Another offshore wind win

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.

OFFSHORE WIND

• A federal judge rules that construction can resume on the Empire Wind project, the second time this week a court has decided in favor of an offshore wind development and against the Trump administration’s order to stop work. (Associated Press)

• Meanwhile, Vineyard Wind, where 61 or 62 planned turbines have already been installed, files its own lawsuit challenging the federal order. (MassLive)

STORAGE

• A 600 MWh battery storage project is slated to come online in 2026 the PJM Interconnection, bolstering the grid as the region prepares for an onslaught of data center demand. (Canary Media)

NATURAL GAS

• New Jersey regulators approve the final permit needed for a compressor station upgrade that is a key element in controversial plans to expand natural gas infrastructure in the region. (New Jersey Monitor)

DATA CENTERS

• President Donald Trump demands grid operator PJM hold an emergency auction in which data center developers bid on contracts to build $15 billion in new power plants to support their operations. (Financial Times)

• Opposition to data centers is widespread in Pennsylvania, but state lawmakers are paving the way for the facilities, which some see as a tricky inevitability and some welcome with open arms. (Spotlight PA)

• A group of five proposed data centers in Delaware could double the state’s electric load if all are built as planned. (Spotlight Delaware)

SOLAR

• Two solar companies sue Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, challenging a new law they say unfairly passes costs on to out-of-state developers in an attempt to lower the price tag of the state’s net-metering program. (Maine Public)

• Maryland lawmakers introduce a bill calling for the deployment of 4 gigawatts of solar capacity in the state by 2035. (pv magazine)

CLIMATE

• Many environmental advocates are disappointed in New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address, pointing to what they say is an overpriced push for nuclear power and tepid embrace of renewable energy. (Gothamist)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• New Jersey launches a pilot program equipping two schools with electric buses, bi-directional charging stations, and onsite solar and batteries to explore the potential benefits of the setups. (New Jersey Business Magazine)

GRID

• Grid operator PJM scales back its load forecast through 2032 in response to updated EV expectations and plans to more strictly vet data center proposals. (Utility Dive)

CLEAN HEAT

• Gov. Maura Healey delays implementation of the state’s clean heat standard, which would incentivize fuel suppliers to lower their emissions but likely increase costs for consumers, until 2028. (CommonWealth Beacon)

COMMENTARY

• Massachusetts regulators must require utilities to transition neighborhoods from gas service to thermal loops or air-source heat pumps, even if some consumers resist the switch, a decarbonization advocate argues. (CommonWealth Beacon)