$NGG

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey urged the conference committee to pass her energy affordability legislation to cut utility bills and curb utility spending and profits. She cited utility refund disputes and higher rate requests, including up to 55% increases, and referenced FERC’s $1.5B profit refund order for New England transmission owners. Utilities and shareholder payouts have risen, according to the article.

According to National Grid, it will invest £5 million in a “Power Within Employability Fund” to support about 5,000 NEET young people over five years, starting in the first half of next year. The program will provide mentoring, CV and interview coaching, qualifications such as CSCS cards, and help with barriers like driving licences. UK ministers cite skills shortages and expected growth in clean energy jobs.

Massachusetts electricity customers face higher utility supply rates starting Aug. 1. According to Boston.com, Eversource, National Grid and Unitil reset supply prices twice yearly. Eversource basic service rises to 17.3 cents/kWh from 15.6. National Grid variable rises to 16.074 cents and fixed to 17.185. Eversource cites higher market costs; most households are not on basic service.

National Grid said it plans about $100B in investments through fiscal 2031, including about $16B for New England. The company highlighted Massachusetts transmission upgrades such as the A1/B2 line and natural gas network modernization, plus outage-restoration tech like FLISR, to improve reliability and meet future demand, according to National Grid and the Boston Business Journal.

Eversource (NYSE: ES) and National Grid (NYSE: NGG) said they will test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities in Massachusetts with EnergyHub, Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN), and The Mobility House. Qualifying residential customers can enroll V2G-capable EVs in ConnectedSolutions to provide grid flexibility during peak demand and receive incentives.

National Grid Electricity Distribution is upgrading the electricity network in Blaenavon to increase capacity for future growth and rising demand. The project includes about 6.5 km of new underground cable and upgrades to substations and other equipment. Work runs in phases through 2027, with traffic management and advance notices to affected customers.

National Grid said it will support rising electricity demand from data centers, AI and other large users while maintaining affordability and reliability. Its National Grid Ventures joined the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The company also announced a strategic investment in Joulent to develop contracted power and electrical infrastructure solutions.

National Grid and Eversource are running a small vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial in New England, paying EV owners for using stored battery energy during peak demand. The pilot has 45 vehicles, with applications until Sept. 30. Utilities estimate about $1,250 per participant per year. Only a few models (e.g., Nissan Leaf, Kia EV9) support V2G; Tesla models do not.

A guest essay by United Way of Long Island and United Way of New York City says 59% of working-age New Yorkers struggle to make ends meet. It cites National Grid’s filing to the NY Public Service Commission to freeze gas rates for about 1.9 million customers on Long Island and parts of NYC through March 2028, delaying bill increases.

New York’s Public Service Commission fined five utilities about $50 million for missing customer service benchmarks, according to the state’s latest annual report. The PSC cited lower satisfaction, higher complaint levels, delayed or adjusted bills, and missed appointments. Central Hudson Gas & Electric and National Grid were among those penalized; National Grid and Central Hudson said they will improve.