EUCI Blog

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Feb. 25 issued its largest loan package ever – $26.5 billion – to help finance 16 gigawatts (GW) of generation and 1,300 miles of new transmission in Georgia and Alabama. Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, received $22.4 billion, and Alabama…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer In the last 10 years more than $230 billion has flowed into energy startups, but in the face of economic and political uncertainty, that funding stream has slowed, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Between 2015 and 2022, funding for a broad range of startups rose 570%, but…

Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft balk at Ohio utility’s demand they pay for electric grid upgrades to support AI rollout Sep. 16, 2024 Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have banded together to fight an Ohio utility that wants them to pay for upgrades to the electric grid that will be necessary to support the Big…

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 overtime. The TVA System Operations…

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 by 30% while cutting outage…

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 launch of our new resilience…

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 days. The latest investigation of…

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 electric transmission system, which is…

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 billion. Earlier this month, Hurricane…

Federally proposed bill promotes Energy Dept.’s use of AI in energy, national security, science 7/15/2024 A newly introduced bill on Capitol Hill aims to advance America’s leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) by establishing a program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that would promote the department’s use of the technology in its work in…

Entergy Texas announces resiliency plan to strengthen the Southeast Texas power grid 07/01/2024 Extreme weather has become more frequent and severe in Texas. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, there have been 179 extreme weather events in Texas from 1980 to June 2024, including hurricanes and winter storms. These extreme events, coupled with…

Big energy projects moving fast, face $150 billion a year in cost overruns, Bain & Co. says Energize Weekly, June 19, 2024 The scale and speed of the energy transition risks project delays and setbacks leading to cost overruns of 15 percent to 20 percent, equal to $150 billion a year, according to research paper…