Today’s headlines: Empire Wind awaits a ruling, BP’s green writedown, and more

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

OFFSHORE WIND

• A judge will rule today on whether to allow Equinor to resume construction of Empire Wind, which the company has threatened to cancel if it can’t restart work soon. (Reuters)

CLEAN ENERGY

• BP will write down its green energy business by as much as $5 billion and refocus on fossil fuels. (The Guardian)

• Analysts and executives expect the ongoing need for power to drive clean energy development in 2026. (Bloomberg)

• A new McKinsey report finds the global clean energy transition is slowing just as countries need to step up deployment to meet their 2030 decarbonization targets. (report)

GRID

• Grid operator PJM Interconnection estimates summer peak demand will grow at an annual rate of 3.6% over the next 10 years, a decrease from its estimate made last year, but still a major jump from the 0.3% annualized rate it projected in 2021. (E&E News)

OVERSIGHT

• Under President Donald Trump, the federal government initiated about half as many pipeline safety enforcement cases last year as in previous years, a move that risks the safety of and support for pipelines the administration wants to build. (E&E News)

VENEZUELA

• The U.S. sells $500 million worth of Venezuelan oil, though the Trump administration has still shared little information about how it will distribute those profits to the South American country. (Semafor)

• U.S. refining companies are set to benefit even more from a potential Venezuelan oil resurgence than drillers, as they have the equipment to process the country’s viscous crude. (New York Times)

POLITICS

• Data center demand, rising power prices, and the need to build clean energy projects before federal incentives expire will likely define state politics this year as midterm elections approach. (E&E News)

MINERALS

• A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers will introduce a bill today to create a $2.5 billion critical mineral reserve. (Axios)

DATA CENTERS

• Wyoming’s Laramie County votes to approve a data center that plans to eventually grow to be the biggest AI campus in the country. (Inside Climate News)