Duke reins in data centers

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Duke deals with data centers: Top North Carolina utility Duke Energy has proposed a ​“large load tariff” that would require data centers and other large power consumers to pay a minimum bill so their costs don’t end up burdening other customers. Consumer advocates had been pushing the utility to establish regulations like these for months and say Duke’s proposal could still go further. (Canary Media)

PJM beats the heat: During last week’s heat wave, the U.S. Energy Department granted PJM Interconnection permission to use backup diesel generators, batteries, and other last-resort resources to stave off blackouts. PJM says emergency conservation measures it also instituted kept the grid from breaking a demand record. (Maryland Matters, Reuters)

Puerto Rico is getting shorted: An audit from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found Puerto Rico has only received about 25% of the $14B it was allocated for grid repairs and a solar and battery buildout after 2017’s Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island’s energy system. (Associated Press)

Carbon capture in crisis? The cancellation of Air Products’ hydrogen manufacturing facility in Louisiana is just the latest in a series of scrapped projects in the state that involved carbon capture and sequestration, and may drive environmental advocates and local leaders to fight more carbon capture projects. (The Advocate, Louisiana Illuminator)

The ​‘Battery Belt’ lives on: BMW will start producing an electric SUV at its South Carolina factory by the end of the year. It’s a break with many other automakers, which have pulled back in the tepid U.S. market, but BMW plans to export much of those EVs back to Europe. (New York Times)

RGGI, set, go: Virginia has officially rejoined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, with plans to participate in the cap-and-trade program’s next auction in September. Power prices are expected to rise with the program’s implementation, so funds raised under the auction will go toward customer bill credits as well as climate and weatherization programs. (VPM News)

Louisiana’s questionable regulation: The Louisiana Public Service Commission is considering adopting a rule that would require groups that want to intervene in regulatory proceedings to disclose their out-of-state funding. It comes in the wake of a conservative think tank’s report finding that environmental groups have received out-of-state donations as they push for a transition off fossil fuels. (Verite)

Kentucky Power under investigation: The Kentucky Public Service Commission launched an investigation into Kentucky Power’s ​“troubling” planning practices, including its decision to keep operating a West Virginia coal-fired power plant that’s likely to run up costs for customers. (Kentucky Lantern)

From coal to clean: Greenbrier Smokeless, Flash Metals USA, and AmForge Corporation announced plans for a $150 million facility in West Virginia that will aim to extract rare earth materials out of coal tailings for use in clean energy and other applications. (WVVA)

Taking care of coal miners: Three Democratic U.S. House members, including one from Kentucky, introduced a bill that would boost black lung disability payments for coal miners and their families, and set the stipends to rise with inflation. (West Virginia Watch)