TVA knocks down coal plant for nuclear

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NUCLEAR

• The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to implode two stacks and another structure at its coal-fired Bull Run Fossil Plant in Tennessee to make way for development of a pilot fusion power plant. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• As temperatures soar and the Tennessee Valley Authority instructs its customers to use less power, the utility takes its Sequoyah Nuclear Plant offline to address malfunctions. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

WIND

• The Virginia Court of Appeals blocks a lawsuit that seeks to stop construction of 13 turbines for the state’s first onshore wind farm. (Roanoke Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Experts say global events have less effect on oil prices and production on the Gulf Coast than they once did, largely because the development of hydraulic fracturing has made the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil. (The Advocate)

• Coal operator Civil LLC informs West Virginia officials it will cut 279 workers at nine coal processing and transportation facilities, which paired with Core Natural Resources’ announcement of 200 layoffs means that nearly 500 coal miners will be out of a job by August. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• Texas lawmakers budget an additional $100 million over the next two years to plug oil and gas wells, but advocates warn the state must make additional policy changes to keep up with the growing list of orphan wells and potential blowouts. (Inside Climate News)

• Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai and Tampa Ship sign a memorandum of understanding to build medium-sized liquified natural gas containerships in Florida. (news release)

GEOTHERMAL

• A suburb of Austin, Texas, aims to power 7,500 planned homes and commercial buildings with a sprawling geothermal energy project. (Texas Tribune/​Floodlight)

SOLAR

• RWE commissions an 86 MW solar farm in Kentucky, its first energy facility in the state. (news release)

• Meta signs an agreement with Adapture Renewables to purchase 360 MW of Texas solar power. (Data Center Dynamics)

OVERSIGHT

• After low turnout in the Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service Commission, election officials open only one polling place for a runoff election to decide the nominee. (Brunswick News)

GRID

• Grid operator PJM generates a near-record-breaking 162 GW as the states in its region experience a heat wave. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority requests Chattanooga, Tennessee’s municipal utility encourage customers to use less power during a heat wave. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs a law authorizing state regulators to develop two demand management programs — one mandatory and one voluntary — to curtail data center power use during times of high energy demand. (Utility Dive)

• Data center developer EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure purchases 697 acres in Virginia to build a 3.9 million-square-foot data center campus that will be powered by Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and its affiliate, Hyperscale Energy Services. (Virginia Business)

POLITICS

• Democratic and Republican Virginia lawmakers want to reexamine the state’s landmark clean energy law amid soaring power demand and local resistance to solar farms. (Smithfield Times)

• Analysts and energy leaders warn Trump’s ​“big beautiful bill” now before Congress would phase out clean energy tax credits that will likely lead to cancellations or major changes in Tennessee projects. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

COMMENTARY

• Kentucky’s efforts to transition former coal-producing regions to a new economy have largely fallen short, with half-complete road expansions, failed internet upgrades, and economic development projects that collapsed, writes the president of the Kentucky Forum for Rights, Economics & Education. (Northern Kentucky Tribune)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Advocates say Massachusetts’ newly revamped solar incentive program will help ensure the industry survives the proposed gutting of federal tax credits, Sarah Shemkus reports.

• California advocates partner with utility PG&E to electrify entire neighborhoods so their gas access can be cut off together, saving time and money, Twilight Greenaway reports.