Georgia signs off on Georgia Power’s massive gas buildout

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UTILITIES

• The Georgia Public Service Commission approves Georgia Power’s plan to build nearly 10 GW of new gas-fired power plants and batteries despite experts’ warnings the buildout is based on projections of data center demand growth that may not pan out. (Canary Media)

PIPELINES

• North Carolina regulators approve water and air permits for Transco’s proposed 55-mile Southeast Supply Enhancement Project pipeline expansion. (Clean Technica)

GRID

• Texas grid officials report that battery storage systems will decrease the likelihood of weather-induced outages this winter because they provide ample power in the mornings, when it’s harder to meet power demand. (Inside Climate News)

SOLAR

• West Virginia isn’t challenging the Trump administration’s termination of a program to help low-income households and communities access solar energy despite losing more than $100 million from the cuts and seeing one of the fastest-rising residential electricity rates in the U.S. (Mountain State Spotlight)

• A Virginia county increases permit and inspection fees for large-scale solar projects due to a growing workload for county staff. (Danville Register & Bee)

FOSSIL FUELS

• A deadly collision between a tractor-trailer truck and a train one year ago illustrates the challenges faced by Pecos, Texas, as it works to deal with oil and gas industry traffic. (Texas Tribune/​Pecos Enterprise)

• Environmental groups sue Louisiana regulators for reissuing a permit for the construction of Commonwealth LNG’s export terminal after a judge previously ruled a state agency did not adequately consider the effects of climate change or effects on nearby communities. (Louisiana Illuminator)

• Residents of a majority-Black Louisiana town say they’re skeptical they’ll benefit from a lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department and state regulators against Smitty’s Supply over the explosion of an oil facility that spewed black goo across homes, farms, and waterways. (Capital B)

OVERSIGHT

• The U.S. Senate’s approval of President Trump’s nominees to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority restores its quorum for the first time in eight months, giving it the power to adjust power rates and potentially create a separate rate class for data centers and fund more nuclear energy development. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• A study finds the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality is struggling to keep up with a growing backlog of enforcement claims after years of budget cuts by state lawmakers. (KERA)

• An unnamed source says Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger plans to appoint a chief energy officer to work on rising energy prices, data centers, and grid issues. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

DATA CENTERS

• The Louisiana Public Service Commission approves a new process designed to fast-track electricity connections for large users like data centers despite experts’ warnings it will weaken consumer protections and likely raise power bills. (WWNO)

• West Virginia’s push to attract industrial-scale data centers, which require new power plants and transmission upgrades, could undermine its burgeoning efforts to draw new residents based on its outdoor recreation and natural beauty. (West Virginia Explorer)

CLIMATE

• A Texas county that was an epicenter for the fatal July floods races to secure state funding to build a long-planned flood warning system. (Texas Tribune)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Electrifying these factories could cut a gigaton of CO2 pollution — Maria Gallucci

• A path to fast, cheap home solar and batteries: go through the meter — Jeff St. John

• The 10 biggest clean energy stories of 2025 — Kathryn Krawczyk