Shuttered nuclear plants get a new lease on life thanks to power demands of data centers Energize Weekly, October 9, 2024 Aging – and even shuttered – nuclear power plants are getting a new lease on life, thanks to the growing demand for electricity from data centers and artificial intelligence.…
Minnesota Power Announces Two Large Solar Projects Totaling Over 200 MW in Northern Minnesota 24th September 2024 Minnesota Power, a division of ALLETE Inc. has announced plans to build two major solar projects in northern Minnesota, advancing its commitment to a cleaner energy future while prioritizing regional renewable energy investments.…
Governor Gianforte Celebrates Nearly $1 Billion Energy Investment in Montana September 20 2024 Governor Greg Gianforte yesterday cut the ribbon on NextEra Energy Resources’ Clearwater Wind Energy Center in Miles City and celebrated the company’s nearly $1 billion investment in Montana. “We’re ramping up energy production in Montana with our…
Electric rates rise with weather risks, the energy transition, and growing load growth Energize Weekly, September 25, 2024 After a decade of relatively flat rates, electricity prices surged in 2022 and have continued to rise to pay for the country’s energy transition, upgrading an aging grid, and meeting an increasing…
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…
Renewables, cleantech sector will grow regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election Energize Weekly, September 18, 2024 The results of the U.S. presidential election – even if there is a victory by Donald Trump – will likely not derail growth in the renewable energy and cleantech sectors, according to…
Appalachian Power to get $5 million for Claytor hydroelectric upgrades September 9, 2024 Appalachian Power will receive $5 million in federal funding to upgrade its Claytor hydroelectric plant on the New River in Pulaski County. Virginia’s second-largest electric utility will use the money to help pay for replacing original equipment…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Manchin, Barrasso announce permitting reform deal, breaking lengthy impasse 07/22/24 Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) have reached an agreement on a bill to speed up the nation’s energy and infrastructure projects after about two years of trying to reach a deal. The bill takes on a suite…
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…
Hurricane Beryl Ravages Texas Coast, Leaving Widespread Damage and Power Outages July 8, 2024 Tropical Storm Beryl has unleashed heavy rains and powerful winds along the Texas coast, leading to widespread power outages affecting nearly 3 million homes and businesses. Streets are inundated with rapidly rising waters, prompting urgent rescue…
New rates approved for Duke Energy Carolinas customers in South Carolina Jul 08, 2024 The Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) has approved new customer rates based on a settlement agreement with almost all parties in the Duke Energy Carolinas rate review request filed with the commission in January…
Despite bad weather and forced power plant outages the nation’s grid was reliable in 2023 Energize Weekly, July 3, 2024 Even in the face of extreme weather events and higher rates of forced outages at generating facilities, the U.S.-Canadian electric grid remained “reliable and secure” in 2023, according to the…
N.C.’s ratepayer advocate: Duke Energy ‘failed’ to consider incentives that would cut costs & enable more clean energy June 25, 2024 Duke Energy’s plan to zero out its carbon pollution all but ignores a federal loan program that could save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and enable more clean…
Ontario’s new energy minister says natural gas plants must stay ‘to help fuel our economy’ June 13, 2024 Ontario’s new energy minister says the fast-growing province can’t afford an “ideological” push to wean its electricity system off fossil fuels even as concerns about climate change mount. “I cannot underscore this…
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…
NRG Applies to the Texas Energy Fund to Bring Essential Dispatchable Power to ERCOT Jun 10, 2024 Today, NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE: NRG) submitted the first of three loan applications to the Texas Energy Fund (TEF) to develop the previously announced 1,600 megawatts (MW) (1.6 Gigawatts) of new quick-start natural…
City council rejects Power San Diego proposal Jun 10, 2024 The push by a voter initiative to assume control of the power responsibilities of San Diego Gas & Electric collected over 30,000 signatures. This compelled the city council to deliberate on whether San Diego voters would have the opportunity to…
US Energy Secretary calls for more nuclear power while celebrating $35 billion Georgia reactors May 31, 2024 U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday called for more nuclear reactors to be built in the United States and worldwide. But the CEO of the Georgia utility that just finished the first…
AI is poised to drive a doubling in data center electricity demand by 2030, studies say Energize Weekly, June 5, 2024 Data centers, spurred by increased artificial intelligence applications, could double their demand for electricity in the U.S. reaching 9.1 percent of the nation’s electricity load by 2030, according to…
Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant Eraring in Lake Macquarie to stay open for two extra years 22 May 2024 The Eraring Power Station in Lake Macquarie will remain open for an additional two years beyond its original 2025 closure date in a deal between Origin and the NSW state government.…
Global financing for clean tech manufacturing soared to $200 million in 2023 Energize Weekly, May 15, 2024 Global investment in clean technology manufacturing grew year-over-year by 70 percent to $200 billion in 2023, making it one of the largest industrial sectors for new financing, according to a report by the…
AI could drive a natural gas boom as power companies face surging electricity demand MAY 5 2024 Natural gas producers are planning for a significant spike in demand over the next decade, as artificial intelligence drives a surge in electricity consumption that renewables may struggle to meet alone. After a…
