Utilities get dismal climate grades from Sierra Club

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UTILITIES

• The Sierra Club doles out low grades for utilities that are using rising demand from data centers as cover to continue to invest in fossil fuels, with Dominion Energy in Virginia, Duke Energy in North Carolina, and Georgia Power pursuing some of the most aggressive gas expansions. (Canary Media)

• An analysis shows a First Energy subsidiary’s West Virginia customers paid $10.3 million more for power from the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation than the market price because of a contract that locks in power prices. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The United Auto Workers considers a proposed contract for workers at Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant that doesn’t contain the same concessions it obtained from the Big Three automakers, a sign of the challenge of negotiating the first union contract there. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp finalizes plans for his third trip to Korea, shifting to address the high-profile immigration raid that detained 475 mostly Korean workers at Hyundai’s factory site in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

NUCLEAR

• The Tennessee Valley Authority issues a letter of intent that formalizes how it will work with Type One Energy Group to develop and deploy a fusion power plant, beginning with a prototype at a former coal plant in Tennessee. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• A Virginia county board approves a conditional-use permit for Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ proposed 400 MW nuclear fusion plant in Virginia. (Virginia Business)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Wind and solar have repeatedly set new records for power generation in Texas this year, lending added stability to the state’s standalone power grid despite extreme summer temperatures. (Canary Media)

• Georgia residents hustle to take advantage of federal electric vehicle and clean energy tax credits before they expire at the end of the month due to a Republican rollback. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Fossil fuel companies such as Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Halliburton have announced sweeping layoffs and cut spending, and paused or canceled major projects as crude oil prices have dropped below profitability during Trump’s term. (Grist)

• Woodside Energy breaks ground on a $17.5 billion liquified natural gas production and export facility in Louisiana — the first LNG plant to receive approval since Trump declared an ​“energy emergency” to start his second term. (WWNO)

• West Virginia residents tell state regulators they’re concerned about TransGas’ plans to build two methane- and diesel-fired gas power plants to operate as microgrids powering new data centers. (West Virginia Watch)

• West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s plans to grow the state’s generation capacity from 15 GW to 50 GW by 2050 hinges largely on prolonging the life of its coal-fired power plants. (WV News)

SOLAR

• Spanish energy company Repsol SA begins commercial operations at a 629 MW solar farm in Texas. (Renewables Now)

• Local Kentucky officials announce that AES plans to build a 60 MW solar farm that will be operational by 2028. (West Kentucky Star)

CARBON CAPTURE

• Louisiana regulators consider eight pending applications for carbon storage test wells, with 22 already issued and 33 applications under review for injection and long-term storage wells. (New Orleans City Business)

GRID

• Virginia regulators hold their first public hearing on Dominion Energy’s proposal to build 500kv transmission lines through neighborhoods to help energize ​“Data Center Alley.” (Virginia Mercury)

• A Virginia planning commission recommends that county supervisors reject a proposed 1-million-square-foot data center campus, the first to go through its new application process. (Richmond BizSense)

OVERSIGHT

• Climate and environment organizers strategize on how to motivate voters to take part in Georgia’s pending election for two seats on its Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and energy rates. (Grist/​WABE)

CLIMATE

• First responders in Kerr County, Texas, where more than 100 people died from flash flooding in July, are outraged to find officials are raising their health care insurance premiums and will likely cut public safety services as state lawmakers have restricted their ability to collect local property taxes. (Houston Chronicle)

COMMENTARY

• Solar microgrids, portable power stations, and other distributed energy resources were important in delivering immediate relief in remote, storm-ravaged areas of Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene one year ago, writes a staffer with The Pew Charitable Trusts who works with grid modernization. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

• Utility-scale solar and battery storage could be the ​“bridge” Virginia needs to meet its goal of doing away with fossil fuels for power production by mid-century, writes the director of strategy and engagement for Energy Right. (Cardinal News)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Cuts to Rhode Island energy-efficiency plan bad for residents, study says — Sarah Shemkus