Trump clawback could kill Georgia solar program

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

SOLAR

• Georgia leaders announce a program to allow low-income homeowners to install solar at no cost with help from a $156 million U.S. EPA grant awarded in 2024, but the Trump administration is threatening to kill the program and claw back the money. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• Minor league baseball team the Richmond Flying Squirrels announce plans to install a 1 MW solar array on its new ballpark. (Virginia Business, Virginia Mercury)

• An Arkansas county executive holds a public hearing on whether to grant a 65% tax abatement for a 300 MW solar farm that could generate $7.5 million for the county and $20 million for schools in a neighboring county. (KARK)

• A judge allows bankrupt solar company Sunnova Energy to sell almost all of its assets to a group of lenders and entities owned by a climate-focused investment firm. (Houston Chronicle)

NUCLEAR

• A California-based company signs a lease from the U.S. Energy Department to build the first U.S.-owned, privately developed uranium enrichment facility in western Kentucky on the site of a plant that was built to produce enriched uranium for nuclear weapons but was shuttered in 2013. (WKMS)

• The U.S. Energy Department picks Tennessee-based Standard Nuclear to lead a pilot program to expand the domestic fuel supply for advanced nuclear reactors. (E&E News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Alabama regulators approve Alabama Power’s request to buy an 895 MW gas-fired power plant despite opposition from environmental groups. (Alabama Reflector, Inside Climate News)

• Kentucky regulators hear concerns from residents and elected leaders about Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities’ plan to build two gas-fired plants to support growing power demand from data centers. (Kentucky Lantern)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority showcases a coal-fired Tennessee plant it hopes to keep open longer even as it moves to build more gas-fired power plants across its territory. (WKRN, WTVF)

• President Trump’s narrow focus on boosting gas exports and power plant construction won’t help his goal of lowering energy prices, industry analysts say. (E&E News)

• Occidental Petroleum leads the fossil fuel industry in capturing carbon and using it to boost extraction, positioning the company to take advantage of a tax credit expanded in the One Big Beautiful Bill. (E&E News)

WIND

• Dominion Energy says its 2.6 GW wind project off Virginia will cost $506 million more due to new tariffs, though it’s still on track for completion by the end of 2026 and will qualify for federal tax credits before they expire. (Utility Dive)

GRID

• San Antonio, Texas’ municipal utility approves spending $175 million for a 24.5-mile transmission line to boost grid reliability after the state grid operator shut down another transmission line in 2023 due to a power overload. (Houston Chronicle)

• Google signs an agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority agreeing to reduce its power use at data centers at certain times of the day or year when there’s high power demand. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

HYDROGEN

• Woodside Energy abandons plans to build a 290 MW hydrogen production facility in Oklahoma due to rising costs and lower-than-anticipated demand. (KOSU)

• Changes to hydrogen tax credits under the Republican budget package creates uncertainty about Exxon Mobil’s proposed hydrogen project in Texas. (Houston Chronicle)

UTILTIES

• Consumer advocates criticize Florida Power & Light’s requested $9.8 billion rate hike as excessive, saying it should instead receive a little bit more than a tenth of that. (Florida Phoenix)

• Mississippi regulators schedule a ​“show-cause” hearing for a troubled municipal utility to discuss its lack of investment in its power system and subsequent outages. (Mississippi Today)

EMISSIONS

• A flare last month at a Texas oil refinery released more sulfur dioxide than usual and lasted longer than emission rules typically allow, but didn’t technically violate air pollution limits because of an emergency exemption. (El Paso Matters)

COMMENTARY

• Solar power generated more than 29 GW of power and provided 40% of the power on the Texas grid while batteries produced a record level of power over the course of two nights in late July, effectively demonstrating the power of renewables, writes a columnist. (Houston Chronicle)

• A company’s plans to build the first privately developed uranium enrichment facility in the U.S. affirm the state legislature’s 2017 decision to lift a moratorium on nuclear development, writes a state lawmaker. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• This Massachusetts town banned gas — and housing boomed anyway — Sarah Shemkus

• Used EV batteries could upend the race for long-duration storage — Julian Spector

• Meet Minnesota’s electric coffee roasting pioneers — Dan Haugen

• Can EV ambassadors help Chicago drivers go electric? — Kari Lydersen