Duke pitches another N.C. gas plant, despite carbon goals

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FOSSIL FUELS

• North Carolina regulators quietly greenlit Duke Energy’s plans to build a 1,360 MW gas-fired power plant to replace two aging coal units earlier this month, frustrating critics by how they’re implementing a state law to go carbon-free by 2050. (Canary Media)

• A Texas company proposes building four new gas-fired power plants totaling 5.4 GW to power data centers in the state and elsewhere. (Houston Chronicle)

• West Virginia lawmakers advance a bill to allow fossil fuel energy generation in special districts created by a 2022 law to facilitate microgrids. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• Chevron announces plans to lay off 20% of its 40,000 workers. (Reuters)

• A U.S. Energy Department report found new liquified natural gas export terminals on the Gulf Coast would lead to domestic fuel and electricity price spikes, raising doubts about Trump’s promise to lower costs by encouraging exports. (Grist)

STORAGE

• A Texas startup that launched last year already has installed more than 1,000 home batteries by charging homeowners ongoing monthly fees instead of making them buy a storage system outright, and then bidding the decentralized battery fleet into state energy markets. (Canary Media)

WIND

• Trump’s moves to block offshore wind development have disrupted efforts to develop three offshore wind farms near North Carolina. (Wilmington StarNews)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• South Carolina lawmakers adjourn debate on a bill that would allow electric vehicle makers to sell directly to consumers, casting doubt on its passage. (WIS)

SOLAR

• Solar module manufacturer First Solar underperformed expectations in its fourth-quarter earnings as it develops new facilities in Alabama and Louisiana. (PV Magazine)

CARBON CAPTURE

• A grassroots Louisiana group organizes residents and legislators against proposed carbon storage sites under a nearby aquifer that provides nearly half of the state’s drinking water. (Louisiana Illuminator)

• Environmentalists sue Louisiana agencies over a planned carbon pipeline in a wildlife management area. (KPLC)

GRID

• Georgia lawmakers advance legislation to force Georgia Power to charge data center companies for the cost of building infrastructure to serve them. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

UTILITIES

• An energy company announces a $56 billion, five-year capital plan despite seeing a 19% drop in its stock price, in hopes of laying the groundwork for long-term growth in Texas. (Utility Dive)

• Arkansas lawmakers consider legislation to allow utilities annual rate increases to build more power plants, which they hope will lead to lower long-term rates. (Talk Business & Politics)

CLIMATE

• Georgia lawmakers approve a mid-year state budget with disaster relief funding after experiencing two hurricanes, a tornado, three days with 10 inches or more of rainfall and two 40-day droughts last year. (Capitol Beat News Service)

• Trump administration officials meet with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear about severe flooding earlier this month. (Kentucky Lantern)

COMMENTARY

• Texas must upgrade and expand its transmission system if it wishes to attract artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and other energy-hungry industries, writes a member of a group that represents large electricity buyers. (Austin American-Statesman)

• West Virginia should leverage its coal industry as a stepping stone in the energy transition, writes an editorial board. (Parkersburg News and Sentinel)

• Weather disasters in western North Carolina and the Midwest belie the idea of climate havens, writes the author of a book about climate migration. (Guardian)