What Wright gets wrong on renewables

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

GRID

• U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright makes misleading and incorrect statements about how the New England and mid-Atlantic grids performed during Winter Storm Fern as he characterizes renewable power as unreliable and overly expensive. (Canary Media)

• New Jersey regulators order four major electric utilities to explore ways to relieve grid congestion using distributed resources as part of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s plan to develop virtual power plants and lower electricity bills. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE

• Massachusetts’ climate chief has missed her self-imposed deadline to complete an economic analysis of the state’s climate commitments and identify financing and investment options. (CommonWealth Beacon)

• Maine’s state House approves an aggressive new timeline for decreasing the emissions limit for the state’s power plants, with the target of lowering the cap 90% over the next 10 years. (News Center Maine)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Revolution Wind developer Orsted reports $500 million in profits for 2025, despite a loss of $10 million because of the work stoppage the Trump administration ordered in December. (Rhode Island Current)

SOLAR

• A proposed community solar project that could power more than 2,000 homes would be the largest solar development in Maryland’s Carroll County. (Baltimore Sun)

• Maryland’s growing solar capacity meets increasing opposition from residents who don’t want to see solar panels taking over agricultural land. (Capital News Service)

UTILITIES

• A Maryland state lawmaker introduces a bill that would allow — and perhaps even require — utilities to build and own renewable power generation. (Maryland Matters)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Even during cold snaps like those that have recently gripped the Northeast, there are ways to ensure home heat pumps are able to meet the challenge. (Canary Media)

AFFORDABILITY

• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signals his willingness to re-examine some components of the public benefits charge that appears on utility bills, but continues to oppose eliminating the fee entirely. (Hartford Courant)

• Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee signs an executive order calling for a review of the state’s net metering incentives with the goal of making sure consumers are not paying too much to support the program. (Providence Journal, executive order)

DATA CENTERS

• A Pennsylvania county rejects a rezoning proposal intended to allow the development of a data center and the expansion of an existing gas and coal-fired power plant to provide electricity to such a facility. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR

• Though New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte has declared her intention of putting the state at the ​“forefront” of nuclear development, the technology is unlikely to provide affordability or climate benefits in the near-term. (NHPR)