Solar eclipses coal on the Texas grid

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.

SOLAR

• Newly released data shows that solar arrays provided more power to Texas’ standalone grid in 2025 than coal-fired power plants, marking the first time that has happened. (Houston Chronicle)

• Treaty Oak Clean Energy closes financing and begins construction on two Louisiana solar plants totaling 385 MW. (Renewables Now)

COAL ASH

• The U.S. EPA plans to allow two coal plants each in Louisiana and Texas, plus seven others nationally, to continue dumping coal ash into unlined pits until 2031, a full decade later than allowed under federal rules already extended once under Trump. (Canary Media)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips are among the Texas-based oil companies that appear decidedly unenthusiastic about participating in the Venezuelan oil market because of the country’s political instability and the availability of other, less risky investment opportunities. (Texas Observer, Inside Climate News, Politico)

• Chevron appears to be well-positioned to operate in Venezuela because it continued to operate as a minority partner in the country even after former President Hugo Chávez nationalized the industry in 2007. (Grist)

• Experts say Venezuelan oil could boost Texas refineries, while oil producers may be more hesitant to jump into the unstable country’s market. (Houston Public Media)

• U.S. Senate Democrats press oil companies to share what they knew about the Trump administration’s plans to seize control of Venezuela. (Houston Chronicle)

• Locals in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley worry what development of a liquified natural gas export terminal could mean for a region that hasn’t seen as much oil and gas development as other areas along the Gulf Coast. (Texas Observer)

STORAGE

• Virginia Democrats roll out legislation to set new targets for utilities to develop and implement battery storage while critics worry about the cost. (WVTF, Virginia Mercury)

WIND

• Dominion Energy is among the developers challenging the Trump administration’s pause on construction of offshore wind projects, arguing the pause will undercut support for data centers and is costing it more than $5 million per day while the administration has refused to divulge what it claims are national security concerns. (Latitude Media, Utility Dive)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Virginia Democrats roll out legislation to accelerate the development of clean energy to lower costs and meet an anticipated spike in power demand. (Utility Dive)

• Google and Invest Appalachia partner to pay for the installation of solar panels and batteries to become resilience hubs at two sites in a Virginia county. (Cardinal News)

PIPELINES

• Virginia residents voice concern to state regulators about the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s plan to build a new spur into North Carolina. (WDBJ)

DATA CENTERS

• Local Georgia governments race to approve data center projects for their boost to local revenue while residents argue the projects are being pushed through without transparency or sufficient public input. (Georgia Recorder)

• Virginia still leads the U.S. with 633 operational data centers and 595 more that are either planned or under construction. (Axios)

• After winning unilateral control of Virginia’s legislature and governor’s mansion, Democrats face the challenge of protecting state residents against the growing data center sector and its voracious appetite for power. (Fauquier Times/​Prince William Times)

• Virginia regulators approve new rates for Dominion Energy that assign more costs to data center operators to pay for grid upgrades, a potential first step toward requiring the sector to pay more for its power needs. (Inside Climate News)

• A new report finds data centers accounted for 45% of the capacity in PJM Interconnection’s last three auctions, with much of that coming from projects that haven’t yet been built. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES

• Kentucky regulators grant Kentucky Power Company approval to maintain a share in a coal-fired power plant in West Virginia because it’s the least costly option to meet the area’s power needs for now. (Mountain Eagle)

NUCLEAR

• The U.S. House of Representatives approves legislation with funding for two nuclear power research projects in Virginia. (Cardinal News)