More clean cancellations

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

CLEAN ENERGY

• EVs, solar panels, and lithium-ion batteries were all invented in the U.S., but China’s decision to prioritize clean energy through government incentives have led it to dominate the global market for all three. (Washington Post)

MINING

• White House officials tell tech and rare earths firms that the Trump administration will move to guarantee a minimum price for critical minerals in an effort to boost production. (Reuters)

FOSSIL FUELS

• It cost a Michigan coal plant $29 million to operate for the first month after the U.S. Department of Energy ordered it to stay open past its retirement date in late May. (Detroit News)

• Kentucky’s largest utility proposes building two 645 MW gas-fired power plants, scrapping a previously announced battery project, and delaying the retirement of four coal-fired units from 2027 until 2031. (Louisville Public Media, Kentucky Lantern)

NUCLEAR

• NextEra takes a step toward restarting the shuttered Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa by seeking permission to reclaim its interconnection rights, a move that could jeopardize a large solar project planned on site. (E&E News)

GRID

• U.S. electricity demand will grow 2.3% this year, largely driven by data center development, the International Energy Agency predicts. (Semafor)

• Minnesota has emerged as a large player in the microgrid space, hosting several companies and research initiatives to support manufacturing and design of projects that provide key grid reliability support. (MinnPost)

CLIMATE

• Climate scientists say an Energy Department report used to defend its rollback of the endangerment finding is a ​“scattershot collection of oft-debunked skeptic claims​,” and ​“not representative of broader climate science research findings.” (New York Times)

EMISSIONS

• Ford sees a ​“multi-billion-dollar opportunity” in the next few years to focus more on making gas-powered large trucks and SUVs while selling and cutting spending on federal emission compliance credits. (Detroit News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• “Motherf—ing wind farms”: Samuel L. Jackson defends offshore wind in an ad for European energy company Vattenfall. (The Hill)

• A coalition of fishing groups ask the U.S. Interior Department to take another look at what it calls the Biden administration’s ​“rushed” approval of the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts. (E&E News)

COMMENTARY

• The clean energy transition is far from dead, Michael Liebreich writes, calling for rejecting fossil fuel interests in favor of ​“robust but affordable climate action.” (BloombergNEF)