $1.2 billion in Texas and Dominion Energy’s $1.5 billion in Virginia. Utilities plan at least $1.4 trillion in capital spending by 2030, suggesting further rate‑increase filings are likely.

Separately, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) experienced a localized outage near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The outage began around 9:45 a.m. during a routine operational procedure between two substations, initially affecting 9,400 customers before dropping to about 2,500 by noon. A system error briefly mis‑notified 120,000 customers of an outage. PG&E’s latest rate‑increase request is under review by state regulators, though the company predicts some bill relief in the coming year while still forecasting among the highest electricity bills over the next five years.