Bitcoin-based power plant proposal infuriates Texans

GRID: Angry Texans gather to oppose an energy company’s plans to build a new 300 MW power plant alongside two existing plants to boost a neighboring Bitcoin mine that’s prompted complaints about round-the-clock noise. (Inside Climate News)

ALSO:

• A Virginia town girds itself against a massive influx of data centers, which already occupy 8 million square feet but could grow to ten times that, led by county-approved plans for the largest data center campus on the planet. (Sierra)
• Hurricane Francine knocks out power to nearly 300,000 people in Louisiana, causing problems in some areas with sewage management. (Louisiana Illuminator)

SOLAR:

• Dominion Energy cultivates four bee hives at a 1.5 MW solar farm in Virginia as it aims to more deeply incorporate the concept of agrivoltaics. (WVIR)
• A developer begins commercial operations at a 270 MW solar farm in Texas, with half the power going to a power purchase agreement and the other half sold on the state electricity market. (PV Tech)
• A developer begins construction on a 270 MW solar project in Texas, with its output to be divided between two power purchase agreements. (Renewables Now)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority collects public input on a proposed 200 MW solar farm and 20 MW battery facility in Mississippi. (news release)

OVERSIGHT: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear appoints a former Democratic state lawmaker to a three-person regulatory board that oversees utilities. (Kentucky Lantern)

HYDROELECTRIC: An Oklahoma Congress member condemns a 1,200 MW hydroelectric project proposed by a Texas-based company, claiming its owner has close ties to ​“the Chinese Communist Party.” (Journal Record)

TRANSPORTATION: Austin, Texas, wins accolades for a mobility hub that include a bus shelter equipped with solar-powered charging for personal devices, electric scooters and e-bikes. (KXAN)

OIL & GAS:

• Oil and gas producers in the Gulf Coast evacuate offshore drilling platforms and slow operations at six oil refineries ahead of Hurricane Francine. (Reuters)
• A pipeline explosion in Oklahoma injures three people. (KFOR)

EQUITY: A study finds low-income households in Richmond, Virginia, face a severe energy burden, prompting conversations about addressing urban heat islands and implementing energy efficiency improvements. (Virginia Mercury, VPM)

POLITICS: The issue of climate change and its effect on insurance rates becomes a dividing point between two candidates running for North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance. (NC Newsline)

COMMENTARY:

• South Carolina should block incentives for data centers, require them to source at least half their power from renewables, and instruct state regulators not to pass along related energy costs to ratepayers, writes the president of a state chamber of commerce. (South Carolina Daily Gazette)
• An editorial board endorses a deal between Duke Energy and Florida regulators that involves lower power rates and a pledge not to cut off customers on especially hot days. (Citrus County Chronicle)