Greenlink West transmission project in Nevada gets green light from feds September 10th 2024 Greenlink West, the transmission project that will run through Nevada, has received the green light from federal officials. Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis announced Monday that Greenlink West received a record of decision…
Entergy Mississippi begins building new natural gas power station
Entergy Mississippi begins building new natural gas power station September 05, 2024 Entergy Mississippi LLC, which provides electricity to roughly 459,000 customers in 45 counties across the state, is building a new power station for the first time in 50 years. The new natural gas power station is expected to…
Palisades nuclear relaunch gets more subsidies in Michigan — and more backlash
Palisades nuclear relaunch gets more subsidies in Michigan — and more backlash September 9, 2024 The Palisades Nuclear power plant restart effort has secured another round of public subsidies, with two rural electric cooperatives set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars to buy power from the facility. The U.S.…
Trend toward electric utility rate increases in regulated markets continues in 2024
Trend toward electric utility rate increases in regulated markets continues in 2024 September 9, 2024 Utility regulators in the United States are considering increases to electricity rates again this year as electric utilities seek to cover the investments needed to maintain and expand their systems. Utilities requested rate increases in…
Promoters of clean-energy data centers in Virginia coal country unfazed by doubters
Promoters of clean-energy data centers in Virginia coal country unfazed by doubters September 10, 2024 Will Payne and Will Clear are all too aware of the skeptics. But those doubters only fuel the duo’s vision for Southwest Virginia. The former Virginia state energy office bureaucrats turned private-sector consultants have an…
Global clean tech and power market M&A led in 2024 by electricity generation deals
Global clean tech and power market M&A led in 2024 by electricity generation deals Energize Weekly, September 11, 2024 Global clean technology and power market mergers and acquisitions have totaled $105 billion with 234 deals so far this year, slightly ahead of the 2023 pace, according to Enverus Research Intelligence.…
Halliburton says hackers removed data in August cyberattack
Halliburton says hackers removed data in August cyberattack September 3, 2024 U.S. oilfield services firm Halliburton (HAL.N), opens new tab said on Tuesday an unauthorized third party had accessed and removed data from its systems, providing details regarding the cyberattack in August first reported by Reuters. The company said it…
Data Centers Face Seven-Year Wait for Dominion Power Hookups
Data Centers Face Seven-Year Wait for Dominion Power Hookups August 29, 2024 Dominion Energy Inc. expects the time it takes to connect large data centers to the electric grid to increase by one to three years amid a surge in requests, bringing the total wait time to as long as…
TVA power grid working overtime amid record-breaking heat
TVA power grid working overtime amid record-breaking heat Aug 30, 2024 It’s no surprise that intense heat in Middle Tennessee has lead a lot of people to crank up the air conditioning. Officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) told News 2 that this means the power grid is working…
West Virginia’s PSC faces lawsuit over coal-plant directive
West Virginia’s PSC faces lawsuit over coal-plant directive September 3, 2024 The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is facing legal challenges for its 2021 directive that Appalachian Power increase the usage of three of its coal plants. Critics say the utility is paying more to keep coal plants open,…
Westinghouse fuel loaded into Loviisa reactor
Westinghouse fuel loaded into Loviisa reactor 02 September 2024 In November 2022, Finnish utility Fortum signed an agreement with Westinghouse for the design, approval and delivery of a new type of fuel to the Loviisa plant. The agreement built on the successful collaboration supplying fuel to Loviisa from 2001 to…
Southern California Edison Seeks to Recover $1.6 Billion of Wildfire-Related Losses
Southern California Edison Seeks to Recover $1.6 Billion of Wildfire-Related Losses Aug. 29, 2024 Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International, said on Thursday it was seeking approval for a settlement agreement to recover nearly 60% of losses related to wildfires and mudslides in 2017 and 2018. Under…
Residential solar prices drop as size of installations grow and more batteries are added
Residential solar prices drop as size of installations grow and more batteries are added Energize Weekly, September 4, 2024 The size of residential solar systems has been rising as solar module efficiency increases and solar panel costs decline, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s annual Tracking the Sun report.…
Smart Grid Technology Prevents Nearly 5,000 Power Interruptions for Customers So Far in 2024
Smart Grid Technology Prevents Nearly 5,000 Power Interruptions for Customers So Far in 2024 Aug. 27, 2024 DTE Energy’s smart grid technology has enabled prevention of nearly 5,000 power interruptions and more than 1.8 million minutes without power for customers so far in 2024 “We’re dedicated to reducing power outages…
When are Colorado’s last coal-fired power plants closing?
