CRYPTOCURRENCY: Wyoming lawmakers consider allowing large power consumers — such as cryptocurrency miners and data centers — to contract for electricity outside the regulated utility market. (WyoFile)
ELECTRIFICATION: Marin County, California, officials say they’ll support a requirement that new residential and commercial construction be all-electric beginning in January. (East Bay Times)
GRID: California officials predict a new rule requiring that retail electricity rates change in accordance with grid costs and greenhouse gas emissions could reduce annual peak load power use by 120 GWh. (Utility Dive)
UTILITIES:
• Pacific Gas & Electric warn that forecasted dry and gusty winds could force public safety power outages this weekend in northern California to reduce wildfire risk. (Bloomberg)
• Inflation and supply chain constraints further delay construction on and increase costs for New Mexico solar projects aimed at replacing the generating capacity of the now-shuttered San Juan coal plant. (NM Political Report)
SOLAR:
• New Mexico regulators plan to begin soliciting proposals in December for community solar projects aimed at renters and low-income homeowners. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Washington state regulators advance proposals for two 80 MW solar-plus-storage facilities on private agricultural land. (Yakima Herald)
CRITICAL MINERALS: The Biden administration awards $2.8 billion to 20 companies — including two in Nevada — for battery material extraction, processing and manufacturing projects. (Las Vegas Sun)
HYDROGEN:
• Oregon environmental groups call on regulators to block a utility’s plan to blend hydrogen with natural gas in distribution pipelines. (Register-Guard)
• A California regional rail authority advances a plan to build a green hydrogen production facility that would fuel a proposed commuter rail project. (Hydrogen Fuel News)
HYDROPOWER: As long-term drought diminishes hydropower production at Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams on the Colorado River, rural electricity cooperatives must turn to more expensive power sources. (Nevada Independent)
CLIMATE: Washington state’s carbon credit program is forecast to generate more than twice its expected revenue in the next three years, possibly giving lawmakers more to spend on emissions reduction programs. (Seattle Times)
OIL & GAS: Permian Basin oil production is expected to rise to 5.4 million barrels per day in November, setting another record high. (Reuters)
STORAGE: Tesla officials say its Nevada Gigafactory deployed 2.1 GWh of battery storage during the third quarter of 2022, a record high. (electrek)
COMMENTARY:
• A columnist suggests offshore wind development could solve California’s “solar problem” by sending power to the grid in the early evening, just as demand peaks and solar output drops. (Bloomberg)
• A California editorial board says the petroleum industry’s effort to overturn a new law banning oil and gas drilling near homes and schools is an “attack on our health and safety that should be rejected.”(Los Angeles Times)
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