More than $6 billion in data center power investments in Pennsylvania

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DATA CENTERS

• Google agrees to pay more than $3 billion over 20 years to buy energy from two Pennsylvania hydroelectric plants, to help power its data center operations. (WITF)

• A coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania that closed in 2021 will get a $3.2 billion overhaul to reopen as a natural gas plant providing power to a new AI data center and the grid. (CBS News)

• The ​“unique and unprecedented” growth of data centers leaves consumers footing the bill for increased electricity costs, say critics. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

ELECTRIFICATION

• A Massachusetts pilot program outfitting the homes of low-income residents with solar panels, heat pumps, and, in some cases, batteries, is saving participants close to 60% on their annual energy bills. (Canary Media)

• Maine solar and heat pump installers scramble to keep up with a surge in sales as residents look to install systems before federal tax credits are eliminated at the end of the year. (Bangor Daily News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Maine delays its first offshore wind procurement as the industry slows down in the face of ongoing opposition from the Trump administration. (Maine Public)

• New York stops planning for the development of transmission lines to carry offshore wind power, citing a need to shield consumers from paying for infrastructure that could be unneeded for some time. (Reuters)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration argues the Maryland Supreme Court should throw out three lawsuits attempting to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change impacts, claiming that to do so would override policy choices made by the federal government.” (E&E News)

• A Connecticut shipping company is fined $1.7 million after pleading guilty to dumping more than 10,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (UPI)

SOLAR

• Four rooftop solar arrays installed at a low-income housing development in Massachusetts will generate about $35,000 in savings each year for the nonprofit that owns the complex, an example of the kinds of projects that will no longer be feasible when cuts to federal tax credits go into effect. (PV Magazine)

TRANSMISSION

• The developers of a controversial transmission line in Maryland sue to compel nearly 200 landowners to allow surveyors on their property, the second time the project has had to ask for court intervention in the face of widespread opposition. (WYPR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Pennsylvania awards nearly $3.5 million in grants to help businesses across the state switch to vehicles powered by electricity, biofuel, or other alternative fuel options. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

LEGISLATION

• Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signs 11 energy-related bills into law, including measures creating an energy bill assistance fund for low- to moderate-income households, directing the state to explore the possibility of developing energy storage systems, and giving regulators more flexibility to approve discount rates. (Delaware Public Media)