Washington coal plant to convert 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.

FOSSIL FUELS

• Washington state comes to an agreement with TransAlta, in which the company will convert the Centralia coal plant to a natural gas-fired peaker plant by 2028, while also devoting between $7 million and $21 million to clean energy projects. (KHQ, news release)

• Data show coal generation’s share of Wyoming’s energy mix has fallen from 60% to about 47% since 2024 as wind, solar, and natural gas generation have continued to climb. (WyoFile)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Data show that New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act helped push the state’s largest utility to supply 62% of the power on its grid in early July with solar, wind, and battery storage, displacing fossil fuel generation. (Yale Climate Connections)

DATA CENTERS

• A new study finds data centers in Washington state are disproportionately located in census tracts with high proportions of people of color, subjecting burdened communities with additional impacts. (Inside Climate News)

• U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) will introduce legislation today aimed at preventing data centers from shifting energy infrastructure costs onto other utility customers, saying it would give teeth to existing voluntary commitments. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• Southern California Edison officials say the state’s investor-owned utilities could face credit rating downgrades if state lawmakers fail to pass wildfire liability reform legislation this year. (Utility Dive)

• Arizona solar advocate Nick Brown resigns from the Salt River Project’s board, imperiling the utility’s pro-clean energy board majority. (Arizona Republic)

• Federal data show that utilities disconnected electrical service for 185,000 Nevada residents in 2024, one of the nation’s highest shutoff rates. (Nevada Independent)

• Xcel Energy continues undergrounding powerlines in the Boulder, Colorado, area as part of a larger wildfire hazard mitigation program. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

GEOTHERMAL

• Colorado’s Land Board seeks proposals for geothermal development along the Rio Grande Rift geologic formation in the southern part of the state. (Big Pivots)

CLIMATE

• The federal government releases its plan to manage the climate change-diminished Colorado River and proposes significant water use cuts in an effort to preserve hydropower generation at Hoover and Glen Canyon dams. (New York Times)

NUCLEAR

• Utah officials ask for federal funding to save the Great Salt Lake in exchange for hosting a proposed ​“nuclear lifecycle innovation campus” that would include storing the nation’s spent reactor fuel. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• Idaho officials say they will modify a 1995 agreement limiting shipments of radioactive waste into the state to clear the way for a spent reactor fuel repository that would be part of a proposed nuclear hub. (Idaho Capital Sun)

GRID

• Pacific Gas & Electric and private firms test advanced energy management technologies aimed at making electrification easier and more affordable at an all-electric demonstration home in San Ramon, California. (KQED)