Good morning! With all the uncertainty over data center forecasts, grid experts say state regulators will play a vital role in examining potential power needs to make sure the grid isn’t overbuilt with fossil fuels. Canary Media’s Jeff St. John reports on the issue in a series this week, and will discuss it in a webinar today. Sign up for it here.
Inspired by a local agreement to replace a former Indiana coal plant with new generation, state lawmakers are devising a statewide bill that would let utilities bypass local zoning rules if they build at former or retiring coal plant sites that could speed up the interconnection process. Meanwhile, Iowa excavators are in a holding pattern as funding is frozen to reclaim 11 former coal mines.
TODAY'S TOP NEWS
GRID
As grid experts warn against rushing to build for more data center demand than is needed, AEP utilities in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan have proposed new rules and rates to protect ratepayers if data center investments don't materialize. (Canary Media)
North Dakota regulators will hold public hearings in the coming weeks on a utility’s plan for a $317 million, 162-mile transmission line to serve anticipated load growth in the Bakken region. (Bismarck Tribune)
Governors will press Congress this year to pass new permitting reforms and ensure the federal government meets its obligations for federally funded projects, including through the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law. (Utility Dive)
COAL
Indiana lawmakers advance a bill that would let utilities building power plant projects at former coal plants or mines bypass local zoning laws, which critics worry could restrict local control. (Indiana Public Media)
Federal funding freezes have halted 11 coal mine reclamation projects in Iowa, causing excavation companies to scramble to find other work or lay off workers. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
CLEAN ENERGY
More than 60% of Michigan voters support the state’s 100% clean energy by 2035 goal, and even more support policies to encourage clean energy manufacturing, according to a new poll from a progressive think tank. (Michigan Advance)
PIPELINES
South Dakota lawmakers advance bills to clamp down on carbon pipeline construction by requiring additional steps before developers can use eminent domain and mandating environmental impact statements for carbon pipelines. (South Dakota Searchlight)
SOLAR
A U.S. Army base in Kansas completes the latest construction phase of what is now a 16 MW solar project and one of the largest solar projects in the state. (Solar Power World)
More than 80% of the 63 GW of utility-scale generation capacity expected to come online in 2025 will be from solar and storage, the Energy Information Administration forecasts. (Utility Dive)
The Trump administration’s freeze on funding for the Solar for All program jeopardizes $62 million in Wisconsin that advocates say could lower power bills for low-income residents. (WUWM)
FOSSIL FUELS
Four people were injured from an explosion at a Branson, Missouri, hotel after workers cut into a natural gas line that ignited. (KSN)
ATTENTION CHICAGO: UPCOMING EVENT
On stage: Conversations with clean energy experts, including Rep. Sean Casten of the U.S. Congress, Naomi Davis of Blacks in Green, Kara Demirjian Huss of TCCI Manufacturing, A.J. Patton of 548 Enterprises, David Roberts of Volts, Angela Tovar of the city of Chicago and Lisa Clemmons Stott of the Illinois Department of Commerce.
Off stage: Drink, eat, and socialize with clean energy leaders, investors, inventors, public leaders, and advocates.
🗓️March 27, 2025, 2:00 - 7:00p.m. CDT
📍 mHUB • 1623 West Fulton Street Chicago, IL 60612
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