Appalachian Power lost $87M operating three WV coal plants last year

COAL: An Appalachian Power official tells West Virginia regulators the utility continued to operate three coal-fired power plants that lost a combined $87 million over the last year because excessive coal inventories on site threatened worker safety. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

‍

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Electric vehicle maker Rivian’s ho-hum second-quarter financials don’t reflect its recent partnership with Volkswagen and announcement of a second generation of its flagship vehicle models, which could help the struggling company turn a profit and restart its plan to build a Georgia factory. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Workers at a Nissan plant in Mississippi consider pushing to unionize after watching similar efforts succeed in Tennessee and fail in Alabama. (WWNO)

‍

SOLAR:

• A company announces it will build a $63 million solar module factory in Virginia. (Lynchburg News & Advance)
• West Virginia regulators approve a 150 MW solar farm on a former coal mine. (WV News)
• A Virginia county board lifts its moratorium on solar development, with four new applications already on file and more expected soon. (Gazette-Virginian)

‍

WIND: Federal officials mail surveys to residents on the Gulf Coast to gauge their feelings about offshore wind energy development. (KPLC)

‍

GRID:

• West Virginia regulators denounce a new federal rule designed to reduce transmission gridlock, ensure reliability and lower costs because they say it undermines states’ planning role. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• North Carolina receives $57 million in federal funds to upgrade a key transmission line to prepare for 1,600 MW of solar and 260 MW of battery storage and to reduce outages during extreme weather. (WRAL)
• Dominion Energy officials on an earning call say the utility shouldn’t be affected much by a 1,400% increase in some electric costs recently announced by grid operator PJM Interconnection, because purchases from PJM account for only 1% of customer bills. (Virginia Mercury)
• A California company partners with Tesla to allow residents to receive $400 annually for sharing energy from their Powerwall batteries to the Texas power grid. (news release)

‍

OIL & GAS:

• A new study draws links between wastewater injections and recent blowouts at plugged wells in the Permian Basin. (Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News)
• A company announces it will build a 42-inch, 365-mile pipeline from the Permian Basin to California beginning in 2026. (S&P Global)
• A Louisiana investment firm announces a deal to purchase New Mexico’s largest natural gas company, as well as plans to acquire Entergy’s and CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas distribution businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi. (NOLA.com)

‍

CLIMATE:

• Tropical Storm Debby causes flooding, power outages and damage in a part of Florida still recovering from last year’s Category 4 Hurricane Idalia. (E&E News)
• The U.S. Geological Survey installs its fourth extensometer in coastal Virginia to more precisely measure the rate of sinking land, which is moving twice as fast as sea levels are rising. (WHRO)

‍