Michigan coal plant order was just a start

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

COAL

• A Michigan coal plant ordered to stay open past its closure date is unlikely to remain the sole example as the Trump administration eyes similar interventions in Colorado. (Canary Media)

STORAGE

• Minnesota is seeing a growing number of battery storage installations to complement renewable energy projects as the state aims for 100% carbon-free power by 2040. (MPR News)

• A Michigan township outside Kalamazoo is considering a moratorium on commercial battery storage projects after a proposal stirred backlash among some residents. (MLive)

PIPELINES

• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe argues that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated federal law by allowing the Dakota Access pipeline to operate without an easement while crossing a reservoir that borders tribal land. (North Dakota Monitor)

SOLAR

• Indiana solar companies say they’re getting a rush of interest from clients looking to install projects ahead of the sunsetting of tax credits. (Indiana Public Broadcasting)

DATA CENTERS

• Residents in a small Michigan farming community who are divided over plans for a hyperscale data center likely signal similar disputes as developers eye more projects across the state. (Bridge)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Michigan awards $1.84 million in grants to install 201 electric vehicle charging stations at apartment complexes in metro Detroit and other locations in the Lower Peninsula. (MLive)

UTILITIES

• Regulators in Michigan and Kansas approve new tariffs for large energy users to ensure ratepayers aren’t saddled with the costs of connecting projects like data centers to the grid. (Utility Dive)

• The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear an appeal in a case that will prevent utilities from issuing certain customer surcharges that will save ratepayers about $400 million by 2031. (Signal Ohio)

• Wisconsin Democrats introduce legislation that would cap residential energy bills at 2% of household income to shield residents from rising costs associated with building power plants to meet data center demand. (Wisconsin Examiner)

CARBON CAPTURE

• ADM begins operations at a Nebraska carbon capture and storage project at an ethanol processing plant that officials say is the largest such facility in the world. (Nebraska Public Media)

NUCLEAR

• The Nebraska Public Power District plans to request a 30-year operating license extension for an 835 MW nuclear plant as utility executives begin planning for a potential new plant. (KETV)

• A Google representative says Indiana is an ideal location for building new nuclear plants, with the state government, universities and utilities aligned in support. (Indianapolis Star)

• AES Indiana launches a study to determine the feasibility of building small nuclear reactors at two gas and coal plants. (WFIE)

WIND

• A Minnesota municipal utility prepares to decommission a pair of wind turbines that were put into service in 2009 and stopped operating in late 2024. (West Central Tribune)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Trump’s DOE may soon force more coal plants to stay open — Jeff St. John

• Can Australia power its big aluminum smelters with clean energy? — Maria Gallucci

• Massachusetts considers expanding effort to ban gas in new buildings — Sarah Shemkus

• Is New York backpedaling on its pledge to electrify new buildings? — Alison F. Takemura