TerraPower breaks ground on Wyoming reactor

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

NUCLEAR

• Bill Gates-backed TerraPower breaks ground on its 345-MW Natrium advanced nuclear plant in western Wyoming. (WyoFile)

• Eagle Nuclear Energy plans to conduct exploratory drilling this summer at a large uranium deposit on the Oregon-Nevada border. (Nuclear Newswire)

ELECTRIFICATION

• San Francisco launches a $300,000 electrification pilot program to replace gas water heaters with heat-pump options at up to 30 child care facilities based in residential homes. (Canary Media)

STORAGE

• A southern California town’s residents push back on a proposed grid-scale battery energy storage system, reflecting growing nationwide opposition to the facilities’ rapid buildup. (Los Angeles Times)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Advocates call on California’s Supreme Court to overturn the state’s policy slashing net-metering compensation for rooftop solar after a lower court upheld the rules for a second time. (PV Magazine)

• Creekstone Energy secures a 13,000-acre lease on state lands in Utah for a proposed 6-GW solar project that would be part of a planned ​“energy ecosystem” to power its data center complex under development in the central part of the state. (KSL)

• The Gunnison County Electrical Association brings online its Oh Be Joyful solar project near Crested Butte, Colorado. (Crested Butte News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issues its review of DCOR’s proposal to hydraulically fracture an offshore oil well along California’s coast. (news release)

• Data show California firms are using a ​“refining loophole” to skirt sanctions and import increasing volumes of Russian crude oil-based petroleum products processed in a third nation. (Capital & Main)

• Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan advance their proposed Western Gateway petroleum pipeline to deliver fuel from Midwest and Gulf Coast refineries to Arizona and California. (Oil Price)

• A hydraulic fracturing firm plans to lay off more than 150 workers from its oil and gas operations in eastern Utah, citing a ​“significant downturn in the local market business.” (Salt Lake Tribune)

• A federal grand jury indicts 14 people for allegedly stealing crude oil from Permian Basin wells in New Mexico and selling it for cut-rate prices in Texas. (CBS News)

DATA CENTERS

• Washington state advocates urge lawmakers to rein in the data center boom, saying their rapid buildup threatens the grid, other utility ratepayers, and state climate goals. (Seattle Met)

• California environmental justice groups call on state regulators to crack down on data centers’ diesel generators, saying existing rules are outdated and unable to protect public health from the facilities’ rapid buildup. (E&E News)

• New Mexico’s Ethics Commission files a lawsuit accusing the anonymous entity behind an ad campaign supporting the contested Project Jupiter data center of violating the state Lobbyist Registration Act. (Source NM)

UTILITIES

• Colorado advocates accuse Xcel Energy of backsliding on clean energy commitments with its plan to burn more coal and gas to fill a projected 608 MW power shortfall this summer. (Colorado Sun)

GEOTHERMAL

• Colorado lawmakers advance legislation aimed at encouraging geothermal development by streamlining permitting and funding research. (Colorado Sun)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Duke Energy’s proactive grid upgrades under fire from electric co-ops — Elizabeth Ouzts

• Which countries lead the way on nuclear energy? — Dan McCarthy

• An Ohio court may OK fracking-waste wells despite pollution concerns — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Maryland bill trades cost-saving energy efficiency for short-term relief — Aman Azarw