Battery storage boosts Puerto Rico’s beleaguered grid

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

STORAGE

• Puerto Rico’s initially modest virtual power plant pilot program has grown into a crucial pillar of support as solar and storage boost the island’s dilapidated grid. (Utility Dive)

• A Virginia county board sets a public hearing for a proposed ordinance to regulate battery storage facilities. (Amherst New Era-Progress)

FOSSIL FUELS

• An analyst tells West Virginia regulators Appalachian Power lost $81.1 million from running its three coal plants, and expects to continue losing money due to new contracts for large amounts of coal for 2026. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• Duke Energy notifies North Carolina regulators it wants to build two gas-powered turbines at the site of a former coal-fired power plant near Charlotte, adding to a nearby 718 MW gas-fired plant. (Charlotte Observer)

PIPELINES

• The Mountain Valley Pipeline considers a plan to add a compressor station and boost the amount of natural gas the pipeline can carry, though it hasn’t yet filed the proposal with federal regulators. (Roanoke Times, Cardinal News)

CARBON CAPTURE

• Georgia Power drills holes to explore the state’s geology as it considers the potential for carbon storage. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• A Texas company is part of a wave of startups developing new ways to process and repurpose carbon emissions from power plants and other facilities. (Inside Climate News)

EFFICIENCY

• Two Republican Kentucky lawmakers express support for a federal program Trump wants to cut that assists state residents with heating and cooling costs. (Kentucky Lantern)

GRID

• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is part of a bipartisan group of nine governors who sent a letter to PJM asking to nominate candidates for two seats on its Board of Managers amid rising energy prices. (Virginia Mercury, Inside Climate News)

• The U.S. Energy Department selects locations in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Idaho as potential sites to build data centers on federal land. (E&E News)

• The developers behind a proposed Alabama data center and residents who oppose it accused each other of espousing misinformation. (Inside Climate News)

• Virginia regulators set a second public hearing on Dominion Energy’s request to build new transmission facilities and lines. (news release)

NUCLEAR

• Texas, Utah, and nuclear developer Last Energy sue the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to force it to relinquish its authority to license small nuclear reactors to individual states. (E&E News)

• A nuclear fusion developer signs contracts with the Tennessee Valley Authority to purchase specialized services from its shops in Alabama. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

HYDROPOWER

• Appalachian Power warns of rising water levels at Virginia lakes as it prepares to rev up its hydroelectric plants in anticipation of high temperatures over the next week. (WDBJ)

UTILITIES

• A study debunks allegations a Texas city’s municipal utility has been overcharging its customers for electricity. (East Texas News)

FLOODING

• Texas’ director of emergency management testifies to state lawmakers about poor coordination between state and local emergency managers during flooding earlier this month that killed 136 people. (Houston Chronicle, Inside Climate News)

• The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency praises the agency’s response to Texas flooding as a national model, though Democrats are more critical. (E&E News)

EMISSIONS

• National Park advocates worry the U.S. EPA’s proposed withdrawal of approval for Texas’ haze plan could worsen pollution and affect scenic views in Texas and Oklahoma. (San Antonio Express-News)

COMMENTARY

• Wind, solar, and battery energy are boosting the Texas grid and keeping energy prices relatively low, writes a nonprofit consultant to rebut an editorial in the Wall Street Journal. (Dallas Morning News, Wall Street Journal)