Replacing old coal-fired plants with small nuclear reactors could be an economic boon Energize Weekly, May 8, 2024 The steady pace of coal-fired plant closures in the U.S. is leaving gaps in the economies of dozens of communities and creating risks to electricity reliability. One solution addressing multiple problems could…
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,…
North Dakota’s Dept. of Commerce looking at nuclear power to meet the increasing demand for electricity April 15, 2024 North Dakota’s Commerce Department has begun studying whether nuclear power could be used to help meet the increasing demand for electricity. That demand is being driven – in part – by…
Dominion Energy gets 764MW of new solar capacity approved in Virginia April 2, 2024 Virginia regulators on Friday approved more than a dozen new solar projects from Dominion Energy in a move that will expand the company’s clean energy fleet in the US state. The projects approved by the Virginia…
Senate signs off on license extension for new hydropower projects March 26, 2024 The Senate recently advanced a bill (S.4050) by U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and John Kennedy (R-LA) that would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend construction licenses for new hydropower projects beset by…
Cox signs bill to keep coal plant open amid warnings of federal conflict MARCH 21, 2024 Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill that would extend the life of the coal-fired Intermountain Power Plant, but amid pushback from the facility owner and the possibility of conflict with a federal agency,…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans March 18, 2024 State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce…
New solar installations set a record in 2023 with 32 gigawatts of new capacity Energize Weekly, March 13, 2024 New solar installations – spurred by federal grants and tax credits – reached a record 32.4 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in 2023, a 51 percent increase year-over-year, according to a Solar…
New Jersey waters down proposed referendum on new fossil fuel power plant ban March 4, 2024 New Jersey lawmakers wanted to ask voters whether to ban new fossil fuel-fired power plants. And then they added a loophole big enough to drive a fleet of oil trucks through. A state Senate…
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks MARCH 4, 2024 The growing risk of unreliability and potential expense of buying energy on the open market is a big reason why Xcel Energy wants to make significant investments in its infrastructure.…
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says Energize Weekly, March 6, 2024 The grid interconnection process in the U.S. is so “dysfunctional” that more than two million megawatts of generation and storage are waiting to be hooked up, according to an analysis by Advanced…
DOE announces $45 million investment for cybersecurity research FEBRUARY 26, 2024 The Department of Energy on Monday announced a $45 million investment into cybersecurity research for the energy sector, including projects on artificial intelligence detection and response and quantum communication for the grid. DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and…
Xcel asks for more nuclear waste storage to operate Prairie Island until 2050s FEBRUARY 8, 2024 Xcel Energy says it needs to store far more nuclear waste at its Prairie Island facility to extend the plant’s life by 20 years, as it has proposed in its long-range plan. Keeping the…
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023 Energize Weekly, February 7, 2024 Global investments in the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean tech climbed 17 percent in 2023 to a record $1.8 trillion, according to a study by the energy research…
U.S. Oil Drillers Are Going Electric—and Hitting Speed Bumps January 29, 2024 In the country’s busiest oil field, frackers are devouring nearly as much electricity as four Seattles every day—and they are clamoring for more. Diamondback Energy, a major producer in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico,…
Texas’ grid has gone 3 years without a crisis. Will it last? 01/30/2024 In the three years since deadly blackouts paralyzed Texas, two major winter storms have hit the electricity grid without plunging the state into blackouts. Texas has touted its success during those two events — Elliott in December…
Lawmakers propose to keep Utah running on coal and natural gas Jan 29, 2024 Republicans on Capitol Hill are working to keep coal and natural gas in Utah’s future. There’s a bumper sticker making its way around the Capitol this year. It reads simply, “powered by coal.” Rep. Colin Jack,…
Federal money will help PG&E operate Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant until 2030 January 19, 2024 The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, California’s last operating plant, will continue to run until 2030. This week the Biden Administration finalized a billion-dollar aid-package to help keep the plant running. It was scheduled…
AES positioned to provide tech sector with growing renewable energy solutions January 19, 2024 With data centers and generative AI (GenAI) driving an enormous demand for power and major technology firms working to fulfill ambitious clean energy goals, AES Corp. said it is positioned as the premiere provider of renewable…
Puget Sound Energy says region set new record for electrical demands January 15, 2024 Puget Sound Energy says the region set a new record for demand on the natural gas and electrical systems on Friday. A faulty fiber optic cable temporarily took down one of its gas storage facilities in…
Solar generation continues expand rapidly on the U.S. grid while coal continues its decline Energize Weekly, January 17, 2024 Solar and coal-fired electricity generation are continuing to head in opposite directions over the next two years with solar being the leading source of new generation and coal activity falling to…
Energy Department has cyber threats to infrastructure in mind with $70 million funding offer JANUARY 5, 2024 The Department of Energy is offering $70 million in funds toward research and development for technology that would protect delivery infrastructure against cyber-related threats and other physical hazards, part of what a senior…
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