Mississippi bucks Southeast’s wind resistance with 184 MW facility

WIND: An energy company opens a 184 MW wind project in Mississippi, bucking the Southeast’s resistance to onshore wind power to supply energy to Amazon for regional data centers and logistics hubs. (Canary Media)

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GRID:

• Texas’ grid operator nearly doubles the amount of power it estimates it will need in six years, based on anticipated requests for grid connections and a spike in requests from data centers, hydrogen facilities and oil and gas companies. (Texas Tribune)
• A regional grid operator suggests the Texas grid enters the summer at slightly less risk of an energy emergency than in 2023, largely because it added more than 10.8 GW of mostly-renewable power supply. (WFAA)
• Hitachi announces plans to expand its Virginia transformer factory to meet growing demand from data centers. (Gazette-Virginian)
• A North Carolina company is selected to receive $60 million in federal funding for two projects to deploy its power flow control devices, which digitally increase resistance on individual power lines to redirect power to underutilized lines. (Canary Media)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority seeks $350 million in federal funding for a transmission line and other grid upgrades to move more wind-generated power into its territory. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

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UTILITIES: Federal regulators collect public comment as they reconsider whether to approve a real-time market consisting of Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, the Southern Company and other Southeast power companies. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR:

• A Louisiana parish council votes against a 360 MW solar farm, even after the developer cut its original plans by 40% following a solar moratorium. (The Advocate)
• A Virginia county board approves an 8 MW solar farm. (Farmville Herald)

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RENEWABLES: A Virginia county approves stricter rules around wind and solar projects after public outcry against a 2022 wind farm proposal. (Galax Gazette, subscription)

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PIPELINES: As the Mountain Valley Pipeline finally enters service, advocates and opponents shift their attention to its proposed spur into North Carolina, which Duke Energy says could supply its proposed natural gas-fired plant buildout. (WVTF, West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

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COAL: Federal data shows four of West Virginia’s five coal-fired power plants produced less power in 2023 than any year since 2001. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Hyundai announces the first vehicle it will produce this fall at its planned Georgia factory is its top-selling electric vehicle, the IONIQ 5. (Georgia Current)

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NUCLEAR: West Virginia nuclear energy advocates hope a recently passed bill in the U.S. Senate will jumpstart the development of small nuclear reactors in the state. (WBOY)

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OVERSIGHT: An Louisiana energy regulator announces he won’t seek reelection and will step down at the end of the year. (Louisiana Illuminator)

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POLITICS: A new study finds large majorities of Louisianans support carbon capture, solar farms and offshore oil and gas drilling, regardless of their political affiliations. (Louisiana Illuminator)

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COMMENTARY: A researcher finds Duke Energy overestimated the reliability of fossil fuels and the cost of renewables to justify its proposal to delay closing coal plants and build new gas plants in North Carolina, writes a staffer at a Southeast clean energy group. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

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