As of August 4, 2025, the US Department of Energy (DOE) conditionally selected Standard Nuclear as the first US company accepted into the July 2025 fuel line pilot program. [1] The initiative eliminates America’s use of foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials, thereby encouraging private investment in nuclear power. Standard Nuclear, based in Oak Ridge Tennessee, is the first conditional selection under DOE’s new pilot program and will leverage the Department’s authorization process to ensure a robust supply of nuclear fuel in both Tennessee and Idaho. This fuel is in high demand because reactor developers are getting ready to test their designs that use TRISO fuel. They will manage the sourcing of nuclear material feedstock for fuel fabrication, which could be acquired through DOE’s high-assay low-enriched uranium allocation program. The fuel line pilot program supports DOE’s new reactor pilot program that aims to have at least three advanced reactor designs achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.
[USA] DOE issues final non-FTA LNG export authorization for exports from Venture Global Calcasieu Pass Project
As of August 4, 2025, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed a final authorization for additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries from Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. [1] This allows Calcasieu Pass, an LNG export project that has been in operation since 2022, to export an additional 20 billion cubic feet of natural gas as LNG per year. Venture Global’s second LNG export project, Plaquemines, began exporting late in 2024. The company recently announced a final investment decision on Phase 1 of its third LNG export project, CP2. In March 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a conditional non-FTA export authorization to CP2 that is ready for a final order now that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has concluded its review of the project.
[USA] DOE allows Talen Energy to operate unit above limits to avoid outages
As of July 28, 2025, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order to allow a nearly 400-MW oil-fired units near Baltimore to run beyond its operating limits as the eastern US endures a heat wave. [1] The request for the order was filed by the PJM Interconnection and the unit is owned by Talen Energy. [2] Talen Energy and its subsidiaries had multiple units slated to retire in May, before reaching a “reliability-must-run” agreement that was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which delayed it. In issuing the order, DOE agreed with PJM in acknowledging an “imminent electric reliability emergency” in the Baltimore Gas and Electric zone in Maryland. According to PJM’s petition to DOE, there could be blackouts in the BG&E zone without the order.
[USA] Department of Energy issues report evaluating impact of greenhouse gases on US climate, invites public comment
As of July 29, 2025, the US Department of Energy released a new report entitled “A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the US Climate,” which evaluated existing peer-reviewed literature and government data on the climate impacts of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. [1] The report provides an assessment of the “conventional narrative” on climate change, concluding that CO2–induced global warming “appears” to be less damaging economically than commonly believed and aggressive mitigation strategies may be “misdirected.” The report was developed by the 2025 Climate Working Group, a group of five independent scientists assembled by Secretary Wright with expertise in physical science, economics, climate science, and academic research. The report also asserts that US policy actions are allegedly expected to have undetectably small direct impacts on the global climate and any affects will emerge “only with long delays.” The report was published as part of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule repealing the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
[USA] DOE terminates funding for Grain Belt Express
As of July 23, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the Loan Programs Office (LPO) has terminated its conditional commitment for the Grain Belt Express Phase 1 project, a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line intended to connect wind and solar capacity across Kansas and Missouri. [1] The commitment, which would have provided a loan guarantee of up to $4.9 billion, was issued by the Biden administration in November 2024. [2] The DOE found after a review of the project’s financials that the conditions necessary to issue the guarantee are unlikely to be met, and it is not critical for the federal government to have a role in supporting the project. Invenergy, the company behind the project, has highlighted the Grain Belt Express’s ability to “unlock access to one of the strongest combined wind and solar energy resources in the United States.”
[2] https://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/migrated/Rajat%20Majumder.pdf
[USA] Constellation-Calpine deal approved by FERC
As of July 23, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Constellation Energy’s proposal to buy Calpine from Energy Capital Partners. [1] The deal is valued at $16.4 billion and subject to conditions that aim to reduce the expanded company’s ability to exert market power. [2] The proposed mitigation plan involves Constellation selling five power plants in the PJM Interconnection, and FERC believes that the transaction “will not have an adverse effect on competition.” Although Constellation agreed not to enter into colocation data center deals until mid-2026 or until FERC issues an order clarifying PJM’s rules on the issue, the company will be free to partake in above-market data center transactions under the approved conditions. As part of the plan, Constellation will sell four power plants in the PJM Interconnection totaling 3,546 MW. They include: the 1,134 MW gas-fired combined cycle Bethlehem Energy Center; the 569 MW dual-fuel combined cycle Hay Road Energy Center; and the 707-MW, gas-fired simple cycle Edge Moor Energy Center.
