NUCLEAR: A judge gives preliminary approval to a $520 million deal that would settle a ratepayer class action lawsuit against South Carolina utility Santee Cooper over a failed nuclear project. (The State)
SOLAR: North Carolina solar growth slows even as the industry grows faster elsewhere in the Southeast. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscription)
RENEWABLES: The Tennessee Valley Authority announces a request for proposals for 200 MW of renewable energy projects to come online by the end of 2023. (PV-Tech)
WIND: Dominion Energy selects a company to provide project support and engineering development for its Virginia offshore wind farm. (news release)
UTILITIES:
• Utilities around the U.S. prepare for possible demand decreases during the COVID-19 pandemic, and face pressure to halt disconnections for customers who can’t pay bills. (Greentech Media, Huffington Post)
• Virginia regulators order electric, natural gas and water companies to suspend disconnections until after the COVID-19 outbreak subsides. (WCYB)
OIL & GAS:
• Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan, one of Houston’s largest employers, orders employees to work from home but is not cutting back operations amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Houston Chronicle)
• An oilfield service provider in Houston furloughs 3,500 workers for 60 days as shale producers cut spending. (KPRC)
POLITICS: A look at how presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders differ on clean energy and climate change action before the Georgia Democratic primary next week. (WABE)
COMMENTARY:
• Mississippi Power doubles down on an uneconomical coal-fired power plant despite Southern Company’s plans to reduce carbon emissions, an energy think tank communications manager says. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• New laws in Virginia clear barriers to small-scale solar installation, but more work needs to be done, a lawyer and environmental advocate says. (Virginia Mercury)