Huge study will map needed grid expansions

GRID: The U.S. Energy Department will release a massive transmission study today that maps how the grid can be expanded to make way for more clean energy and shored up to withstand increasingly dangerous storms. (E&E News)

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ALSO:

• The DOE also announces $150 billion for four grid projects, including one that will connect Texas’ standalone grid with the rest of the country. (The Hill)
• As many as 500,000 rural electric co-op customers remain without power a week after Hurricane Helene struck, and it could be several more weeks before some see it restored, the head of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association says. (Utility Dive)
• PJM Interconnection refuses to let power generators add battery storage to facilities that have surplus grid capacity, confounding clean energy advocates. (Canary Media)

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SOLAR: The U.S. Commerce Department says it will raise tariffs on solar imports from four southeast Asian countries, though it’s still determining how much those imports affect domestic manufacturing and how much to charge. (Utility Dive)

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NUCLEAR: The owners of Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear plant are seeking a $1.6 billion, taxpayer-backed federal loan guarantee to help finance plans to restart its reactor and sell electricity to Microsoft. (Washington Post)

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MINING: Companies running quartz mines in a small North Carolina town say they’re trying to restart operations, but say Helene’s damages to the mines and employees’ homes may hold them up, further stalling production of a critical semiconductor component. (CNN)

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CARBON CAPTURE: A recent leak discovered at an Illinois carbon capture and storage well, and the lack of communication about the incident to the public, raises concerns from advocates about whether the technology is ready to be scaled up. (Inside Climate News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Tesla posts its first quarter of sales growth of the year, suggesting falling interest rates could boost electric vehicle sales once again. (New York Times)
• Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance during a campaign stop in Michigan would not commit a potential future Trump administration to honoring a $500 million grant from the Biden administration to convert a GM assembly plant to make electric vehicles. (Detroit News)
• Electric vehicle charging companies draw inspiration from airport lounges and truck stops as they create public spaces where drivers can wait while they’re plugged in. (Bloomberg)

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HYDROPOWER: A contractor completes the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the lower Klamath River in California and Oregon, giving fish free run of the stream for the first time in over a century. (Hydro Review)

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