UTILITIES: Memphis, Tennessee, activists urge the city utility board not to approve a “never-ending contract” with the Tennessee Valley Authority after TVA officials promise better service than in the past. (Tennessee Lookout)
ALSO: Oklahomans challenge a securitization law that will require state ratepayers to reimburse three utility companies $2.8 billion over 28 years for losses in last year’s winter storm. (KFOR)
SOLAR:
• North Carolina regulators authorize Duke Energy to add 1,200 MW of solar capacity through power-purchase agreements. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• A Virginia planning board advances a permit for a company to build a solar farm of less than 10 MW. (Lynchburg News & Advance)
• A Tennessee-based auto parts maker announces a 10.5 MW solar farm and plans for three more across the state. (Knoxville News-Sentinel)
• Florida International University launches what it claims is the nation’s first solar energy technician apprenticeship program to meet growing demand in south Florida. (news release)
COAL ASH: A new report finds many utilities and power generators across the Southeast and U.S. refuse to propose treatment for coal ash ponds or landfills known to be contaminating groundwater. (Energy News Network)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Hyundai Mobis announces it will build an electric vehicle battery plant next to an existing Hyundai factory in Alabama. (AL.com)
• Georgia convenience store owners lobby state lawmakers to ensure they can compete with utilities to provide electric vehicle charging stations. (Capitol Beat News Service)
• Electric vehicle maker Canoo announces it will build battery modules at an Oklahoma facility close to its planned factory there. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• An electric vehicle company road-tests an autonomous freight vehicle in Tennessee. (WBBJ)
• An electric vehicle charging company announces it’s building chargers for three Georgia nonprofits. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
GRID:
• Texas’ grid manager approves 400 MW of new generation that consists largely of battery storage, but also labels another 2.1 GW of projects inactive and cancels 404 MW of projects altogether. (S&P Global)
• Puerto Rico’s power board selects a company to build a 17 MW virtual power plant by connecting 7,000 rooftop solar-plus-battery systems. (Utility Dive)
COAL: West Virginia regulators say Appalachian Power’s shareholders and not state ratepayers should shoulder costs incurred because it failed to maintain an adequate supply of coal to run its plants and had to purchase power instead. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
WIND: Progress toward developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico continues, but uncertainty remains about how to incentivize the private sector to meet the federal government’s grandiose goals. (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report)
PIPELINES:
• Federal regulators seek public input on a gas company’s plans to replace and expand an existing pipeline in coastal Virginia. (Smithfield Times)
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice presents nearly $2 million to a county to complete a natural gas pipeline to an industrial park. (WVVA)
OIL & GAS:
• Marathon announces it will pay $3 billion to acquire the assets of an oil company in Texas’ Eagle Ford shale formation. (Reuters)
• An Oklahoma natural gas fractionation plant is still closed nearly four months after a fire there forced people in a nearby town to evacuate their homes and businesses. (Journal Record)
EFFICIENCY: Arkansas receives $105 million in federal funding for consumer home energy rebate programs. (Talk Business & Politics)
OVERSIGHT: Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas are among nine states electing regulatory commissions with power to direct energy policy in their respective states, while Georgia is postponing elections for two seats on its board. (S&P Global)
CLIMATE: Hurricane Ian caused the spillage of untreated wastewater and other pollution events largely linked to sewage systems that could take Florida months to address. (Washington Post)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West