Illinois’ clean energy pitch to data centers

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DATA CENTERS

• An Illinois bill would incentivize data center developers to invest in clean energy by offering them fast interconnections and uninterrupted power that isn’t curtailed during high demand periods. (Canary Media)

• Google plans to build a massive Nebraska data center that would require three times the amount of power that the city of Lincoln uses and would be powered by an onsite gas plant with carbon capture technology. (Flatwater Free Press)

NUCLEAR

• An Ohio bill would create a carveout in a popular law blocking utilities from owning power plants by allowing companies to own and operate advanced nuclear plants, which could potentially push massive costs on customers with little risk to utilities. (Canary Media)

CORRUPTION TRIAL

• The defense rests in the bribery case of two former FirstEnergy executives who declined to testify on their own behalf, setting the stage for closing arguments and jury deliberations. (Signal Ohio)

• Ohio U.S. Sen. Jon Husted testified this week in the trial, distancing himself from involvement with the former utility executives when he served as Ohio’s lieutenant governor. (Ohio Capital Journal)

PIPELINES

• The Michigan Supreme Court weighs arguments over whether state regulators should conduct a more thorough environmental review of Enbridge’s plan to build a tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. (E&E News)

• Attorneys for North Dakota and the federal government ask a judge to toss a $28 million judgement in the state’s favor involving the Dakota Access pipeline protests so the two sides can work out a settlement. (North Dakota Monitor)

SOLAR

• Wisconsin regulators allow We Energies to buy a 150 MW solar and 50 MW battery storage project to serve a data center campus. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Michigan utility Consumers Energy seeks to build two new natural gas power plants, and expand its addition of renewables and storage to 13 GW, as part of a new long range plan it files with regulators in the coming months. (MLive)

• A coalition of business and labor groups ask Illinois regulators to end ongoing workshops about the future of natural gas in the state after following a recent report warning of energy shortages. (UIS Public Affairs Reporting)

UTILITIES

• Two of Minnesota’s three investor-owned utilities earned profits over the past two years that were higher than the national average, according to a watchdog group. (Minnesota Reformer)

STORAGE

• Nebraska lawmakers advance a bill to allow private companies to build energy storage projects for the state’s publicly owned utilities. (KETV)

HYDROELECTRIC

• Michigan fish and game regulators plan to issue a resolution opposing Consumers Energy’s proposed sale of 13 hydroelectric dams to a private equity firm, raising concerns that residents could be on the hook for repairs under the deal. (Bridge)