States rethink data centers as ‘electricity hogs’ strain the grid APRIL 30, 2024 State Sen. Norm Needleman championed the 2021 legislation designed to lure major data centers to Connecticut. The Democratic lawmaker hoped to better compete with nearby states, bring in a growing industry, and provide paychecks for workers tasked with building the sprawling server…
G7 offers leeway to Germany, Japan in deal to quit coal by 2035 April 30, 2024 Energy ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies agreed on Tuesday to end the use of coal in power generation during the first half of the next decade, but gave leeway to Germany and Japan whose economies…
Southern Co’s long-delayed Vogtle unit 4 nuclear reactor enters commercial operations April 29, 2024 Southern Co’s (SO.N), opens new tab Vogtle unit 4 nuclear reactor has entered commercial operation after years of running behind schedule, the utility firm’s Georgia unit said on Monday. The Vogtle two-unit expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia has been hailed as…
Texas power prices signal grid stress in another long, hot summer Apr 29, 2024 A surge in Texas power prices for August suggests another summer of heavy electricity demand — and potential grid strain — to meet air-conditioning needs. Traders start looking at prices months in advance to gauge the outlook for demand. Read more
Oil and gas mergers set to cool after a hot first quarter in 2024 with $51 billion in deals Energize Weekly, May 1, 2024 Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the U.S. upstream oil and gas sector in the first quarter of 2024 kept up last year’s record-setting pace with $51 billion in deals, but the…
Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Critical Rule To Clean Up PFAS Contamination To Protect Public Health April 19, 2024 Today, April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking another step in its efforts to protect people from the health risks posed by exposure to “forever chemicals” in communities across the country. Exposure to per-and…
U.S. hydropower generation expected to increase by 6% in 2024 following last year’s lows APRIL 18, 2024 Last year, U.S. hydropower electricity generation fell to its lowest since 2001. This year, we expect hydropower to increase 6% and account for 250 billion kilowatthours of electricity generation in the power sector, based on forecasts in our…
New cybersecurity center to protect grids integrated with renewables, microgrids 23-Apr-2024 Bringing renewable energy to the power grid raises all kinds of “internet-of-things” issues, said Iowa State University’s Manimaran Govindarasu. That’s because “everything is connected,” said the Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering. Solar inverters are connected to the internet. Wind farm controllers are connected…
Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal April 17, 2024 A helicopter hovers over the Gee family farm, the noisy rattle echoing inside their home in this rural part of West Virginia. It’s holding surveyors who are eyeing space for yet another power line next to the property — a line…
Can Aging U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Withstand More Extreme Weather? APRIL 23, 2024 To reach its climate goals, the Biden administration aims to extend the lives of U.S. nuclear reactors. But a new report finds regulators have not studied whether increasingly extreme weather could threaten the safety or viability of power plants largely built in…
Alberta introduces legislation to reduce high power bill fees for Calgarians April 22, 2024 The Alberta government is stepping in to stop Calgary residents from being forced to pay hefty surcharges on their power bills. Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf introduced a bill Monday that, if passed, would ban cities from using variable rates to calculate…
California reject bill to crackdown on how utilities spend customers’ money April 22, 2024 California lawmakers on Monday rejected a proposal aimed at cracking down on how some of the nation’s largest utilities spend customers’ money. California’s investor-owned utilities can’t use money from customers to pay for things like advertising their brand or lobbying for…