TVA approves power for Musk’s Memphis AI project

GRID: The Tennessee Valley Authority approves a power agreement for Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer facility in Memphis, Tennessee, which is expected to use up to 150 MW at its peak. (Commercial Appeal)

ALSO:

• A new report finds North Carolina will have to conduct the ​“largest expansion of electric infrastructure since electrification began in the early 1920s” and exponentially increase its solar, wind, and battery capacity to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. (Carolina Journal)
• “It’s not perfect”: A Florida Power & Light official discusses why there were outages even in places with underground power lines during Hurricane Milton. (Islander News)
• Virginia lawmakers and environmentalists worry about the proliferation of data centers, which are spiking energy demand and could threaten the state’s climate goals. (WHRO)

SOLAR: As insurance premiums spike as much as 400% for solar projects in Texas due to the risk of damage of hail, one company reduced its insurance costs 72% by installing 3.2mm tempered glass solar panels and other hardened components on a 140 MW solar farm. (PV Magazine)

COAL:

• A federal judge issues a third contempt order against a Kentucky coal company for failing to address ongoing discharges of selenium and other pollutants at two West Virginia mines. (Associated Press)
• The author of a book discusses how hundreds of workers were poisoned while helping clean up a 2008 coal-ash spill in Tennessee. (Power)

STORAGE: Georgia Power begins building more battery facilities to supplement its recent investments in solar and nuclear. (WRBL)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A new report finds that Georgia is leading the country in electric vehicle-related job creation, but is ranked just 22nd for EV sales. (WABE/​Grist)

OIL & GAS:

• Despite Donald Trump’s promises to boost fossil fuel production, oil companies are signaling they’ll decrease drilling next year because of sagging crude prices. (Politico)
• Texas oil and gas industry leaders push for weakened methane reporting rules amid anticipation that Trump will roll back environmental rules and promote more fossil fuel production. (Texas Tribune)

OVERSIGHT: Louisiana voters elect a Republican who pledged to be a ​“true conservative watch dog” to the state regulatory board, but he seems more moderate than another Republican in the race who promised to ​“oppose liberal-thinking Green New Deal initiatives.” (Canary Media)

UTILITIES:

• Mississippi regulators open an investigation into a troubled municipal utility that’s been the source of numerous complaints and recently denied them access to its facilities and personnel. (WJTV)
• Duke Energy plans to file a request with Florida regulators to recover more than $1.1 billion in costs from restoring power during hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. (News Service of Florida)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority schedules a public meeting in Alabama next week to discuss its draft long-term resource plan. (WZDX)

CLIMATE: A massive Louisiana coastal restoration project sits in limbo as federal officials press the state to commit to completing the multi-billion-dollar endeavor amid two separate legal challenges. (Floodlight)