Zanskar discovers ​“blind” natural geothermal in Nevada

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GEOTHERMAL

• Energy firm Zanskar says it has used AI to identify a naturally occurring ​“blind” — meaning it has no visible, above-ground signs — geothermal system in western Nevada with 100 MW generating potential via conventional technology. (Canary Media)

DATA CENTERS

• Arizona utility regulators greenlight Tucson Electric Power’s proposed electricity contract with the contested Project Blue data center near Tucson, drawing advocates’ protests. (Arizona Luminaria)

COAL

• Colorado regulators vote to allow Xcel Energy to continue operating its Comanche 2 coal plant beyond its scheduled end-of-year retirement date to give it time to repair its larger Comanche 3 plant. (Colorado Sun)

UTILITIES

• Montana Public Service Commission leaders call on federal regulators to investigate NorthWestern Energy’s attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny by transferring ownership of the Colstrip coal plant to a newly formed subsidiary (Daily Montanan)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson approves the proposed 160 MW Carriger solar-plus-storage project. (Washington State Standard)

• California regulators reject Pacific Gas & Electric’s proposed contract termination with Ivanpah solar plant, nixing plans to shutter the aging facility. (E&E News)

• Denver International Airport contracts with a developer to build a new photovoltaic array expected to bring the facility’s total solar generating capacity up to about 268 MW. (Denver 7)

• Terra-Gen secures $383.3 million in financing for its 205 MW Lockhart III and IV solar installation under construction in California. (Renewables Now)

OIL & GAS

• Sable Offshore asks federal regulators to assume regulatory oversight of its proposal to restart a pipeline that would carry oil from its drilling rig off California’s coast to the mainland in an effort to sidestep state restrictions. (E&E News)

• The Republican-dominated U.S. Senate votes to revoke Biden-era oil and gas drilling restrictions in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. (Reuters)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management sells oil and gas leases covering more than 53,000 acres in Wyoming under the newly reduced royalty rate of 12.5%, which advocates say will lead to $30 million in lost revenue over the leases’ lifespan. (Sheridan Media, news release)

• A new documentary aims to shed a light on the impacts of oil and gas drilling in New Mexico. (E&E News)

CLIMATE

• California’s Air Resources Board pauses enforcement of a new state law requiring large firms to disclose climate-related financial risks to comply with a federal court’s preliminary injunction. (Utility Dive)

STORAGE

• Desert Mountain Energy proposes a sodium-nickel-chloride battery factory in Roswell, New Mexico, that would use oil and gas wastewater for production and to cool an associated data center. (PV Magazine)

• San Jose State University researchers find the January fire at the Moss Landing battery energy storage center in California deposited about 55,000 pounds of heavy metals into nearby marshes. (KSBW)

TRANSPORTATION

• Montana county governments establish the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to promote development of a new passenger line through three of the state’s largest cities. (Montana Free Press)

• Oregon seeks firms to build and maintain at least 200 proposed public fast-charging electric vehicle chargers along the state’s major highways. (OPB)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Georgia hashes out plan to let data centers build their own clean energy — Jeff St. John

• Chart: Hungary is leading the world in solar adoption — Dan McCarthy

• The grid storage industry set a wild goal for 2025 — and then crushed it — Julian Spector