Solar moratorium sinks 150 MW Tennessee project

SOLAR: A solar moratorium and fierce opposition by residents lead a Tennessee county board to deny a 150 MW solar farm with plans to send power to a data center and the Tennessee Valley Authority; developers say they may sue to reverse the decision. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

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ALSO:

• A Florida beach hotel adds a 330-panel solar array to account for roughly half of its energy use. (Pensacola News Journal)
• A Tennessee county board rezones land for a 12 MW solar project. (Herald & Tribune)
• A company that wants to build a 3 MW solar farm in Virginia works to address residents’ concerns before the project goes to a vote by a county board. (Farmville Herald)

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EMISSIONS: Researchers say Louisiana’s $3 billion coastal restoration project to build 21 square miles of land with mud from the Mississippi River could earn about $530 million through carbon offsets sold to businesses. (NOLA)

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OIL & GAS:

• The biggest oil and gas companies’ profits have tripled under President Biden, even as the industry warns a second term could be “disastrous.” (Financial Times)
• A plan to redevelop a retired coal-fired power plant into a natural gas plant jointly operated by Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper attracts opposition from residents and environmentalists. (WCIV)
• Texas regulators approve an operation to collect, store and recycle oilfield waste tinged with toxic chemicals next to a church camp. (Texas Tribune)

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STORAGE: Battery company LG Chem secures a $19 billion contract with General Motors as it builds a $3.2 billion factory in Tennessee. (WKRN)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Virginia lawmakers advance a bill to financially assist developers bringing electric vehicle chargers to rural areas. (Capital News Service)
• The United Auto Workers work to unionize Volkswagen’s only U.S. plant, based in Tennessee. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, subscription)

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GRID: A municipal Virginia utility completes construction of a new substation to power two industrial parks, with plans for more grid upgrades. (Danville Register & Bee)

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POLLUTION: A class action lawsuit alleges Duke Energy used motor and transformer oil laden with PCBs as “mosquito control” at a South Carolina lake. (Chronicle-Independent)

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NUCLEAR: Kentucky lawmakers advance a bill to prepare the state for an anticipated surge in nuclear power production. (Associated Press)

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CRYPTOCURRENCY: A judge rules in favor of Texas cryptocurrency companies’ challenge to efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy to collect data on the sector’s energy consumption. (International Business Times)

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BIOMASS: A wood pellet producer with numerous factories in the Southeast approaches a crucial deadline for a bond payment that could lead to a bankruptcy filing. (Wilmington StarNews)

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CLIMATE:

• Climate change is expected to increase wildfire frequency and the number of days with unhealthy air quality across most of Texas. (Axios)
• Congress orders the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a five-year study of the Mississippi River that includes flood control, reducing hurricane storm damage, and other factors affected by climate change. (WVUE)

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POLITICS: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves calls for the state to become “masters of all energy,” from oil and gas development to solar power. (Associated Press)

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COMMENTARY: After suffering a significant legislative loss last year, Dominion Energy is scaling up its campaign contributions to Virginia lawmakers and has given more than $11 million so far in the 2023-2024 cycle, writes an energy columnist. (Virginia Mercury)

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