Virginia’s first onshore wind farm rises from the mountains

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.

WIND

• Apex Clean Energy celebrates ongoing construction on Virginia’s first wind farm after years of delay, with operations set to begin by the end of the year. (Roanoke Times, WVTF)

PIPELINES

• An analysis of Texas data reveals excavators have damaged pipelines more than 4,800 times so far this year, sometimes causing gas leaks that can lead to explosions and frequently failing to contact a notification center to arrange for their repair. (KERA)

NUCLEAR

• The Trump administration informs Orano USA that nuclear regulators intend to complete technical reviews of the company’s licensing application for a Tennessee uranium enrichment site by April 2027. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration orders Orlando, Florida’s municipal utility to continue operating a 465-MW coal-fired power plant to support new data centers and other large loads. (Utility Dive)

• West Virginia’s U.S. senators and governor celebrate Trump’s announcement that a new coal-fired power plant will be built in Mount Storm, West Virginia. (WTAP)

• Duke Energy may receive $28 million in federal funding to upgrade two units at a coal-fired power plant in a North Carolina community where residents are also dealing with new gas plants, a pipeline, and a proposed data center. (Inside Climate News)

• Appalachian Power may receive $51 million in federal funding to build a new cooling tower at a coal-fired power plant in West Virginia after previously considering closing a unit there. (WV Metro News)

SOLAR

• San Antonio, Texas, announces a solar installation atop its parks and recreation headquarters, marking the halfway point of its $30 million solar program to attain net-zero for all municipal buildings by 2040. (Texas Public Radio)

UTILITIES

• The Tennessee Valley Authority turns to gas and nuclear power as it aims to build 3.7 GW of new generation to meet rising power demand from data centers, population growth, and economic development. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• Alabama regulators order a rate case for a natural gas company for the first time in more than 40 years. (Alabama Reflector)

CARBON CAPTURE

• Critics say a four-day lesson about climate change and carbon capture for Louisiana eighth graders downplays how controversial the tech is and instills the oil and gas industry’s perspective, in part because the program is funded by ExxonMobil. (Times-Picayune)

EMISSIONS

• The most recent auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative comes in at a lower-than-expected price, despite fears about Virginia’s pending reentry to the program due to its massive concentration of data centers and relative lack of renewable energy development. (E&E News)

OVERSIGHT

• Voters increasingly consider Democratic candidates for two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission after the regulatory board approved a series of Georgia Power rate increases over the last several years. (Georgia Recorder)

DATA CENTERS

• “I’d call it grocery store politics”: A West Virginia state senator reverses his stance to oppose data centers after constituents confront him over his support of 2025 legislation to block localities from regulating the facilities. (Mountain State Spotlight)

TRANSITION

• An energy journalist argues West Virginia should follow the United Arab Emirates’ lead in developing renewable energy resources to ensure long-term economic sustainability. (The Intelligencer)

COMMENTARY

• A regional clean energy advocacy group calls on North Carolina to slow its approvals of gas infrastructure projects after approving seven since 2022 and with five more under consideration, including six pipelines, four gas-fired power plants, and two liquefied natural gas facilities. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)