When are Colorado’s last coal-fired power plants closing? Aug 27, 2024 Coal may be on its way out in Colorado’s power picture, but it’s definitely still here. About a third of Colorado’s electricity is still generated by 10 coal-fired power units around the state. That should drop to zero by…
Why Mississippi coal is powering Georgia’s data centers
Why Mississippi coal is powering Georgia’s data centers Aug 27, 2024 Last October, Georgia Power approached regulators with what it said was a crisis. Unless they did something soon, they discovered, the growing demand for electricity would outpace production sometime in the winter of 2025. Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp and…
Idaho Gov. Little unveils new wildfire plan that includes less liability for companies
Idaho Gov. Little unveils new wildfire plan that includes less liability for companies August 23, 2024 A new plan Idaho Gov. Brad Little unveiled Friday to mitigate wildfire risk had more than just policies aimed to protect areas from widespread blazes. A list of top priorities had a broad scope…
ERCOT successfully navigates heat wave, new peak demand record
ERCOT successfully navigates heat wave, new peak demand record Aug 26, 2024 Despite record temperatures last week and a new peak demand record, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it was able to maintain service without conservation requests, which it required last summer. Large additions of renewables and battery…
FERC rejects Basin Electric’s bid for special cryptocurrency mine and large load rates
FERC rejects Basin Electric’s bid for special cryptocurrency mine and large load rates Energize Weekly, August 28, 2024 The Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s plan for special rates for cryptocurrency mines and other large loads was rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which said the co-op had not proved…
Entergy Louisiana breaks ground on phase one of grid resilience plan
Entergy Louisiana breaks ground on phase one of grid resilience plan August 20, 2024 Entergy Louisiana LLC recently marked the start of phase one of its comprehensive grid resilience plan during a groundbreaking ceremony in Lake Charles, reports Daily Energy Insider. “We harden the grid throughout each year; however, the…
Natron plans $1.4 bln sodium-ion battery plant in North Carolina
Natron plans $1.4 bln sodium-ion battery plant in North Carolina August 15, 2024 Natron Energy said on Thursday it planned to invest $1.4 billion in a sodium-ion battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina, potentially raising the company’s production capacity by 40 times. The facility, located in Edgecombe County of the…
North Omaha coal plant transitioning to natural gas by 2026
North Omaha coal plant transitioning to natural gas by 2026 Aug 20, 2024 The north Omaha coal plant is moving away from using coal. The president and CEO of the Omaha Public Power District said during a committee meeting Monday that the plant will be transitioning to natural gas in…
Data centers driving Oklo’s nuclear project pipeline
Data centers driving Oklo’s nuclear project pipeline 8.15.2024 Advanced nuclear company Oklo now has non-binding letters of intent for about 1,350 MW of microreactor capacity, a 93% increase from its 700 MW project pipeline in July 2023, the company told investors in its Q2 earnings call this week. Of the…
Cybersecurity threats escalate in the energy sector
Cybersecurity threats escalate in the energy sector Aug 19, 2024 Six individuals working for Russian intelligence were charged in Pennsylvania in October 2020 for their role in ‘Sandworm’. In addition to hacking into chemical laboratories in the UK and the Netherlands, and targeting victims at the 2018 Winter Olympics in…
Market problems, poor planning causing price hikes in nation’s largest electric market, critics say
Market problems, poor planning causing price hikes in nation’s largest electric market, critics say August 20, 2024 After years of climbing electric prices nationwide, customers in the United States’ largest power market are about to get squeezed harder. Last month, PJM, which coordinates the flow of electricity for an area…
Renewable energy projects are facing increased delays, cancellations, and big losses
Renewable energy projects are facing increased delays, cancellations, and big losses Energize Weekly, August 21, 2024 Wind and solar projects across the U.S. are facing increased local and state opposition, leading to delays, cancellations, and millions of dollars in lost investments, according to university and national laboratory analyses. A Lawrence…
Texas grid’s first geothermal deal will put clean-energy battery on coal facility land
Texas grid’s first geothermal deal will put clean-energy battery on coal facility land 08/13/24 Early next year, the Texas grid will get its first dose of clean power from underground — by means of a “battery” buried in the rock. On Tuesday, the San Miguel Electric Cooperative announced a deal…
