NUCLEAR: An Ohio bill seeks to establish a nuclear development authority that could help funnel state and federal resources toward developing a molten salt reactor in the state. (Energy News Network)
SOLAR:
• Consumers Energy seeks Michigan landowners who may be willing to lease property for solar development as the utility plans a widespread buildout over the next 20 years. (Michigan Radio)
• A Minnesota school district considers using state grant funding to cover nearly all of the costs of a solar installation. (The Journal)
• County officials in Kansas are set to revisit utility-scale solar zoning regulations that will likely be less restrictive than previous proposals. (Kansas City Business Journal)
• A southern Minnesota city will seek $1 million in state grant funding to help pay for a planned solar project at its wastewater treatment facility. (Albert Lea Tribune)
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GRID: State and federal energy regulators consider studying interconnection requests in clusters to help alleviate a widespread backlog in projects seeking to connect to the grid. (Utility Dive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• LG Chem’s plan to build a $2.5 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, near Detroit is in jeopardy as energy officials fail to guarantee the facility would receive adequate power supplies. (Windsor Star)
• Electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors seeks $150 million in additional capital to help bring its electric pickup truck model to market. (Reuters)
• Shares of electric vehicle startup Rivian dropped 14% Monday after reports that early investor Ford would be selling part of its stake in the company. (Reuters)
UTILITIES:
• Des Moines, Iowa, officials advance plans to extend electricity and natural gas franchise agreements with MidAmerican Energy for another 13 years as the city looks to significantly increase its renewable energy sources. (Des Moines Register)
• A Cleveland suburb considers joining a community energy aggregation program to offset residents’ power usage entirely with clean energy. (Cleveland.com)
• An Xcel Energy political action committee has given nearly $115,000 over the past five years to GOP candidates and funds that have consistently blocked climate change policies. (Energy and Policy Institute)
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TRANSMISSION: Ameren seeks local approval to build a 15-mile transmission line between two substations in southeastern Missouri. (Southeast Missourian)
COMMENTARY: The head of the Iowa Environmental Council says Des Moines’ long-term franchise agreements with MidAmerican Energy should be revisited in subsequent years to ensure the utility is meeting the city’s climate benchmarks. (Des Moines Register)
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