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A $1 billion nuclear loan

By Sarah Shemkus

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

NUCLEAR

  • The U.S. Department of Energy will make a $1 billion loan to help get the shuttered nuclear power plant on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island up and running again. (Associated Press)

  • As Pennsylvania looks at the possibility of developing more nuclear power, state lawmakers consider a bill that would set appropriate fees for plants using small modular reactor technology. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

AFFORDABILITY

  • Maine regulators reject a proposed Central Maine Power electricity rate increase that would have upped the average month bill by $35, and asks the utility to submit a new plan that takes the impact on consumers into greater consideration. (Maine Morning Star)

  • Leadership in the Massachusetts state house delays action on a widely opposed bill that aims to lower energy costs by softening climate targets and slashing energy efficiency spending. (CommonWealth Beacon)

  • New Jersey’s Democratic governor-elect Mikie Sherrill will likely work with utilities to deliver her promised rate freeze, while granting those utilities concessions in return. (Heatmap)

FOSSIL FUELS

  • Environmental groups ask a federal appeals court to review New Jersey regulators’ decision to grant permits to a proposed natural gas pipeline that opponents call indefensible.” (New Jersey Monitor)

RENEWABLES

  • In a Massachusetts court hearing, a Trump administration lawyer says the promised temporary” review of paused offshore wind projects is underway, but there is no projected end date for the process. (New Bedford Light)

  • Supporters of developing more public renewable power supply in New York City are hoping mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will prove to be a powerful ally in the fight to advance the idea. (Grist)

ELECTRIFICATION

  • Complying with New York City’s Local Law 97, which phases in increasingly rigorous efficiency and electrification requirements, could be costly for co-op apartment owners. (Inside Climate News)

GRID

  • New England and New York’s grid operators expect to have more than enough supply capacity to meet peak demand this winter, even as the use of electric heating increases across the region. (Utility Dive)

  • Federal regulators approve energy company NRG’s purchase of 13 gigawatts in gas-fired power plants, including facilities in the PJM territory, New York, and New England. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

  • The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will add some 25 vehicles to its fleet of hybrid buses with a recent award of $25 million in federal funding from a Biden-era program. (Rhode Island Current)

  • Electric boats are becoming more common among shellfishermen in Maine, but cost remains a major barrier to more widespread adoption. (Inside Climate News)

TRANSMISSION

  • Opponents of a controversial planned transmission line in Maryland suffer a setback as counsel for utility regulators urge the state to move forward with the project’s permit application. (Baltimore Sun)

  • Grid operator ISO New England receives six proposals for transmission projects that would allow more power to flow from Maine into southern New England. (RTO Insider)

NEW FROM CANARY

  • Batteries are helping Chattanooga keep the lights on — and bills low — Julian Spector

  • Wisconsin lawmakers look to break utility grip on community solar — Kari Lydersen

  • This Ohio county banned wind and solar. Now, residents are pushing back. — Kathiann M. Kowalski

  • Data-center power forecasts climb to unreachable heights — Jeff St. John

  • Chinese and European industry groups to decide on green-steel standards — Alexander C. Kaufman