Energy

WASHINGTON — As a result of continued competition from natural gas and renewable resources, 23% of the 200,568 MW of coal-fired power plant capacity currently operating in the United States is planning to be retired by the end of 2029,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The average construction cost for utility-scale photovoltaic solar installations continued to drop in 2020, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While that’s good news for the energy sector, the report noted that the... Read More

WASHINGTON — In most recent years, a slew of climate, energy and environmental initiatives have appeared on state ballots across the nation. This year, perhaps as a result of the Biden administration’s all-out push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to... Read More

WASHINGTON — A delegation of 16 high-ranking administration officials will travel to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, next week for COP27, a series of climate talks that U.S. Special Envoy John Kerry is framing as an opportunity to ensure that promises made... Read More

NEW ORLEANS — Federal regulators have finalized the designation of two wind energy areas in the Gulf of Mexico they say have the potential to produce enough clean energy to power nearly 3 million homes annually. The designation of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Energy Department is launching the Energy Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools Prize.  In response to overwhelming stakeholder feedback that many school districts lack the bandwidth and knowledge to find and fund projects, this prize facilitates... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House plans to spend nearly $85 million to make K-12 schools more energy efficient and lower their energy costs. According to the Notice of Intent released through the Energy Department, the funding is the first tranche... Read More

WASHINGTON — Federal officials will brief a new report outlining the key cybersecurity recommendations for clean energy integration, grid modernization and distributed energy resources on Monday, Nov. 7. The report was prepared by the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity,... Read More

ATLANTA — Three solar energy groups opposed to a request by Georgia Power to revise several fees it charges residential customers have accused the state’s largest utility of “massive over-collection of revenue” in testimony submitted to the state’s Public Service... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold its first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale on Dec. 6 for areas on the Outer Continental Shelf off central and northern California. In addition to being the first-ever offshore wind lease... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy last week awarded $2.8 billion to 20 companies to build and expand commercial-scale facilities in 12 states to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components, and demonstrate new approaches, including manufacturing... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced a bill intended to rein in the power of OPEC+ after the oil producer group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to dramatically cut their output.  That means if Senate... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to fight climate change, according to a new poll that shows limited public awareness about a sweeping new law that commits the U.S. to its... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Energy Department has awarded $38 million to support a dozen projects intended to reduce the impacts of light-water reactor used nuclear fuel disposal.  The projects, led by universities, private companies, and national laboratories, were selected to develop... Read More

GOLDEN, Colo. — Top battery researchers across the globe — including those at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory — have joined in an ambitious movement to spur technology development through a shared Battery Data Genome. The initiative seeks to replicate... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators on Friday urged the Environmental Protection Agency to use its upcoming decision on the Renewable Fuel Standard to “chart a new course for biofuels” to meet the nation’s “diverse energy demands.” In a... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will release 15 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves, and may consider releasing significantly more this winter, in an effort to ease high gasoline prices. The announcement comes in the wake of several polls... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Late last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a windfall tax on oil companies that would be reverted back to California taxpayers. Such a tax is necessary, Newsom said, because they have “failed to provide an... Read More

PARIS — French energy multinational TotalEnergies and Belgium-based building materials manufacturer Holcim are collaborating on the full decarbonization of a cement production facility in Obourg, Belgium. The project will see the two companies assess a wide array of solutions and... Read More

OKLAHOMA CITY — Enel North America, the subsidiary to Italian multinational Enel S.p.A., has opened a new office and training space in midtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, capping a decade of rapid growth in the state. According to the company, which... Read More

Relentless drought in China, East Africa, the U.S. West and northern Mexico, devastating floods in Pakistan and Kentucky, scorching heat waves in Europe and the Pacific Northwest, destructive cyclones in southern Africa and intense hurricanes in the U.S. and Central America make up just some of the recent extreme weather events that scientists have... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Civil Nuclear Credit Program is seeking public guidance on the timelines, deliverables and supporting information from eligible reactor owners and operators on the $6 billion investment. The program was created through the bipartisan infrastructure law. Under the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy played host to more than 60 tribal leaders and an additional 350 participants last week for the 7th Tribal Clean Energy Summit. During the two-day conference, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, DOE Office of Indian... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a total of 13 contracts for the purchase of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The contract awards are part of President Biden’s announcement on March 31, 2022, to release... Read More

WASHINGTON — A total of $4.9 billion in funding is available to bolster the activity in the carbon management industry and ultimately help significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power generation and industrial operations.  The funding, which is being made... Read More

ROCKVILLE, Md. — X-energy has completed a Department of Energy-funded program aimed at further developing a high-temperature gas reactor. The technology development project is a key step toward the final development of the company's multibillion-dollar demonstration project and the nation’s... Read More

WASHINGTON — Cutting-edge research in the realm of hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductors will continue at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory thanks to an infusion of $13.3 million from the Biden administration. For the past four years, researchers at NREL’s Center for... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission has updated its Energy Labeling Rule so that consumers can more accurately compare the estimated annual energy consumption of appliances before they buy them. The FTC’s original Energy Labeling Rule, issued in 1979 under... Read More

WASHINGTON — Just like the ground stays toasty even after the sun sets or your cup of hot chocolate can warm your cold hands, thermal energy — or energy that comes from the temperature of a heated substance — has... Read More

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled his “2022 Energy Plan” for the state on Monday, adopting an “all-of-the-above” approach that includes natural gas, renewable energy, hydrogen and, most notably, nuclear power to meet the state's current and future... Read More