Washington coal plant to be converted to gas

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

COAL

• TransAlta Corporation signs an agreement with Puget Sound Energy to convert the retiring Centralia coal plant in Washington to run on gas. (Washington State Standard)

• Montana advocates accuse NorthWestern Energy of treating customers and regulators as ​“afterthoughts” after it asks to use ratepayer credits to fund operations and maintenance at its Colstrip coal plant. (Daily Montanan)

GEOTHERMAL

• Fervo Energy raises another $462 million to continue developing its Cape Station enhanced geothermal plant in southwestern Utah and other facilities around the nation. (Canary Media)

CLIMATE

• Democratic Colorado gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet says he would support a statewide carbon cap-and-invest program if he is elected governor. (CPR)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes lauds a federal judge’s ruling striking down the Trump administration’s freeze on wind energy development, saying it is a pivotal environmental and economic moment for the state. (KVOA)

• The Trump administration cancels federal funding for a University California, Davis, project to develop solar-thermal power for industrial purposes, saying the effort ​“does not effectuate” the Energy Department’s priorities. (news release)

• Public Service Company of New Mexico begins issuing bill credits for the state’s new community solar program. (KRQE)

• Haven Energy secures $40 million in financing for installing and leasing rooftop solar and battery systems on California homes. (Wall Street Journal)

• BayWa begins construction on its 127 MW Jacumba Valley Ranch solar-plus-storage project in southern California. (news release)

DATA CENTERS

• Observers say the $165-billion Project Jupiter data center in progress in southeast New Mexico is part of a trend by developers to site the facilities in lower-income, rural areas in an effort to skirt growing opposition. (New York Times)

• Arizona State University joins an Idaho National Laboratory-led effort to explore ways that small modular reactors can power AI data centers. (news release)

OIL & GAS

• A federal Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease sale brings in $4.9 million for 37 parcels covering 30,528 acres in Colorado. (news release)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on its proposed auction next June of 174 oil and gas leases covering more than 160,000 acres in Colorado. (news release)

GRID

• GridUnited begins work on a 280-mile transmission project linking El Paso Electric in New Mexico with Tucson Electric Power in southern Arizona. (KGUN)

HYDROPOWER

• Wyoming advocates push back against a proposed pumped hydropower energy storage project in the southern part of the state, saying it would threaten wildlife and recreation. (WyoFile)

NUCLEAR

• U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright touts work on developing advanced nuclear reactors during a visit to the Idaho National Laboratory. (Deseret News)

CRITICAL MATERIALS

• Arizona regulators begin investigating the South32 battery materials mine under development in the southern part of the state after detecting high antimony levels in discharged water. (Inside Climate News)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management approves a proposed lithium exploration project in southeast Oregon, sparking concerns about impacts to sage grouse and cutthroat trout. (OPB)

STORAGE

• BrightNight secures financing for a 200 MW standalone battery energy storage project near Tacoma, Washington, designed to provide grid-support to the transmission-constrained Northwest. (Utility Dive)

• Maricopa County, Arizona’s supervisors approve a proposed 100 MW battery energy storage system near the site of a 2019 BESS fire. (Energy Storage News)

• A southwest Colorado rural electric cooperative proposes a grid-scale battery energy storage project, drawing pushback from some residents. (Durango Herald)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Judge strikes down Trump’s order blocking wind farm approvals — Clare Fieseler

• New York’s public utility approves plan to build 5.5GW of renewables — Alexander C. Kaufman

• Europe’s world-first carbon tariff is coming. Here’s what to know. — Maria Gallucci

• Cornell’s deep-down and rocky quest to unlock geothermal for New York — Maria Gallucci

• New Jersey’s latest plan for 100% clean power comes at a tricky time — Rambo Talabong