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Michigan utility ghostwrites public support from businesses

By Andy Balaskovitz

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UTILITIES: Michigan regulators say it’s ​“disappointing” that DTE Energy helped draft comments for businesses in support of the utility’s $456 million rate increase request. (Planet Detroit)

EMISSIONS: Indiana’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions are down 7% since last year following the closure of two coal plants, and are even lower than they were in 2020 during the pandemic, EPA data show. (Indiana Public Radio)

GRID: Analysts are increasingly worried about utilities’ ability to keep pace with rising electricity demand after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to pause an EPA rule limiting carbon emissions from power plants. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY: The federal Inflation Reduction Act helped Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin each add roughly 2,000 clean energy jobs last year, according to a new report. (WCCO; WGEM; Wisconsin Public Radio)

SOLAR:

  • A 188 MW solar project begins commercial operations in northern Indiana. (Solar Industry)
  • A developer completes rooftop solar projects on 14 Public Storage facilities in Minnesota, totaling nearly 2.3 MW of capacity. (Solar Power World)
  • A developer is selected to build a 60 MW Indiana solar project that will supply power to a major tech company at one of its facilities in the state. (Solar Industry)

BIOFUEL: The U.S. Department of Energy approves a $1.46 billion conditional loan guarantee to a company that’s building the nation’s first ethanol-to-jet fuel plant in South Dakota. (South Dakota Searchlight)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan’s second-largest city launches an EV car-sharing program that allows users to rent an EV for $5 an hour. (WOOD-TV8)

NUCLEAR:

  • The U.S. Department of Energy will open applications in January for up to $900 million to support the deployment of small modular nuclear reactors. (Utility Dive)
  • Nebraska lawmakers hold a hearing on legislation calling for a study into nuclear power’s potential to play a bigger role in the state’s energy portfolio. (NTV)

COMMENTARY: A Midwest solar advocate says Illinois legislation would help the state make strategic grid investments in battery storage, transmission and demand management. (Utility Dive)

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