Author: Graham Foster

U.S. Department of the Interior Announces New Wind Lease Buyout The U.S. Department of the Interior recently shared that it has reached an agreement to pay Invenergy $765 million to end four offshore wind leases. This decision increases the total lease buyouts by the administration to eight, costing over $2.5 billion. Invenergy plans to voluntarily terminate leases in various locations, including the New York Bight, the Gulf of Maine, and Morro Bay in California. One of the halted projects, the 2.4-GW Leading Light Wind in New York Bight, was canceled in November due to financial and regulatory challenges. The other…

Summary: This month, two U.S. auto manufacturers are enhancing the role of electric vehicles (EVs) in supporting the power grid and aiding electric companies in managing peak energy demands. On Tuesday, Rivian joined forces with ChargeScape, a platform that integrates vehicles with the grid to facilitate managed charging across the U.S. Earlier, General Motors announced a firmware update to its GM Energy vehicle-to-home systems, enabling full vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability without needing hardware changes. GM also revealed a partnership with DTE Energy in Michigan and plans with Pacific Gas & Electric. With over 7 million EVs on American roads and expectations…

Dive Brief: Meta has partnered with renewable energy firm Zelestra to purchase electricity from a solar plant in Freestone County, Texas. This agreement was announced on Tuesday. The Palmera Solar Plant, with a capacity of 180 MWdc, will enable Meta to support its commitment to renewable energy, providing 100% clean energy for its operations. This new agreement builds on their existing relationship, as Meta and Zelestra have Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) totaling about 1.4 GW of solar capacity across eight projects in the U.S., all expected to be operational by 2028. Dive Insight: Meta and Zelestra are collaborating on numerous…

Key Highlights: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has decided to reinstate a $57 million grant for American Battery Technology Co. This grant supports the construction of a lithium refinery in Tonopah Flats, Nevada. American Battery announced on Monday that they have successfully appealed the grant’s initial cancellation and will move forward with their plans for a $115 million commercial-scale refinery aimed at producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The new facility is projected to have an annual capacity of 5,000 metric tons and will complement the company’s battery recycling operations. Insights: Last October, the DOE had canceled grants worth $700 million…

Microsoft Proposes New Ratepayer Protection in Nevada In May, Microsoft submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada aimed at establishing a Ratepayer Protection Tariff. This tariff is designed to create a clear framework for managing the costs associated with the growth of data centers driven by artificial intelligence (AI). The proposal outlines two key components for funding infrastructure necessary for large data projects: a Customer Contributed Share, which is the responsibility of the large-load customer, and a System Benefit Share, which can be reviewed for inclusion in the utility’s rate base if it benefits the community. According…

Fervo Energy, a developer in the enhanced geothermal sector, has received mostly positive feedback from early investors after its public debut last month. However, a recent report from Jefferies highlights that the company’s ambitious aim of generating about 42 GW could face challenges due to transmission issues in the Western U.S. According to Jefferies equity analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith, these transmission constraints might slow down Fervo’s planned operations, especially since many of their sites are located in rural regions with limited infrastructure. He mentioned that management has recognized this as a potential risk for their full 384 MW capacity, suggesting that…

Key Details: Massachusetts is launching bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) chargers at no cost for selected customers. This initiative is part of a two-year demonstration program aimed at exploring how residential, municipal, and school customers can use EV batteries for backup power and improving energy self-consumption. According to Elijah Sinclair, a senior program manager at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the goal is to have between 70 and 80 chargers installed by the end of summer. The program includes five school districts, four municipal entities, and over 45 residents. Early data from participating school districts suggest that electric buses could both…

America’s water utilities face significant challenges, stemming from outdated infrastructure, stricter regulations, and rising demands on their systems. As these utilities strive to implement necessary upgrades, they must also manage affordability, workforce shortages, and accountability to the public. In this evolving landscape of infrastructure investment, the focus has shifted from just identifying needed projects to figuring out how to execute them efficiently, with less risk involved. This change is influencing how projects are delivered. Traditionally, utilities used the Design-Bid-Build (DBB) model, which separates engineering from construction. This often leads to risks being identified late in the process, causing coordination issues…

Entergy is working on a significant number of power projects, mainly gas-fired, which represent nearly a third of the nearly 28 GW in the fast-track interconnection queue of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). This information comes from an analysis of the latest list released on Wednesday. Approximately 70% of Entergy’s new capacity additions, which span Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, are aimed at supporting planned data center complexes, as noted in MISO’s summary of projects in its Expedited Resource Addition Study (ERAS). The company anticipates that its retail sales will rise by 8.5% annually through 2030, driven in part by…

Key Insights: Large customers are increasingly keen on utilizing clean technologies like advanced geothermal systems and small modular nuclear reactors. A recent report from the Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) highlights how clean energy tariffs and customer-utility agreements are paving the way for safer and more commercial deployment of these technologies. Priya Barua, the CEBA’s senior director of utility partnerships, mentioned that these arrangements can help bring development costs down, similar to what happened with solar and wind energy. The aim is to move towards broader acceptance and affordability of such technologies. According to the CEBA report, clean energy tariffs…