Texas gets its natural gas wish with new 1.2 GW plant

OIL & GAS: An energy company announces it will begin construction next year on an ​“ultra-efficient” 1,200 MW natural gas-fired power plant on the site of a former coal plant in Texas as state officials aim to incentivize more natural gas plants. (Dallas Morning News)

ALSO:

• The $26 billion purchase of one of the Permian Basin’s last remaining closely held major producers stands to make its owner the wealthiest oil driller in the country. (Quartz, Fortune)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority sets an informational meeting with residents and opponents of its planned 900 MW natural gas-fired power plant in Tennessee, which also includes 45 miles of new transmission lines and 12 miles of pipeline. (WZTV)
• The Biden administration’s climate concerns could shift exponential growth anticipated for the Gulf Coast’s surging liquified natural gas market to Canada, Australia and Qatar. (Houston Chronicle)

SOLAR:

• Virginia lawmakers advance legislation to create a new community solar program for Appalachian Power and expand Dominion Energy’s current pilot program. (Cardinal News)
• A sizable solar panel manufacturer with a Georgia factory enters a partnership to recycle its panels after they’re decommissioned. (PV Magazine)
• A North Carolina solar company closes abruptly, leaving nearly 200 customers with lingering loans and rooftop systems that don’t always work. (WRAL)
• A Virginia county board approves a siting agreement for a planned solar farm. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
• Geography, hyperlocal net metering, multiple rebate programs and a tax exemption contribute to solar’s rapid growth in Texas. (Forbes)

COAL: FirstEnergy gives up a corporate pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2030 so it can keep running two coal-fired power plants in West Virginia. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE: Austin, Texas, receives a $1 million federal grant to develop a climate action plan. (Austin Monitor)

NUCLEAR:

• After decades out of fashion, Florida’s nuclear power sector is seeing a resurgence. (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
• A Virginia county board approves rezoning for an energy company to build a combination data center and hydrogen fuel hub next to a Dominion Energy nuclear plant. (Smithfield Times)

MINING: Georgia lawmakers consider legislation to protect the Okefenokee Swamp as an Alabama company’s plans to dig for titanium receive draft permits from state regulators. (Georgia Recorder; E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:

• Despite Republicans wanting to blame renewables, the Texas grid’s 2021 near failure actually occurred because nearly half of grid generation from gas and coal sources went down, writes an energy analyst. (USA Today)
• University researchers are working to develop ways to support Chattanooga, Tennessee’s tech industry and the Tennessee Valley Authority as power demand begins to bump against existing capacity, writes the president of Tennessee Tech. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, subscription)