Should N.C. use gas or renewables to power data centers?

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

GRID

• As North Carolina lawmakers discuss how to address data centers’ voracious appetite for power, Duke Energy proposes building a massive new fleet of gas plants while clean energy advocates argue that solar, battery storage, and demand response programs offer a better approach. (Canary Media)

• PJM Interconnection rolls out a proposal to cut off power to data centers not using energy they’ve developed or acquired before ordering rolling blackouts during emergency situations. (E&E News)

• An analyst finds that utilities moving to build new generation to accommodate soaring power demand from data centers have proposed adding 52 GW of gas-fired capacity since 2023, compared to just 4 GW from wind and solar. (Inside Climate News)

• A new research paper evaluates natural gas supply, grid capacity, and other factors to address the production of gas in Texas into power that can supply data centers producing artificial intelligence. (Midland Reporter-Telegram)

• West Virginia regulators set a public hearing for TransGas’ request for a permit to build two data centers and connected gas plants. (West Virginia Watch)

• A former planning manager at the Tennessee Valley Authority warns of potential power shortages this winter, suggesting the federal utility will likely have to purchase electricity from external sources. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Trump posts on social media that he doesn’t ​“want to frighten off or disincentivize investment into America by outside countries or companies” despite a recent immigration raid on Hyundai’s Georgia EV plant, hinting at the conflict between his administration’s immigration and economic agendas. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• Hyundai’s CEO says construction on the company’s Georgia battery plant will be delayed for at least ​“two to three months” due to labor shortages after a federal immigration raid, but partner LG Energy Solution says that won’t alter its plans to invest in the U.S. (Bloomberg, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• The Hyundai raid signals likely trouble for other clean energy manufacturers importing skilled specialists to build batteries at large factories under construction in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas. (Politico)

• South Korea President Lee Jae Myung says companies will be ​“very hesitant” to invest in U.S. operations after the Hyundai raid. (BBC)

• Rivian breaks ground on its planned $5 billion EV plant in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Oil and gas industry insiders say they didn’t ask for the U.S. EPA to pause greenhouse gas emissions reporting, saying they would prefer modifications to the program instead. (E&E News)

• Woodside Energy’s CEO says she estimates global LNG demand will surge 50% over the next decade during a groundbreaking for a Louisiana export facility. (Reuters)

• An analytics firm suggests U.S. shale oil operators are aiming for ​“survival, not expansion,” as they weather a long stretch of lower oil prices. (Houston Chronicle)

• Gas companies and advocates form the Natural Gas Coalition of Virginia to advocate for the industry with policymakers and the public. (Cardinal News)

PIPELINES

• Analysts detail how Transco and Mountain Valley Pipeline are competing in a high-stakes contest for North Carolina market share, as both seek to build new pipeline projects on nearly identical routes. (Pipeline & Gas Journal)

• North Carolina residents oppose Mountain Valley Pipeline’s proposed Southgate extension as state regulators reconsider its water quality certification. (WUNC)

NUCLEAR

• Nuclear energy advocates point to development of nuclear fuel recycling projects in Tennessee and elsewhere as evidence that the industry is accelerating its efforts to develop a supply chain for advanced reactors. (E&E News)

CLIMATE

• An analysis finds more than 65,000 new homes have been built in Texas flood zones across the Houston area’s five largest counties since 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, placing them at a higher risk, with five homebuilding companies leading the way. (Houston Chronicle, Houston Chronicle)

• An analysis suggests homeowners in disadvantaged, largely agricultural counties in Florida are at the epicenter of the state’s insurance crisis, experiencing some of the highest nonrenewal rates in the state. (Inside Climate News)

POLITICS

• North Carolina Democrats focus on former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley’s decade-plus stint as an oil lobbyist to raise the alarm over offshore drilling and weaken his bid to become the state’s U.S. senator in next year’s election. (E&E News)

COMMENTARY

• As Virginia gears up to elect a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and delegates in all 100 seats, voters should press candidates for their stances on the energy transition and how to accommodate rising power demand from data centers, writes a columnist. (Virginia Mercury)