Wisconsin transmission dispute heats up

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

GRID

• Landowners and local officials along a planned transmission line upgrade between Minnesota and Wisconsin worry about the project’s land use impacts as utility executives say it will benefit the regional grid. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• A Michigan bill would codify state utility line standards to allow transmission lines in highway rights of way to reduce conflict with rural landowners. (Michigan Advance)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration finalizes a $1.6 billion loan for DTE Energy to upgrade hundreds of miles of gas mains and service lines, while billions more in Biden-era funding commitments for clean energy for Michigan utilities have stalled. (MLive)

DATA CENTERS

• Indianapolis elected officials plan to vote next month on proposed data center regulations, following months of delays as the city looks to a single framework instead of approving projects on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. (Axios)

• The chair of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission supports data centers, saying companies are ​“more than paying their way” and that the state should be prepared to capture the industry’s growth. (Journal Gazette)

SOLAR

• Kansas county officials consider plans for a pair of commercial solar projects totaling 390 MW of capacity and spanning 3,000 acres outside Wichita. (Wichita Eagle)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• EV manufacturer Rivian announces it is laying off less than 2% of 15,000 employees as it releases the more affordable R2 SUV model. (CNBC)

STORAGE

• A partnership with General Motors represents Peak Energy’s second major customer in less than a year as it deploys sodium-ion grid battery systems that promise to cut energy storage costs by 20% over conventional systems. (Utility Dive)

COAL

• Ohio is set to receive $664 million until 2036 as part of a federal grant program to remediate abandoned coal mines, about $35 million less than it was previously allocated thanks to congressional cuts. (Ohio Capital Journal)

NUCLEAR

• North Dakota’s top water regulator says the Missouri River, as opposed to groundwater, would be the best available source to cool a future nuclear reactor. (North Dakota Monitor)

BIOFUELS

• Global oil shocks and trade uncertainty, coupled with state tax incentives, are driving demand for Illinois soybeans and biofuel production. (Medill Illinois News Bureau)

UTILITIES

• Michigan lawmakers propose multiple bills that would reduce energy costs by clamping down on utility profits through capping ratepayer-funded returns and requiring grid infrastructure audits every five years. (MLive)

• Indiana’s utility ratepayer advocate says state regulators are allowing Duke Energy to overcollect nearly $90 million from customers annually when setting rates. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)