Texas utility refuses to restart coal plant despite grid operator’s plea

GRID: San Antonio, Texas’ municipal utility rebuffs the state grid operators’ request to restart a decommissioned coal-fired plant ahead of winter. (Bloomberg)

ALSO:

• Texas’ grid operator projects a 20% chance of a grid emergency and seeks additional power generation resources as it heads into winter. (Houston Chronicle)
• Virginia residents oppose Dominion Energy’s plans to build new transmission lines, urging the utility to ​“bury the lines” or have data centers foot the bill. (Loudoun Times-Mirror)

Sponsored Link
Utility Accountability
Join Solar United Neighbors for a webinar at 7 p.m. ET on October 5, to learn how to stop monopoly utilities from using ratepayer funds for lobbying against their own interests.

PIPELINES:

• The Nansemond Indian Nation withdraws its objections to a Virginia pipeline expansion project after negotiating with the energy company behind it. (VPM)
• A river advocacy group schedules a training session to teach residents to identify erosion and sedimentation changes from the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other projects. (Mountain Messenger)

SOLAR:

• A Virginia county board approves a 60 MW solar farm that’s part of a larger 102 MW project that spans two counties. (South Boston News & Record)
• SeaWorld begins installing a solar canopy to shade 1,200 vehicles and produce 16% of the power at its Texas park. (KSAT)
• A Florida electric cooperative dedicates three solar projects totalling 7 MW. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Texas-based Tesla still accounts for 61% of all electric vehicles ever sold in the U.S., and its new price cuts this year have prevented competitors from gaining much traction. (Bloomberg)
• As it builds a Georgia electric vehicle factory, Hyundai says it’s adopting North American Charging Standard ports to give its new vehicles access to Tesla Superchargers. (Associated Press)
• Electric vehicle maker Rivian is betting on smaller SUVs it will build at a new Georgia factory, as it lost about $30,000 on every vehicle it sold in the second quarter of 2023. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• North Carolina surpasses 70,000 electric vehicle registrations, with 2023 registrations so far already surpassing those in 2022 as drivers take advantage of federal tax credits. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• Sixteen Kentucky cities will receive electric vehicle chargers in the first round of the state’s buildout. (Owensboro Times)
• Local Florida officials seek public input on a long-range transportation plan that includes electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. (Palm Beach Post)

OIL & GAS:

• Federal officials set a November date for the next offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico after previously postponing it due to a court order. (Offshore Energy)
• Oklahoma’s largest utility signs an agreement to obtain a gas turbine to replace its last coal-fired unit at a power plant. (Journal Record)

COAL:

• A court orders federal marshals to seize a helicopter owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies to enforce a judgment of more than $10 million a firm says it’s owed. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• An Appalachian advocacy group holds a virtual meeting to discuss the mass closure of coal-fired power plants across the region. (Times Leader)

POLITICS: North Carolina lawmakers will convene next week to try to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes of five bills, including one to promote nuclear power and another that makes changes to various business and environmental regulations. (WRAL)