Solar ban showdown

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

NUCLEAR

• Utilities and power plant developers are largely ignoring the Trump administration’s push to build large-scale nuclear reactors. (E&E News)

• Startup Valar Atomics says it is the first startup to reach criticality, a milestone achieved using components from a major DOE laboratory. (Wired)

• Nuclear startups Oklo, Curio, and SHINE Technologies are looking to recycle nuclear waste into usable fuel. (Axios)

FOSSIL FUELS

• South Korea will shut down all of its coal power plants by 2040 as it commits to ​“accelerating a just and clean energy transition,” the country’s climate minister says. (The Guardian)

• European energy companies are shifting away from renewables and back toward gas power amid rising demand, though analysts say they’re unlikely to follow the Trump administration’s lead and fully recommit to fossil fuels. (New York Times)

• FERC approves NRG Energy’s plan to buy a 13 GW fleet of gas-fired power plants, which would roughly double its electricity generation. (E&E News)

CLIMATE

• The COP30 presidency has drafted a potential deal that would call for parties to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. (Reuters)

• As COP30 climate talks continue, the International Court of Justice is weighing what countries must do to address climate change — and may find the U.S. is falling short. (Inside Climate News)

• A new United Nations report finds a goal of curbing global methane emissions 30% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels, is still achievable, though greater reduction and monitoring efforts are needed. (Eos)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Toyota plans to move production of its hybrid Corolla from Japan to the U.S., representing a $912 million investment. (Axios)

GRID

• The average length of the longest power outage each year is increasing across all regions of the U.S., rising from 9.2 hours in 2024 to 12.8 as of mid-2025, according to J.D. Power. (Utility Dive)

• New England and New York’s grid operators say they have enough power generation capacity to meet winter demand peaks. (Utility Dive)

AFFORDABILITY

• New Jersey’s Democratic governor-elect Mikie Sherrill will likely work with utilities to deliver her promised rate freeze, while granting those utilities concessions in return. (Heatmap)