How Texas survived the heat wave

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Southeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Wednesday morning.

Bigger in Texas: Texas’ grid hit an all-time power demand record during a heat wave last week, but avoided blackouts thanks in large part to solar power and batteries. Sky-high demand is on the docket again this week. (Houston Chronicle, Canary Media, Doug Lewin)

Solar ingenuity: Many Asheville, North Carolina, residents are rebuilding after Hurricane Helene with climate and resilience in mind. One community group has not only built rooftop solar but also pursued more creative solutions, like a mobile solar-powered trailer that can provide backup electricity and clean water in emergencies. (Canary Media)

Coal, meet the future: Panamint Capital breaks ground on a 1.2-GW solar project at a coal mine in Texas, though the company hasn’t shared any plans to shut down the coal plant operating next door. (Electrek)

Gas on gas: Dominion Energy announces plans to build a 2.6-GW gas power plant in West Virginia, near an existing 1.6-GW gas plant. (news release, WV News)

Promises, promises: Republican governors, including from Georgia and Louisiana, join tech companies and utilities in signing the Trump administration’s voluntary pledge to keep data center costs from falling on residential customers. Duke Energy is among utilities that have signed the pledge, and North Carolina’s Democratic governor and attorney general called on state regulators to make sure the utility follows through. (News from the States, North Carolina Newsline)

Pipeline problems: Southeastern environmental groups are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over two natural gas pipeline projects that would span Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Meanwhile, Boone County, Kentucky, residents and officials raise environmental, safety, and property rights concerns about a proposed gas pipeline that would cross through the state. (Alabama Political Reporter, Pipeline & Gas Journal)

Making a list: PJM Interconnection plans to create a registry of data centers and other large power users, which the operator would target for curtailment during grid emergencies. (E&E News)

In the queue: CenterPoint Energy submits more than 17 GW of projects for review under Texas grid operator ERCOT’s new large-load interconnection process, with the utility saying it anticipates its load to grow 50% through 2029. (Utility Dive)

Merger update: NextEra executives say they expect the company’s merger with Dominion Energy to be wrapped by late 2027, and highlight the utility’s battery investments as an important growth area. (Utility Dive)

Battery buildout: Georgia Power cuts the ribbon on the Moody Battery Facility, a 50-MW storage system that was added to an existing solar project. (news release)