Thousands without power as heat wave strains the grid

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

GAS

• New York lawmakers pass a bill that means the cost of connecting new buildings to gas service will no longer be spread out among all utility customers, saving some $200 million each year and hopefully slowing the expansion of the fossil fuel in the state. (Canary Media)

HEAT WAVE

• Thousands of households in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania lose power as temperatures soar above 100 degrees and air conditioning use strains the grid. (amNYC; NJ.com, WGAL)

• Across New England, more than 5,000 MW of rooftop solar and other smaller arrays help ensure the region has sufficient power to meet soaring demand during the ongoing heat wave. (WBUR)

NUCLEAR

• Some environmentalists are skeptical of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to build 1 GW of new nuclear generation in the state, even as business interests embrace the idea. (E&E News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• An offshore wind executive says the dramatic turnaround in Empire Wind’s fortunes when the Trump administration decided to let it go ahead has revived his hope for the future of the industry: ​“Deals can be done.” (Recharge)

AFFORDABILITY

• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signs into law a sprawling energy bill that is likely to result in slightly lower electricity bills, but which he says is mostly ​“symbolic.” What the state really needs, he says, is more power generation. (Hartford Courant)

• Municipal leaders across Massachusetts join forces to support legislation that would prohibit third-party electricity suppliers from selling directly to consumers. (WHAV)

BUILDINGS

• Construction begins on a new 71-unit apartment building in Troy, New York, that will use geothermal energy, rooftop solar, energy-efficient appliances and other measures to become the city’s first all-electric, zero-emissions multi-family development. (Troy Record)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Delaware City Refinery receives a state citation for releasing toxic contaminants into the air in a March incident unrelated to a more recent malfunction that caused three weeks of sulfur dioxide emissions. (WHYY)

COMMENTARY

• The Trump administration’s attempt to reopen waters around the U.S., including in New England, to offshore oil drilling is dangerous, reckless, and ​“an insult to every New Englander who values our ocean,” says an environmental attorney involved in a lawsuit against the effort. (Maine Morning Star)

NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA

• LG Energy Solution cuts the ribbon on its expanded Michigan EV battery factory, where it invested $1.4 billion to start making grid-scale batteries as well, Julian Spector reports.