California grid operator proposes $6.1 billion in transmission projects

GRID: California’s grid operator proposes $6.1 billion in transmission projects aimed at increasing reliability and providing access to solar, geothermal and wind resources in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and offshore. (Utility Dive)

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ALSO:

• The Southwest Power Pool formally proposes a day-ahead power market for Western utilities, setting up a competition with the California grid operator’s rival plan. (Utility Dive)
• Federal investigators offer a $25,000 reward for information regarding a 2023 attack on an electrical substation in southern California. (Press-Telegram)

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UTILITIES: Arizona advocates campaign for positions on a Salt River Project’s board with hopes of prodding the Phoenix-area utility to adopt more clean energy generation. (Capital & Main)

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SOLAR:

• The Biden administration awards California agricultural producers $6 million to install solar systems to power their operations. (news release)
• Colorado launches a grant program aimed at helping local and tribal governments implement automated solar permitting software. (news release)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Idaho lawmakers pass a resolution supporting clean energy technologies such as green hydrogen production and advanced nuclear reactors. (KMVT)

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NUCLEAR: Bill Gates-backed TerraPower applies for a federal permit to construct a proposed 345 MW sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in a Wyoming coal town. (World Nuclear News)

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HYDROPOWER: An Arizona utility moves forward with a proposed 1,000 to 2,000 MW pumped hydropower energy storage project outside Phoenix, but predicts construction wouldn’t begin until 2027. (KJZZ)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Colorado launches the nation’s first statewide electric bicycle tax credit giving residents a $450 discount at the point of sale. (CBS News)

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OIL & GAS:

• The Biden administration plans to issue a highly-anticipated decision this summer on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a lawsuit seeking to overturn Trump-era leases there winds through the courts. (Alaska Beacon)
• New Mexico’s petroleum industry claims new federal rules aimed at reducing methane emissions could hamper drilling even as the Permian Basin continues to set oil-production records. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, subscription)

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CLIMATE:

• Washington state researchers experiment with brightening marine clouds to deflect the sun’s rays and temporarily cool the earth in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. (New York Times)
• Phoenix passes and ordinance aimed at protecting outdoor workers from climate change-exacerbated extreme heat. (EcoWatch)
• A study finds California emits more sulfuryl fluoride, a toxic pesticide and potent greenhouse gas, than the rest of the lower 48 states combined. (Inside Climate News)

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