Clean energy may stall Wisconsin regulations

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

DATA CENTERS

• Wisconsin may accomplish little in the near term around data center regulations as Republicans and Democrats pitch competing bills that disagree over clean energy requirements. (Canary Media)

• President Trump and a bipartisan group of governors will direct grid operator PJM to hold a special auction for tech companies to fund new power plants needed to supply data centers. (E&E News)

• The Kansas City Council considers an ordinance that would create new zoning rules for data centers and increase transparency for public documents as developers pursue projects. (Kansas City Star)

• A Kansas City building that’s been vacant since 2019 and now houses a data center secures one of the first commercial PACE loans to improve its HVAC efficiency. (KCUR)

HYDROGEN

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issues an executive directive to pursue geologic hydrogen development across the state as a clean energy and economic development solution. (Bridge)

SOLAR

• Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signals his support for a state bill that would block commercial solar development through at least 2027. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR

• Critics say a bill advancing in Indiana would limit state oversight of nuclear power facilities, though state officials say such oversight falls on the federal government. (WFYI)

CARBON CAPTURE

• An Indiana Republican introduces legislation to ban the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipeline and storage projects. (WTWO)

BIOFUELS

• Iowa’s ethanol production has failed to grow over the past two years because of the industry’s lack of access to carbon sequestration technologies, advocates say. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

COAL

• U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the Trump administration intends to keep coal plants open past their scheduled closing dates, potentially saddling utility customers with excessive costs. (New York Times)

• Demolition continues at a former Ohio coal plant that closed in 2023 and is being cleared along the Ohio River. (WTRF)

NEW FROM CANARY

• 22GW of renewables thwarted or in limbo under Trump​‘blockade’ — Maria Gallucci

• Hyundai will test cleaner iron tech in South Korea to fast-track US plans — Alexander C. Kaufman

• Chart: Solar is finally bigger than coal in Texas — Dan McCarthy

• PJM’s power-starved grid will finally get a big battery this year — Julian Spector

• Want to plug more EVs into the grid? Don’t charge them all at once. — Jeff St. John

• Why is Duke Energy retreating from a major pumped hydro expansion? — Elizabeth Ouzts