[2] https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_number=20250703-5191&optimized=false
[USA] Westinghouse collaborates with Google to accelerate nuclear deployments
As of July 16, 2025, Westinghouse Electric Company and Google Cloud have partnered to deploy artificial intelligence tools in a bid to streamline the construction of advanced nuclear reactors and improve the performance of the existing nuclear fleet. [1] The collaboration will be integrated with Westinghouse’s proprietary nuclear AI tools, known as bertha and HiVE, with Google’s data platforms and machine learning capabilities. The companies say the tools will make nuclear construction more efficient and repeatable, which has continued to remain a challenge for the industry that increasingly gets called upon to deliver more carbon-free power to meet demand. Westinghouse and Google have completed a proof-of-concept by using the AI-enhanced plant design platform that generates and optimizes construction work packages for Westinghouse’s AP1000 modular reactor system. This is an important advancement for reducing project delays and costs that have historically afflicted nuclear projects. While details on deployment timelines are limited, the Westinghouse declared that the collaboration aims to optimize deployments of its full reactor lineup, including the AP1000, the AP300 small modular reactor (SMR) and eVinci microreactor.
[USA] David LaCerte nominated to fill vacant seat at FERC
As of July 17, 2025, the White House named David LaCerte, an official in the US Office of Personnel Management, to fill a vacant seat at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. [1] LaCerte has served as the principal White House liaison and senior advisor to the director of the OPM since January 2025. The Office of Personnel Management is the chief human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the federal government. LaCerte contributed to Project 2025, organized by the conservative Heritage Foundation to assist with the presidential transition effort. LaCerte has a background in energy litigation and environmental, safety, and incident response issues. If confirmed by the Senate, LaCerte would serve for the remainder of former FERC Chairman Willie Phillips’ term, which expires June 30, 2026. If confirmed, FERC would have a 3-2 Republican majority. It is currently split between Republicans and Democrats 2-2.
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/nominations-sent-to-the-senate-d743/
[USA] Trump prepares tariffs for Japan, South Korea, other countries ahead of August 1st
As of July 7, 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled the tariff rates the U.S. will charge imports from certain countries. This follows the expiration of a 90-day pause on country-specific levies. [1] Many countries on the list, including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, are major suppliers of battery components and electrical transformers to the U.S. [2] The rates range from 25% to 40% and are mainly the same as the previous tariffs that were unveiled and paused in April. [3] However, several rates changed; Japan’s proposed rate increased from 24% to 25%, while South Korea and Thailand remained the same at 25% and 36% respectively. In executive order 14257, the terms of the arrangements are further clarified, stating that if any trading partner takes steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade arrangements and “align sufficiently” with the U.S. on economic and national security matters, the ‘Harmonized Tariff Schedule’ may be modified to decrease or limit in scope the duties imposed under the order. In a July 7 executive order, the 90-day pause, which was set to expire on July 9, is extended until the tariffs go into effect on August 1st.
[1] https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-06063.pdf
[USA] DOE releases report on evaluating US grid reliability and security
As of July 7, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a report entitled “Report on Evaluating U.S. Grid Reliability and Security.” [1] The report fulfills a section of Trump’s executive order ‘Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid,” by forming a uniform methodology to identify at-risk regions and guide federal reliability interventions. The analysis reveals that the existing generation retirements and delays in adding new firm capacity will lead to a surge in power outages and an increasing mismatch between electricity demand and supply. This will especially originate from AI-driven data center growth, which will affect energy security. The report reaffirms that with current retirement schedules and additions, most regions will face dangerous reliability risks within 5 years. The power grid will be unable to meet expected demand for AI, data centers, manufacturing, and industrialization, while maintaining an affordable cost of living for Americans. The projected load growth indicates that retirements increase the risk of power outages by 100 times in 2030. Furthermore, traditional peak-hour tests to evaluate resource adequacy do not sufficiently account for growing dependence on neighboring grids.
[USA] Federal agencies revoke environmental review rules
As of July 1, 2025, the Federal Regulatory Commission and other federal agencies revoked regulations on the management of environmental reviews of proposed projects under the National Environmental Policy Act. [1] Federal agencies that revoked their NEPA regulations include the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). [2] The action was in response to Trump’s executive order that aims to accelerate energy development, including by rescinding NEPA regulations. [3] Some agencies proposed to replace the prior regulations with new ones, while others replaced the rules with nonbinding guidance. [4] The primary reasons cited for rescinding and reforming were delays, removing red tape, and accelerating infrastructure projects. [5] FERC voted unanimously to revise its regulations, stating that the agency will “continue to ensure [their] environmental reviews are legally durable so projects stand up in court and get built.”
