Rock-melting drill bit could boost Texas’ geothermal revival

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GEOTHERMAL

• A Houston-area advanced geothermal startup uses a gyrotron to drill through deep rock that destroys conventional drill bits, an example of how companies are working to revolutionize geothermal energy. (Canary Media)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Tennessee Valley Authority builds a combination of 1,550 MW of natural gas, 100 MW of batteries and up to 4 MW of solar to replace a coal plant that was the site of a historic 2008 coal ash spill. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority proposes adding six new gas-fired turbines to a power plant in Memphis, Tennessee. (WHBQ)

• An investigation reveals Louisiana State University’s partnership with the fossil fuel industry, with oil and gas companies donating millions of dollars in return for influence over research. (Louisiana Illuminator/​Floodlight)

• A company asks a Virginia county to postpone a public hearing on its plans to build a 300 MW natural gas-fired power plant and accompanying campus of 12 data centers. (Chatham Star-Tribune)

• Oil and gas executives who pushed for Trump’s election start to sour on the president now that his trade wars are driving up their costs. (Politico)

PIPELINES

• Texas residents express worry about a planned 37-mile crude oil pipeline through a lake. (KBMT)

• A gas line explosion in Mississippi injures two workers and knocks out gas service for about 20,000 households. (SuperTalk Mississippi Media)

RENEWABLES

• South Carolina regulators approve a 249 MW solar farm for furniture retailer Ikea’s parent company, despite some residents who complain the project threatens their rural community. (Post and Courier)

• A Texas lawmaker introduces a bill to ​“level the playing field” by taxing solar and wind producers with a capacity of more than 1 MW at a level equal to their federal benefits. (KLTV)

• Tennessee Congress members decline to call for the preservation of Biden-era clean energy tax credits even though the state has seen roughly $18 billion of investments in electric vehicle, battery and other clean energy projects since 2022. (Tennessee Lookout)

POLITICS

• Kentucky lawmakers pass a bill to reduce the number of mine emergency technicians required to be available at coal mines, stripping a workplace protection that was passed after a miner’s 2005 death. (Kentucky Lantern)

• West Virginia lawmakers advance a bill to exempt oil and gas tanks from water quality inspections. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• Kentucky lawmakers advance legislation to reduce protections along waterways, which its sponsor argues would boost the coal industry. (Kentucky Lantern)

• An Arkansas lawmaker introduces a bill to end a state grant to fund electric vehicle charger installation. (KLRT)

UTILITIES

• NextEra mulls the idea of doubling its $20 billion investment in Texas due to the state’s rapidly growing power demand. (Reuters)

• Arkansas lawmakers approve a bill to allow utilities to charge ratepayers for the cost of a project while it is under construction instead of after completion. (KARK)