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Ofgem should tell it straight: electricity prices are set to stay high for years | Nils Pratley

26 May 2026 at 08:00

Regulator could do us all a favour with clear multi-year forecasts and breakdowns of electricity pricing

It is easy to predict where the energy regulator will set the next quarterly price cap on Wednesday. It’s just a matter of tracking wholesale prices in Ofgem’s relevant backward-looking “observation period”. Energy consultant Cornwall Insight thinks the typical household bill be £1,850, an increase of £209 from the previous quarter. It will be surprising if it is out by more than a few quid.

One can also make a fair guess at the regulator’s messaging. It will talk about the unavoidable impact from the surge in energy prices that followed the closure of the strait of Hormuz. It may also say the increase would be even greater than 13% without the additional wind and solar generation on the system these days. Fair enough. Gas sets the wholesale price of electricity only 60% of the time now, down from 90% not long ago.

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© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

A Louisiana state senator helped secure Meta’s largest datacenter. Then he sold the land beside it

25 May 2026 at 13:00

Jay Morris denies experts’ claims that he violated ethics rules over land deals near the site of Meta’s Hyperion datacenter

This story is from Floodlight, a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action

For more than two years, John “Jay” Morris, a Louisiana state senator, helped pave the way for Meta to build one of the world’s largest datacenters, called Hyperion, in Richland Parish.

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© Photograph: Jay Marcano/Gulf States Newsroom

© Photograph: Jay Marcano/Gulf States Newsroom

© Photograph: Jay Marcano/Gulf States Newsroom

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