Newsom: No Diablo Canyon extension

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

NUCLEAR

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says he will not move to extend operations at Diablo Canyon nuclear plant beyond its scheduled 2030 retirement date. (E&E News)

• Observers say Terra Power’s Natrium advanced reactor under construction in Wyoming could reveal whether the Trump administration’s nuclear push can succeed. (USA Today)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Navajo Nation residents push back against a tribal firm’s proposal to expand a northwestern New Mexico coal mine, saying it would harm the environment and destroy families’ homes. (KJZZ)

• The Trump administration says it will award $180 million to the Colorado School of Mines and other mining-related schools as part of its push to revive the flagging coal industry. (Source NM)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Boulder, Colorado, and Xcel Energy back off on plans to fully electrify all of the structures in a downtown pedestrian mall and will allow 24 businesses to remain connected to an aging natural gas line. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

UTILITIES

• Public Service Company of New Mexico says increasing demand and all-time high peak loads this summer underscore the need to upgrade its grid and to enter a proposed $11.5 billion merger with private equity firm Blackstone. (Albuquerque Journal)

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticizes investor-owned utilities for paying executive bonuses after their equipment sparked deadly wildfires. (E&E News)

• Ashland, Oregon’s city council approves an initiative for November’s ballot that would require voter approval for utility rate hikes beyond inflation. (OPB)

DATA CENTERS

• Lyon County, Nevada’s commissioners vote to approve a zoning change that clears a hurdle for the proposed 1-GW Monarch Data Center and an associated 500-MW gas plant and battery energy storage system. (Nevada Independent)

• An advocate urges Navajo Nation lawmakers to ban data centers, saying predatory tech firms are targeting coal-dependent communities and exploiting tribal resources. (Arizona Republic)

STORAGE

• Data show California’s battery energy storage capacity exceeds 21 GW, a 2,500% increase since 2019, and is helping solar to displace gas generation on the grid. (news release)

• Surprise, Arizona’s planning commission votes to reduce setbacks to allow grid-scale battery energy storage systems to be built closer to homes, saying it will encourage clean energy development. (ABC 15)

COMMENTARY

• Western elected officials and advocates criticize the federal Bureau of Land Management’s proposed oil and gas leasing rules that would cut public input and reduce reclamation bonds, saying they imperil democracy and corporate accountability. (WyoFile)

• An energy consultant urges Utah lawmakers to develop transmission siting processes, financing avenues, and other policies to encourage grid expansion to meet growing demand. (Deseret News)