WIND: Federal regulators publish a draft environmental review of Dominion Energy’s planned 176-turbine wind farm off Virginia’s coast, advancing what would be the largest proposed ocean renewable project in the U.S. (E&E News)

ALSO: Texas wind farms’ tendency to exceed transmission line capacity is driving investor interest in large-scale battery projects. (Houston Chronicle)

OIL & GAS:
• A Maryland company announces it will build a 1,800 MW natural gas-fired power plant with carbon capture in West Virginia. (Parkersburg News and Sentinel)
• Federal analysts forecast the Permian Basin will reach record levels of shale production in January, but the pace of growth seems to be slowing. (Reuters)

GRID:
• Duke Energy officials testify to North Carolina regulators about this month’s shooting attack on two electrical substations but offer little new information. (WFAE)
• Texas lawmakers’ rejection of a plan to overhaul the state energy market signals a likely legislative battle next year over whether to incentivize natural gas at the expense of wind and solar. (E&E News)

SOLAR:
• An energy developer hires a firm to build a 272 MW solar farm in Texas. (Solar Power World)
• A technology company signs a contract to use its mounting system that secures solar panels flat to the ground on a 100+ MW solar farm in Texas. (Electrek)
• Texas farmers rally against a proposed solar farm set for a school board vote this week on a tax abatement. (KXXV)
• Arkansas county officials debate the possibility of submitting a request for proposals to build a solar facility that could power some or all of its properties. (El Dorado News-Times)

STORAGE: Texas regulators approve Tesla’s proposal to build a statewide “virtual power plant” using customers who own a Powerwall battery after previously launching a smaller pilot program with 200 customers in northern Texas. (Electrek)

COAL:
• Coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are three months behind on a federal mine safety debt repayment plan, and as of October accounted for a fifth of all federal mine safety fine debt. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, subscription)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority seeks public input on what it should do with the site of a Tennessee coal-fired power plant slated for closure next year. (WVLT)

EFFICIENCY: An Alabama county housing authority is building smart, energy-efficient modular homes as part of an affordable housing development. (WBHM)

OVERSIGHT: A challenger’s win over a longtime incumbent for a seat on Louisiana’s regulatory commission could shift its balance of power from fossil fuel industry toward environmental groups and raise the profile of discussions about rising bills and storm recovery. (WWNO)

COMMENTARY: A Florida Congress member and chair of the U.S. House climate committee calls for lawmakers to continue to push for lower-cost clean energy, acknowledging the incoming Republican majority will likely dismantle the committee. (Tampa Bay Times)

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Mason has worked as a journalist since 2001, covering Appalachian communities and the issues that affect them. He compiles the Southeast Energy News digest. Mason previously worked as a wildlife biologist before moving into journalism by freelancing at Coast Weekly in Monterey, California, before taking an internship in 2001 at High Country News. He wrote for the Enterprise Mountaineer in western North Carolina and the Roanoke Times in western Virginia before going freelance in 2012. His work has appeared in Southerly, Daily Yonder, Mother Jones, Huffington Post, WVPB’s Inside Appalachia and elsewhere. Mason was born and raised in Clifton Forge, Virginia, and now lives with his family and a small herd of goats in Floyd County, Virginia.