Court reverses ICC order on Grain Belt Express project
Court reverses ICC order on Grain Belt Express project Aug 8, 2024 An Appellate Court has reversed the Illinois Commerce Commission’s granting of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to a proposed high-voltage direct current transmission line across the state. Grain Belt Express (GBX) failed to prove the…
Texas launches new investigation into Houston’s power utility following deadly outages after Beryl
Texas launches new investigation into Houston’s power utility following deadly outages after Beryl August 12, 2024 Texas’ attorney general launched an investigation Monday into Houston’s electric utility over allegations of fraud and waste following Hurricane Beryl, adding to the mounting scrutiny after widespread power outages left millions without electricity for…
AES plans $1.1B investment to convert Petersburg units from coal to gas
AES plans $1.1B investment to convert Petersburg units from coal to gas August 13, 2024 AES Indiana, Pike County government officials and community leaders Thursday celebrated the announcement of approximately $1.1 billion in investments over the next two years to convert Petersburg Generating Station Units 3 and 4 from coal…
Controversy growing as Three Mile Island revival talks gain traction
Controversy growing as Three Mile Island revival talks gain traction Aug 12, 2024 Discussions of possibly reopening the Three Mile Island nuclear generators are ramping up, with some government power players showing their excitement, while others their nervousness. It has been 45 years since Three Mile Island became ground zero…
Hawaiian Electric says customers should not see rate increases due to wildfire settlement
Hawaiian Electric says customers should not see rate increases due to wildfire settlement August 11, 2024 Customers of Hawaii’s largest electrical utility should not see bill increases due to the utility’s portion of a pending $4 billion Maui wildfire litigation settlement. Scott Seu, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric’s parent…
US utilities poised to ride data center demand wave in second half
US utilities poised to ride data center demand wave in second half August 13, 2024 U.S. electric utilities sounded bullish on demand from data centers powering the artificial intelligence boom after striking several supply deals during the second quarter, reinforcing market expectations of sales growth through the year. Top utilities,…
Federal watchdog urges EPA to develop comprehensive cyber strategy to protect water systems
Federal watchdog urges EPA to develop comprehensive cyber strategy to protect water systems Aug. 6, 2024 The Biden administration has prioritized the drinking and wastewater treatment industries as a number of high-profile hacking incidents have raised concerns about the ability to secure the nation’s drinking water and water treatment sectors.…
US to invest $2.2 billion to overhaul national power grid
US to invest $2.2 billion to overhaul national power grid August 5, 2024 The Biden administration said on Tuesday it is investing $2.2 billion to revamp the nation’s power grid to protect it against growing threats of extreme weather events. The U.S. government has been working to overhaul the country’s…
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant turns 50 with plans to continue operations
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant turns 50 with plans to continue operations August 6, 2024 Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Ala., the Tennessee Valley Authority’s largest electricity generating asset, is celebrating 50 years of service this month. The United States’ third largest nuclear power producer had the first units in…
US coal stockpiles hit highest levels since 2020
US coal stockpiles hit highest levels since 2020 8.5.2024 Coal stockpiles at U.S. electric power plants totaled 138 million short tons at the end of May, the most since the first half of 2020 when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced electricity demand and coal consumption, according to analysis…
SRP Sets New Record for Amount of Energy Delivered to Customers
SRP Sets New Record for Amount of Energy Delivered to Customers August 6, 2024 Arizona public power utility Salt River Project recently set a new record for the amount of energy delivered to its retail customers. On Sunday, Aug. 4, between 5 and 6 p.m., SRP delivered its highest system…
Appeals Court rules against Duke Energy in competition for Fayetteville’s business
Appeals Court rules against Duke Energy in competition for Fayetteville’s business August 5, 2024 The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out a lower court order and ruled against Duke Energy in a dispute over providing electricity to customers in Fayetteville. A competitor argued that Duke had engaged…
Eversource completes energy-efficiency upgrades for Torrington, Conn.