[3] https://www.doi.gov/oepc/national-environmental-policy-act-nepa
[USA] DOE announced updated NEPA procedures
As of June 30, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) published an interim rule rescinding all NEPA regulations and published new NEPA guidance procedures for the DOE. [1] The updates to the Department’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), alter the permitting process to make it more efficient. The goal of the update is to coordinate an interagency effort to simplify NEPA compliance, lower construction costs, eliminate delays, and prioritize energy production and infrastructure development. The update follows Trump’s Executive Order 14154 “Unleashing American Energy,” and implements reforms enacted by Congress under the 2023 Builder Act. Key reforms include eliminating agency procedures, reducing the maximum Environmental Assessment, requiring the designation of a “lead agency,” implementing deadlines, increasing transparency, and more. The updated procedures also include a discussion of the recent Supreme Court decision in Seven County, which limits requirements for agencies to analyze upstream and downstream Greenhouse Gas (GHG) effects and curtails crucial climate change analysis.
[USA] Senate repeals major clean energy tax incentives
As of June 16, 2025, draft legislation released by the Senate Finance Committee will terminate or scale back most of the major tax incentives for clean energy contained in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. [1] Senate Republicans proposed to end most tax breaks for wind and solar power, electric vehicles, and other clean energy, contrary to expectations. The plan would eliminate a $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric vehicle purchases and home energy rebates, within 6 months. In addition, a tax credit for homeowners who install solar panels on rooftops would end in 180 days, and a subsidy for making hydrogen fuels would expire this year. Federal tax credits for wind and solar power will be rapidly phased out, and wind and solar companies will qualify for full tax breaks only if they start construction in the next 6 months. The House version of the bill would have ended those tax breaks immediately. Notably, the Senate bill would preserve tax credits for companies that build nuclear reactors, geothermal plants, hydropower dams or battery storage through 2033. The Senate draft, like the House bill, would also make solar leasing companies ineligible for federal tax credits.
[USA] States and ratepayer advocates urge FERC to reject MISO petition
As of June 13, 2025, state utility regulators and ratepayer advocates are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject a Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) petition that requests the agency to declare that “unsolicited” long-range transmission planning, monitoring, and evaluation is outside the scope of its market monitor’s duties. [1] Market monitors from the PJM Interconnection, MISO, and ISO New England said that transmission planning and market oversight are linked. [2] Potomac Economics (PE), which serves as the independent market monitor for MISO, argued that there are not many coherent arguments indicating that transmission planning does not affect MISO’s markets and services. [3] Yet, MISO transmission owners like Ameren, Duke Energy, and Entergy support minimizing PE’s role in transmission planning, asserting that unsolicited monitoring and evaluation of MISO’s transmission planning activities are beyond the scope of PE’s tariff-assigned responsibilities. They argue that PE should not be entitled to compensation funded by MISO customers. The petition originated from PE’s criticism of MISO’s needs and cost-benefit analysis that underlie its roughly $22 billion Tranche 2.1 transmission portfolio that was approved in December. MISO asked FERC to declare that unsolicited transmission planning and monitoring are outside the scope of PE’s engagement under MISO’s tariff and that the grid operator does not have to pay for the activities.
[USA] Talen to sell 1.9GW from Susquehanna plant to Amazon
As of June 11, 2025, Talen Energy announced that it has entered into a 1,920-MW power purchase agreement with Amazon Web Services to supply data centers in Pennsylvania from the independent power producer’s majority-owned Susquehanna nuclear power plant. [1] Under the PPA, Talen’s existing 300-MW co-location arrangement with AWS will shift to a front-of-the-meter framework that doesn’t require Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval. [2] In November, FERC rejected an amended interconnection service agreement that would have facilitated expanded power sales to a co-located AWS data center at the Susquehanna plant. [3] Talen expects to earn about $18 billion in revenue over the life of the contract at its full quantity, according to an investor presentation. The contract calls for delivering 840 MW to 1,200 MW in 2029 and 1,680 MW to 1,920 MW in 2032. Talen and Amazon will explore building small modular reactors in Pennsylvania and expanding Susquehanna’s output through uprates.
