The $300 million deals are in, and vertically integrated Energy Storage assets are now demanding returns that shatter traditional utility models. Institutional capital now views large-scale battery systems (BES) as blue-chip infrastructure, targeting 15% plus levered IRR over a 20-year asset life. Simultaneously, regulators are forcing utilities to treat unprecedented hyperload growth—driven by AI, digitalization, and data centers—as the new, mandatory planning baseline. This episode provides the strategic insight needed to accelerate capital deployment and pivot models to capture these premium cash flows or partner effectively with those who can.