Hyundai’s EV factory announcement expected next week

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: South Korean automaker Hyundai is expected to announce next week during President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea that it’s building a new electric vehicle plant in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press)

ALSO: The CEO of electric vehicle maker Canoo tells investors he’s optimistic despite a recent federal filing that shows it’s financially struggling and worried about its survival. (CNHI Oklahoma)

COAL ASH: Records reveal the Tennessee Valley Authority decided to transport coal ash from a now-defunct power plant to a landfill near a primarily Black and low-income community in Memphis, Tennessee, months before informing the public. (Tennessee Lookout)

EMISSIONS:
• A new report finds four Louisiana refineries released the cancer-causing chemical benzene last year at levels higher than federal limits. (NOLA.com)
• A Virginia city joins an eight-state pilot project to transition vehicle fleets to clean fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)

SOLAR:
• An Arkansas bank completes construction of a 4.8 MW solar array to power its headquarters and up to 40 state branch locations. (Talk Business & Politics)
• A Kentucky city and pipeline company announce a solar-powered park bench that can charge electric devices. (Messenger-Inquirer)
• A new report finds Nashville, Tennessee, is ranked 64th out of 67 major cities for solar capacity per capita. (WTVF)

WIND: A company announces commercial production of the first utility-scale spiral-welded towers for wind turbines at its Texas factory that previously served as an oil and gas facility. (Renews)

OIL & GAS: Analysts anticipate the volume of crude oil flowing from the Permian Basin to Gulf Coast export hubs could jump to pre-pandemic levels by October, although still falling short of pipeline capacity. (Reuters)

COAL:
• Advocates pressure U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to restore and extend a coal production tax that funds a trust fund for coal miners with black lung disease. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A clean energy think tank develops a strategy to transition a 440 MW lignite coal-fired power station in Mississippi by using power purchase agreements and other long-term contracts to finance construction of clean energy sources. (CleanTechnica)
• West Virginia coal sees a labor shortage as demand increased 6% last year. (Fox Business)

UTILITIES: The Tennessee Valley Authority will increase its wholesale rates by 10% because of higher gas and coal prices. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

GRID: Florida Power & Light prepares for the hurricane season with scenario training and grid-hardening measures such as drones to assess storm damage and a three-ton concrete pole capable of withstanding strong winds. (Capitolist, WFOR, Hometown News Brevard)

HYDROGEN: Two companies partner on a plan to build a low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility in Texas. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• Skyrocketing power bills based on rising fuel costs should incentivize South Carolina to pursue a transition from oil and gas-fired power to renewables, writes a state lawmaker. (Post and Courier)
• The director of a nonprofit environmental advocacy group marks the 20th anniversary of a landmark North Carolina air pollution law by calling on the state to better respond to climate change. (WRAL)