NUCLEAR: Even if Georgia Power finishes Plant Vogtle construction on time, it will still be $1 billion over its current budget. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
ALSO:
• Analysts and consultants say the aggressive construction schedule of Plant Vogtle may delay the project even further. (E&E News, subscription)
• The former chief operating officer of South Carolina utility SCE&G agrees to plead guilty to defrauding utility customers who paid billions of dollars in power bills for an unfinished nuclear power plant. (Post and Courier)
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SOLAR:
• Santee Cooper and a wholesale power aggregator for South Carolina electric cooperatives join forces in seeking proposals from 30 solar developers to produce up to 500 MW of power. (WRDW)
• An Appalachian State University professor receives grant funding to study how layers of dust and dirt on solar panels could lead to significant decreases in annual energy yield and revenue. (Appalachian Today)
PIPELINES:
• Black residents of several Virginia counties oppose a plan for a natural gas project in their communities, telling regulators its location was chosen because of environmental racism. (Bay Journal)
• The American Legislative Exchange Council, backed by fossil fuel groups, pushed legislation in West Virginia and other states to criminalize anti-pipeline protests. (The Intercept)
COAL ASH: Anderson County, Tennessee, officials are looking to send air, water and coal ash samples from TVA’s Bull Run power plant to a lab for testing. (Oak Ridger)
OIL & GAS:
• Energy companies begin to resume oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico after Tropical Storm Cristobal blew through. (Reuters)
• BP plans to lay off nearly 10,000 workers around the world by the end of the year in response to the oil crash. (Houston Chronicle)
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UTILITIES: Duke Energy, which has been criticized for building polluting projects in communities of color, says it will contribute $1 million to nonprofits committed to social justice and racial equity. (Florida Politics)
COMMENTARY:
• A coastal restoration group leader says that despite the damage to Louisiana’s coast from the oil and gas industry, it can still be saved. (The Advocate)
• A South Carolina law enacted to stop utility Santee Cooper from entering into major contracts also has major benefits for the renewable energy, an editorial board says. (Post and Courier)