The top headlines for electric utility leaders, delivered every weekday morning

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Today’s Top News

SPP wants to move fast on power plants to stave off potential shortages—and it’s seeking permission from FERC to fast-track the approval process. (E&E News)

• Keep in mind: FERC approved PJM’s similar request to expedite approvals earlier this year but rejected MISO’s in May (MISO plans to re-file a revised version next month).

• The goal for these RTOs? Get new renewable and natural gas-fired replacements for legacy fossil fuel power plants online faster.

The DOE canceled $3.7 billion in awards on Friday, including $540 million in grants for two carbon capture projects from Calpine. (Utility Dive)

• Calpine’s affected CCS projects include its 550 MW gas-fired Sutter power plant in California and its 810 MW Baytown power plant in Texas.

• Other companies in the crosshairs? PPL, Ørsted, and Exxon Mobil.

Zooming out: North of $14 billion worth of clean energy projects have been canceled or delayed in the US this year, costing 10,000 new clean energy jobs. (AP News)

• The critical POV: States like Georgia and Tennessee, which have invested heavily in EV and battery production, are particularly at risk under Congress’s new budget bill. More than $12 billion worth of the projects canceled this year were in red states and congressional districts.

• Some context: In Q1 of this year, total utility-scale clean energy deployments came in just 9% short of the record-setting first quarter of 2024, according to new data from ACP.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved NuScale Power’s 77 MW SMR design. (Energy Intelligence)

• NuScale is the only US company with an approved SMR design, and it wants to be the first to deploy one stateside by the end of the decade. Its latest design is meant to be more commercially competitive than earlier versions.

• Worth noting: NuScale cancelled its first commercial project in 2023 due to rising costs, even with the promise of $1.35 billion in federal funding over 10 years.

Net metering is looking uncertain in Maine, after legislators voted in favor of a bill that makes front-of-the-meter projects ineligible for net-energy billing. (PV Magazine)

• Maine’s net-energy billing (NEB) program offers credits that offset utility bills 1) to ratepayers with small-scale renewable energy projects (like rooftop solar) and 2) through a subscription to front-of-the-meter projects (like community solar).

• This bill requires the Governor’s Energy Office to develop a successor program for front-of-the-meter NEB projects. Maine’s PUC would then need to approve the plan, ensuring the tariff rate is “just and reasonable” for ratepayers.

• Key stat: More than 110,000 Maine customers depend on net metering bill savings in the state, which has some of the highest electricity prices in the country.

Louisiana’s Port Fourchon, a key O&G port, is pivoting toward offshore wind in an “all-of-the-above” strategy. (NOLA)

• Fourchon aims to construct a $200 million deepwater port south of its existing site to 1) service offshore rigs and 2) serve as a hub for wind farm fabrication, assembly, and repair.

The Department of Energy announced a new advanced supercomputer to aid AI and nuclear fusion development. (E&E News)

• The DOE is partnering with Dell Technologies and Nvidia to develop and power the supercomputer, which is set to outperform the most advanced machine at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center by 10 times.

• The system is expected to be delivered in 2026. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called it “a time machine for science.”

While we’re talking AI: Heron Power raised $38 million to support AI-powered grid solutions. (Data Center Dynamics)

• Heron’s Series A funding is set to help commercialize the startup’s Heron Link technology, which directly connects energy technologies with medium voltage transmission—helping to replace legacy transformers and power converters.

• Field demos are first expected in mid-2026 with partner installations with major energy and data center developers slated for early the following year.

NorthWestern Energy increased electricity prices by 17% without telling 400,000 ratepayers. (KXLF)

• The company utilized a little-known Montana state law to enact the hike without telling the state’s Public Services Commission (PSC), citing infrastructure costs.

• But it might not hold up: The PSC plans to hold a hearing in June to address the rate hike. If found “unreasonable,” customers will receive refunds for overcharges with interest.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis just signed a bipartisan bill to streamline permitting procedures and regulatory oversight for geothermal projects. (Think GeoEnergy)

• The goal? Make it easier, safer, and more affordable to deploy geothermal energy. Some of the key provisions include exempting some geothermal activities from the well permit requirements of the State Engineer and changing regulations for ground heat exchanger contractors.

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