Clean energy conservatives hopeful Trump won’t dismantle N.C. projects

POLITICS: Conservative clean energy advocates in North Carolina downplay the effects that incoming President Trump will have on electric vehicle manufacturing, offshore wind and other federally backed initiatives he railed about during the campaign. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

• North Carolina lawmakers approve a 131-page ​“disaster recovery” bill that strips power from the executive branch over the objections of Democrats and three Republicans who represent hard-hit areas in the western part of the state. (Port City Daily, Blue Ridge Public Radio)
• A North Carolina congressman whose district has seen billions of dollars in investment from the Inflation Reduction Act calls the law ​“a highly partisan scam” but doesn’t say whether he will support repeal. (New York Times)

TRANSITION:

• Duke Energy plans to close a coal-fired power plant in North Carolina and replace it with 50 MW and 167 MW arrays of lithium-ion batteries. (WFAE)
• North Carolina regulators take public comment on Duke Energy’s plan to replace two coal boilers at a power plant with two new gas generators. (WFAE)

WIND: A 2,000 MW wind farm planned for the Gulf of Mexico is unlikely to be affected by Donald Trump’s enmity for wind energy, largely because its timeline is so protracted his term will be over before permitting and construction begin. (Verite News)

PIPELINES: A North Carolina county board approves a settlement with the Colonial Pipeline over a 2 million gallon gasoline spill in 2020. (WFAE)

OVERSIGHT:

• The head of North Carolina’s disaster recovery agency departs the office after revealing financial troubles stemming from a $221 million shortfall incurred from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. (Inside Climate News)
• President Biden announces two nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors. (E&E News, subscription; news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Kia rolls out a second electric vehicle to be built at its Georgia factory. (WTVM)

SOLAR:

• The Sierra Club challenges Mississippi regulators’ suspension of solar incentives. (WLBT)
• A company plans to expand a 380 MW Texas solar farm by another 132 MW. (Solar Industry)

HYDROPOWER: Dominion Energy cancels a proposed $2 billion pumped storage hydroelectric project in Virginia after its federal permit expired.(Bluefield Daily Telegraph)

GRID: Entergy launches a $233 million grid hardening project to reinforce power lines and poles in Louisiana. (WWL)

HYDROGEN: Federal officials issue a final approval and an initial $22 million disbursement to a $1.2 billion hydrogen hub on the Gulf Coast, which aims to become the largest of seven such hubs in the U.S. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES:

• A new report documents Duke Energy’s history of involvement with industry groups that acknowledged the risk of climate change from burning fossil fuels as far back as the 1960s and ​‘70s. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• Texas regulators call for legislative action to increase penalties for poor service and to expand performance standards after concluding an investigation of CenterPoint Energy and other Houston utilities for their lackluster response during Hurricane Beryl and a May derecho. (Houston Chronicle)
• Florida regulatory staff recommend allowing Florida Power & Light to recover $1.2 billion for the cost of restoring power after Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. (CBS News)