Eversource completes energy-efficiency upgrades for Torrington, Conn. August 05, 2024 Eversource conducted major energy efficiency upgrades to five community buildings and street lighting in the city of Torrington, Conn. With these improvements, Torrington is now saving about 427,000 kilowatt-hours of power annually, which is equal to reducing the emissions from…
More mega-battery sites heading to Coachella Valley as California boosts power grid
More mega-battery sites heading to Coachella Valley as California boosts power grid July 29, 2024 A battery storage facility under construction near Palm Springs International Airport is just one part of a concerted effort by California to increase energy flexibility throughout the state. The state has recently instituted regulatory reforms…
CenterPoint Energy sees up to $1.3 bln in restoration costs after Hurricane Beryl
CenterPoint Energy sees up to $1.3 bln in restoration costs after Hurricane Beryl July 30, 2024 Electric and gas utility CenterPoint Energy (CNP.N), opens new tab said on Tuesday it expects total costs to restore facilities damaged by Hurricane Beryl to be in the range of $1.2 billion to $1.3…
NextEra considers restarting Iowa nuclear plant amid rising demand for carbon-free energy
NextEra considers restarting Iowa nuclear plant amid rising demand for carbon-free energy Jul 24 2024 NextEra Energy is considering restarting a nuclear plant in Iowa as demand for carbon-free energy grows amid a historic surge in electricity consumption. The Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa ceased operations in 2020…
Maine regulators will map out the next decade’s demands on the power grid
Maine regulators will map out the next decade’s demands on the power grid July 29, 2024 An initial 10-year plan by the state for guiding Maine’s electric utilities includes goals of improving the reliability and resilience of the power grid system in the face of climate change — while also…
Hawaiian Electric nears completion of $1.7M weather station project to help prevent wildfires
Hawaiian Electric nears completion of $1.7M weather station project to help prevent wildfires July 26, 2024 Hawaiian Electric Co. expects to fully complete its $1.7 million weather station project by the end of the month to help the company better predict and respond to weather conditions that could spark wildfires.…
U.S. electricity demand to rise spurred by the growth of data centers and electric vehicles
U.S. electricity demand to rise spurred by the growth of data centers and electric vehicles Energize Weekly, July 31, 2024 After remaining relatively flat for the last 20 years, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow 13 percent by 2030, boosted by demands from data centers, electric vehicles (EVs) and…
Largest US Offshore Wind Farm Begins Construction
Largest US Offshore Wind Farm Begins Construction July 22, 2024 Governor Hochul recently announced the start of construction on New York’s largest offshore wind project, Sunrise Wind, a 924-megawatt project developed by Ørsted. Once completed, the project will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 600,000 New York homes, according…
Some Exelon information systems affected by global cyber outage
Some Exelon information systems affected by global cyber outage July 19, 2024 Some information systems at Exelon Corp (EXC.O), opens new tab and its local electric and natural gas utilities were affected by the global tech outage, the U.S. power company said on Friday. Exelon, which is based in Chicago…
DC Circuit rejects bids to put hold on EPA power plant carbon rule
DC Circuit rejects bids to put hold on EPA power plant carbon rule Jul 22, 2024 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday rejected requests to put a hold on an Environmental Protection Agency rule limiting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants while litigation…
Before key hearings in North Carolina, Duke Energy makes tiny concessions to big gas ambitions
Before key hearings in North Carolina, Duke Energy makes tiny concessions to big gas ambitions July 18, 2024 Before pivotal hearings that begin Monday, Duke Energy has made a few small concessions to its plans for a giant fossil fuel buildout in North Carolina, winning over the once-skeptical state-sanctioned ratepayer…
