Welcome to IBEW 177

FERC has directed PJM to create new rules facilitating co-location of data centers with power plants, potentially favoring on-site natural gas generation. The regulations aim to accelerate interconnection while addressing reliability concerns and avoiding lengthy grid connection delays that can stretch 5-7 years.
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Naperville Council voted 6-1 to reject a 36-megawatt data center despite IBEW's Anthony Giunti emphasizing construction would bring millions to the local economy and create long-term career opportunities. Labor leaders warned that rejecting the project removes years of high-paying skilled construction work from a vacant property.
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America faces critical shortages of skilled electrical workers and electricity supply to support manufacturing reshoring and AI data centers. Morgan Stanley warns of a potential 20% power shortage by 2028 while Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly 80,000 electrician job openings over the next decade, with apprentice programs increasing 50% to address the gap.
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Ray Ryerse, business manager for IBEW Local 86, has been elected president of the Rochester Building Trades Council, succeeding Grant Malone who served for five years. Ryerse, a longtime advocate for registered apprenticeship programs and jobsite safety, will lead the council representing affiliated construction trade unions across the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region.
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The January 2026 blackout in Caracas during US military operations against Venezuela demonstrated how cyber warfare targeting industrial control systems has become a precision weapon in modern conflict. Experts warn that widespread adoption of insecure distributed energy resources like residential solar inverters creates decentralized vulnerabilities, while examples like Stuxnet, Industroyer, and Volt Typhoon show nation-states are actively pre-positioning within critical infrastructure networks.
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The Trump administration suffered three court losses last week in its campaign against offshore wind, as federal judges lifted stop-work orders on major projects. Industry advocates and even some oil industry figures have grown alarmed by the administration's anti-wind vendetta, which threatens to restrict power supply at a time when electricity demand is surging from data centers and other sources.
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