Closed coal plant to become U.S.’s largest natural gas generator

NATURAL GAS: Officials in a small Pennsylvania city announce plans to convert a shuttered coal-burning power plant to a natural gas-fired station and double its capacity, making it the largest gas-burning plant in the country. (Power)

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ALSO: A Maine utility has completed a 14-year initiative replacing more than 125 miles of outdated and potentially unsafe gas pipes, some first installed as long as 110 years ago. (Portland Press Herald, subscription)

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RENEWABLES: Mass Audubon celebrates the new state climate law’s emphasis on sustainable siting for renewable energy projects, but in western Massachusetts, some groups are concerned the new rules will allow the development of large-scale solar and battery projects against the will of local residents. (Greenfield Recorder)

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NUCLEAR: Some experts are skeptical that restarting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant and pursuing other nuclear power projects will actually be a meaningful solution for the energy needs of artificial intelligence. (NPR)

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TRANSMISSION: Construction is roughly halfway complete on a $6 billion transmission line intended to bring hydropower from Quebec down to New York City. (Times Union)

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GRID:

• An energy company agrees to pay $6.6 million to settle allegations that it overstated the work needed in the construction of a new local transmission project — a sum that one expert says is “barely a penalty”. (Utility Dive)
• Climate activists retain control of ISO New England’s Consumer Liaison Group, letting them continue their efforts to push the grid operator to focus more on environmental concerns. (NHPR)

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COAL: Hundreds of abandoned coal mines that have hollowed out the ground in parts of western Pennsylvania raise renewed safety concerns after a four-day search for a woman who fell into a sinkhole last week. (TribLive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• New York City officials consider lifting a cap on flights from a downtown Manhattan heliport to allow more electric helicopter activity, angering local activists worried about noise and traffic. (Streetsblog NYC)
• In the Portland, Maine area, municipal planners are asking for public feedback about the best locations for vehicle charging stations as they prepare to deploy potential federal funding. (WMTW)

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COMMENTARY: Maine’s struggles with malfunctioning and unsafe electric school buses from one company have sowed “disillusionment and doubt” that could harm the state’s ability to transition about from fossil fuel vehicles, says an editorial board. (Portland Press Herald, subscription)

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