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Biden admin advances first major offshore wind farm
The Biden administration yesterday moved closer to approving the country’s first full-scale offshore wind farm, advancing the Vineyard Wind project that stalled during the Trump administration. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released its final environmental impact statement, the next-to-last requirement before the project can obtain a green light to begin construction in federal waters 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. A final decision on Vineyard Wind — which could demand changes to the construction and operations plan under review — will follow in no less than 30 days. The project will also need signoffs from the Army Corp of Engineers and NOAA. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Biden Set to Advance Offshore Wind Farm Near Martha’s Vineyard
he Biden administration is moving closer to a final approval of Vineyard Wind LLC’s $2.8 billion offshore wind farm planned near the coast of Massachusetts. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is set to publish a favorable final environmental review of the 800-megawatt project on Monday, according to two people familiar with the matter. That would mark the penultimate step in the Interior Department’s review of the project, setting the stage for a likely formal authorization in April. [ read more … ]
Texas Blackout
Ten years ago, 241 Texas power plants couldn’t take the cold. Dozens of them failed again this year.
The corporate and municipal owners of more than 30 power-generation plants in Texas appear to have failed to adequately heed a decade of warnings to better prepare for deadly winter weather, contributing to their malfunctions or shutdowns during last month’s historic winter freeze that led to statewide power outages and a humanitarian crisis. Facilities owned by Fortune 500 energy giants NRG, Calpine Corporation and Vistra Corporation, all headquartered in Texas, and the Chicago-based Exelon, experienced shutdowns during last month’s winter storm as well as during the state’s last historic cold snap a decade ago, according to a review by The Washington Post. [ read more … ]
Battery Storage
Tesla Is Plugging a Secret Mega-Battery Into the Texas Grid
Elon Musk is getting into the Texas power market, with previously unrevealed construction of a gigantic battery connected to an ailing electric grid that nearly collapsed last month. The move marks Tesla Inc.’s first major foray into the epicenter of the U.S. energy economy. A Tesla subsidiary registered as Gambit Energy Storage LLC is quietly building a more than 100 megawatt energy storage project in Angleton, Texas, a town roughly 40 miles south of Houston. A battery that size could power about 20,000 homes on a hot summer day. [ read more … ]
Biden Administration
Panels take up infrastructure, ‘Build Back Better’
Senators will offer a first look this week at how infrastructure legislation could tackle climate change in the power sector. The Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday will meet to consider climate issues in electricity, part of a series of hearings for the panel centered on President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan.
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Granholm on coal, carbon capture, DOE’s net-zero playbook
In her first week on the job, Jennifer Granholm pitched a skeptical oil and gas crowd on President Biden’s bid to cut carbon emissions, said she’d welcome Texas to join the wider power grid, professed her love for electric vehicles on national television and marveled over research being conducted at her Department of Energy labs. The Energy secretary will play a leading role in the Biden administration’s effort to deliver a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, and Granholm moved quickly to establish herself as an enthusiastic advocate of innovative ways to tamp down emissions. [ read more … ]
Lawmakers to examine how to ‘undo the damage’ at EPA
House lawmakers this week will delve into what’s next for EPA in a hearing that could offer clues about Democratic plans for the agency. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on Wednesday that will focus on strengthening EPA from tumultuous times during the Trump administration.
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Clean Energy Policy & Politics
CERAWeek notebook: Politics, not tech, is top climate hurdle
The United States has the technological know-how to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. The real question is whether Washington has the sustained political will necessary to achieve that feat.
That was the takeaway of energy executives, federal regulators and climate experts who participated in this year’s CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference, which ended Friday. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.