Researchers: Regional Western grid would lower costs, emissions

GRID: A national laboratory finds expanding the California grid into other parts of the West would lower energy prices, reduce emissions and enhance grid reliability. (Sacramento Bee)

ALSO: Oregon lawmakers consider requiring utilities to help some low-income customers pay for generators or battery storage systems to power medical devices during outages. (KLCC)

NUCLEAR:
• A coalition of Western municipal utilities votes to advance a proposed small modular nuclear reactor facility in Idaho even though cost estimates for the facility’s power have jumped 53%. (Reuters)
• California’s energy commission finds the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant beyond its scheduled 2025 retirement date is necessary for grid reliability. (news release)
• A California startup says it successfully completed an experiment using hydrogen-born fuel in nuclear fusion energy. (Power Engineering)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would reform the state’s foundational oil and gas law and prioritize protecting public health and the environment. (NM Political Report)
• Federal energy analysts find the months-long shutdown of a Colorado oil refinery has increased gasoline prices throughout the region. (Energy Information Administration)

COAL: Arizona Public Service says its net income dropped 21% last year after regulators rejected a proposal to recover $216 million on pollution upgrades at its Four Corners coal power plant in New Mexico. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES:
• New Mexico regulators begin reconsidering a proposed merger between Avangrid and the state’s largest utility that was rejected in 2021. (Utility Dive)
• An Arizona rural electricity cooperative votes to use all of its 2022 profits to help stabilize customers’ rising utility bills. (Arizona Republic)
• A southern California community choice clean power authority expands service to unincorporated areas of San Diego County. (Ramona Sentinel)

CLIMATE: An environmental group sues San Diego County to overturn its climate plan, alleging officials awarded a no-bid contract to university researchers who concealed ties to utility companies. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

SOLAR:
• Hawaii lawmakers advance a bill aimed at expanding low-income residents’ access to rooftop solar and energy storage. (Hawaii Public Radio)
• Some New Mexico residents push back against a proposed solar-plus-storage facility near Santa Fe, citing the risk of battery fires and impacts on property values and wildlife. (Santa Fe Reporter)
• Washington state’s largest solar power project, a 150 MW facility in the southern part of the state, goes online. (Solar Power World)
• California led the nation in solar power production in 2022 with a total output of 58.7 million MWh, nearly three times any other state. (Environment & Energy Leader)

WIND: Oregon’s Japanese American community raises concerns about a proposed wind facility near a World War II-era prison camp in Idaho, saying the 250-foot turbines will alter the experience of the historic site. (Oregonian)

CLEAN ENERGY: Arizona utility Salt River Project solicits proposals for at least 500 MW of carbon-free power generating resources. (PV Tech)

ELECTRIFICATION: Electrification advocates say a Washington pilot project shows a central heat pump water heater can function as a thermal battery by operating when power demand is low. (CleanTechnica)

BIOFUELS: Oregon advocates oppose a proposed $2 billion renewable diesel refinery near the Columbia River, saying it is economically infeasible and the technology unproven. (Government Technology)

LITHIUM: A mining firm says it has identified one of the nation’s largest known lithium deposits on federal land in southwestern Nevada. (Mining.com)