South Carolina gas plant doubles in cost

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.

FOSSIL FUELS

• Dominion Energy and South Carolina state utility Santee Cooper see the projected cost of a planned gas-fired power plant double to about $5 billion, largely because of the skyrocketing expense of combustion turbines. (Post and Courier)

• Texas regulators consider permits for four companies to release treated fracking wastewater from the Permian Basin into the Pecos River, which could provide an outlet for water laden with salt, chemicals and heavy metals, but which would raise costs for producers. (Dallas Morning News)

• Houston-based oil companies Chevron, Murphy Oil, and Occidental Petroleum are among the highest bidders and winners of the first sale of oil and gas drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico since 2023. (Houston Chronicle)

• An examination of BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell’s advertisements shows they’ve claimed to be tackling climate change for the last 25 years while continuing to expand fossil fuel production. (Inside Climate News)

• Oklahoma-based oil wildcatter Harold Hamm’s support for President Donald Trump, which includes donations for the White House’s new ballroom, has earned him sizable influence in the administration. (New York Times)

• GE Vernova expects to end the year with a backlog of gas turbine orders that will keep factories in South Carolina and France busy into 2029. (Utility Dive, South Carolina Daily Gazette)

GRID

• A new report makes the case for adding battery storage to data centers, citing numerous examples from Texas in looking at how batteries can provide reliable backup power and offset grid stress without the need for fossil fuels. (Inside Climate News)

• Virginia regulators consider allowing data centers to use backup diesel generators during planned outages by grid operators, but environmentalists are worried that could lead to a spike in air pollution. (Inside Climate News)

• Duke University launches a ​“competitiveness” dashboard for the Southeast power sector, ranking Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky at the top largely because they participate in a regional transmission organization or an independent system operator, which the Southeast as a whole lacks. (Utility Dive)

• West Virginia lawmakers have no clear plan to adjust a new state law that removed localities’ authority to restrict data centers, despite residents’ complaints about a spate of new proposals. (Mountain State Spotlight)

SOLAR

• Orlando, Florida’s municipal utility launches a 2 MW floating solar array, one of the largest in the U.S. (West Orlando News)

NUCLEAR

• Nuclear companies plan more than $2 billion in investment in new facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, promising to revive the city’s longtime connection to nuclear energy. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

EFFICIENCY

• West Virginia​U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito joins other Republicans to sponsor legislation rolling back energy-efficiency mandates for federally financed housing that were imposed under the Biden administration. (WTRF)

MANUFACTURING

• South Korean company LS Cable and System announces it will invest $680 million to build a Virginia factory to make recycled copper rods, magnet wire, and rare-earth magnets used in drones and cars. (Virginia Business, Virginian-Pilot)

CLIMATE

• Property insurance spikes on the Gulf Coast in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas signal a broader industry trend that’s leading to double-digit increases connected to climate change and policy debates across the U.S. (Capital and Main)

• The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe and other Indigenous people fight to protect a diminishing coastline and adapt by building sturdier buildings and makeshift reefs that slow erosion. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY

• A columnist questions whether the coal industry has actually been a ​“curse” for West Virginia despite its beneficial economic effects because it’s left environmental damage and poverty in former coal-producing communities. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• Virginia regulators’ establishment of a separate rate class for data centers and other large-load customers marks a step toward addressing higher power demand and escalating costs for ratepayers, writes an editorial board. (Virginian-Pilot)

• Tackling energy affordability will require embracing diverse sources ranging from natural gas to nuclear power to energy efficiency, writes a Democratic former Virginia governor. (Virginian-Pilot)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Why this Colorado coal town is digging geothermal — Alison F. Takemura

• Indiana says it’s retiring two coal plants, but is it making other plans? — Kari Lydersen

• Permitting talks are back, and clean energy is caught in the middle — Kathryn Krawczyk