[2] https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_number=20241101-3061&optimized=false
[USA] House Reconciliation Bill amends clean energy provisions of the IRA
As of May 22, 2025, the House of Representatives passed its reconciliation bill H.R.1, titled “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which amends the clean energy provisions that were enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). [1] The legislation proposes several significant changes to the IRA, including the removal of the investment tax credit and production tax credit for any facilities that are not under construction as of 60 days after enactment, as well as a full repeal of the EV credits. [2] Other credits that were removed include the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit and the Clean Fuel Production Credit, which provide credit for domestic production of clean energy components and a tech-neutral credit for domestic production of low-emission transportation fuels, respectively. The IRA permits most clean-energy credits to be sold by taxpayers, which created a robust secondary market, allowing sponsors with limited or no tax capacity to monetize the credits and raise capital. However, the legislation would undo this system for some forms of tax credits, including those under certain sections. The legislation would repeal the transferability of projects that begin construction two years after the date the legislation is enacted, which may be anytime from July to August 2025.
[1] https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1?utm_=
[USA] DOE Secretary Chris Wright terminates 24 Biden-era clean energy projects worth $3 billion
As of May 30, 2025, the US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced the termination of 24 awards that were issued by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) under the Biden administration, totaling $3.7 billion. [1] The projects primarily included funding for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as well as decarbonization. [2] Sixteen of the 24 terminated awards were signed between November and January 20. The awards were cancelled under a review process that the Department of Energy (DOE) released earlier in May 2025, under which 179 awards worth $15 billion were being reviewed. The review process was outlined in a Secretarial Memorandum entitled “Ensuring Responsibility for Financial Assistance”, which illustrated DOE’s policy for evaluating financial assistance on a case-by-case basis. Among the recipients of the cancelled awards are Calpine, Ørsted, PPL Corp., and Exxon Mobil Corp.
[USA] DOE orders 1.6-GW coal-fired power plant to delay shutdown
As of May 23, 2025, the US Department of Energy (DOE) directed Consumers Energy to delay the shutdown of a 1,560-MW coal-fired power plant in Michigan by about 3 months, citing concerns of possible power outages in the Midcontinent region this summer. [1] To determine that the J.H. Campbell power plant in West Olive, Michigan should run until August 21 rather than May 31, DOE referenced a North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) report that found that the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) faces an elevated risk of power outages during high demand and lower power output periods of the summer. [2] The NERC report found that MISO, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), ISO New England, and the Southwest Power Pool were at elevated risks of not having enough power supplies during the peak demand periods. Energy Secretary Chris Wright cited a MISO report to explain that while the results demonstrated sufficient capacity, the summer months reflected the highest risk and a tighter supply-demand balance, suggesting the need to increase capacity. Wright ordered MISO to dispatch the Campbell plant economically to minimize ratepayer costs and DOE issued the emergency order without a request from the plant owner, transmission provider, or grid operator.
[2] https://cdn.misoenergy.org/2025%20PRA%20Results%20Posting%2020250428694160.pdf
[USA] Trump signs executive order to deploy new nuclear capacity and oversight
As of May 23, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order initiating a plan to deploy 300 GW of net new nuclear capacity by 2050, with 10 large reactors under construction in the US by 2030, while expanding nuclear fuel supplies. [1] President Trump also signed 3 other orders to accelerate Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews of reactor license applications and reconsider NRC radiation limits. [2] The orders also aim to expand Energy and Defense roles in nuclear power plant licensing and siting and speeding up new test reactor deployment. The order includes a directive to review the statutory authorities to identify any legislative changes needed to achieve the aforementioned national policy, as well as an evaluation of the reprocessing and recycling of spent nuclear fuel from the operation of Department of Defense and Department of Energy reactors. Another order calls on the Secretary of Energy to release at least “20 metric tons of high-assay low-enriched uranium into a readily available fuel bank for private sector projects operating nuclear reactors to power AI infrastructure at DOE sites.” Staffing reductions and budget cuts at DOE and NRC could undermine some of these efforts, making it harder to implement the executive orders. Furthermore, the involvement of federal departments to license and oversee projects could create additional red tape as companies navigate between more than one new oversight body.
[USA] TXNM Energy enters agreement to be acquired by Blackstone Infrastructure
As of May 19, 2025, it was announced that Blackstone Infrastructure will acquire utility company TXNM in a $11.5 billion deal, including debt, as the firm bets on rising US electricity demand and a shift to cleaner energy sources. [1] As of early March, the deal valued TXNM at $61.25 per share, representing a 23% premium to TXNM Energy’s unaffected 30-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP). Blackstone, with $60 billion of assets, is betting that stable, regulated returns and high capital needs in grid modernization make TXNM a long-term investment fit. Blackstone is also investing $400 million through the purchase of 8 million newly issued shares of TXNM Energy common stock at $50 per share, by way of a private placement agreement, in order to support TXNM’s growth plans. The deal requires regulatory approvals from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC), Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Department of Justice, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission.