$100 million upgrade planned for Maryland nuclear plant

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

NUCLEAR

• Constellation Energy says it will spend $100 million to upgrade the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland, as the company seeks to extend the facility’s operating license. (Baltimore Banner)

• New Jersey lawmakers advance a bill that would allow fusion energy to receive state clean energy funding; the bill’s Republican sponsor says the long-elusive technology is ​“taking immense strides toward becoming a reality.” (ROI-NJ)

CLIMATE

Advocates and political leaders are skeptical of President Trump’s order declaring an energy ​“emergency” in the Northeast, and say state and local authority limits the federal government’s ability to force increased use of fossil fuels. (CT Mirror)

OFFSHORE WIND

The demise of a New Jersey offshore wind project that had already secured its federal permits has more to do with rising costs and state budget uncertainty than executive actions by the Trump administration. (Canary Media)

GRID

New England and New York grid operators say they are coordinating with Canadian power suppliers to ensure reliability if Trump imposes tariffs on energy imports. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES

• In a news conference, Connecticut lawmakers defend the state’s utility regulator, characterizing recent criticism by Eversource as an effort to undermine public oversight and consumer protections. (CT Insider)

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urges state regulators to reject a proposed ConEd rate increase, and calls for an audit of the utility’s executive compensation. (ABC 7)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Vermont suspends its work on electric vehicle chargers, and projects in Philadelphia are in doubt amid the Trump administration’s freeze of federal funding. (Vermont Public, Billy Penn)

• The CEO of a New York-based electric vehicle charging company says the industry ​“is moving forward with or without federal support” and anticipates state, local and private initiatives will continue despite federal cuts. (Inside Climate News)

• Companies that build electric outboard motors and low-flying electric ​“seagliders” are among those advancing Rhode Island’s ocean-focused ​“blue economy,” a state official says. (Providence Journal)

SOLAR

• Massachusetts is still unable to access its $156 million Solar for All grant despite a Monday court order requiring the Trump administration to unfreeze the funds. (WBUR)

• Nautilus Solar says it completed 15 community solar projects totaling 78 MW of capacity in 2024. (PV Magazine)

COMMENTARY

A solar advocate praises Connecticut Public Utility Regulatory chair Marissa Gillett’s ​“transformative” leadership and says utility criticisms of her rulings ​“have often dripped with gendered undertones.” (CT Mirror)