Georgia battery factory canceled

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STORAGE

• A Norwegian company cites higher interest rates, falling battery prices and a change in corporate leadership in its announcement it’s canceling its planned $2.6 battery factory in Georgia. (Newnan Times-Herald; Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription)
• The United Auto Workers pushes to unionize a Kentucky battery complex owned by Ford and South Korean company SK On that’s on track to begin production this year. (WKYU, Spectrum News)

CLIMATE

Climate change threatens to destabilize Texas’ housing market as insurance rates in vulnerable areas soar to the point where homeowners can’t afford them and potential buyers are unwilling to assume the cost. (Houston Chronicle)

CARBON CAPTURE

Texas carbon capture advocates call for the state to attain regulatory oversight powers because the U.S. EPA has failed to approve any of 17 proposals so far, and Occidental Petroleum’s ambitious plans have now reached the public review stage. (Texas Tribune)

SOLAR

• A nonprofit that helps schools in coal-producing regions switch to renewables announces it has installed 451 kW of solar power at two Virginia schools and 600 kW at two West Virginia schools. (news release)
• An energy company begins operations at a 202 MW solar farm and 104 MW battery storage facility in Texas. (Renewables Now)
• A South Carolina county approves a tax break for a 400-acre solar farm in return for its promise to invest $40 million into the local economy within five years. (WHNS)

WIND

The owner of a large Texas ranch sues the federal government for allegedly failing to conduct an environmental review of a planned wind farm the plaintiff argues will threaten endangered birds. (Bloomberg, subscription)

GRID

• A utility announces plans to add nearly 1 GW of renewable power and 700 MW of energy storage to boost Puerto Rico’s fraught power grid. (Utility Dive)
• A winter storm knocks out power for tens of thousands of households in Virginia. (WVIR)
• UTILITIES

Despite congressional concerns about growing power demand, Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Jeff Lyash says the federal utility always agrees to provide power for new businesses. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

FOSSIL FUELS

Colombia’s president orders the state-run oil company to cancel a contract with Texas firm Occidental Petroleum due to concerns over its use of fracking. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY

• West Virginia’s culture is built largely around the fading coal industry even though healthcare has supplanted it as the state’s top industry, writes a doctor. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• An editorial board discusses Arkansas’ prospective wind energy industry after state lawmakers kill a bill to limit wind turbine height to protect migratory birds. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, subscription)
• A longtime Georgia energy regulator takes issue with a recent news story suggesting state officials have ​“rubber stamped” Georgia Power’s long-term plans without adding more renewables. (Macon Telegraph)