Category: Energy

The Department of Energy announced Aug. 12 it will not proceed with three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors selected in December 2024 under the Biden administration, eliminating a federal mechanism designed to break bottlenecks in the nation’s electricity grid. The cancellation removes a key federal tool for grid modernization and reverses a major Biden-era policy that would have allowed the federal government to override state objections to high-voltage transmission line siting. The Biden administration had designated the corridors to unlock federal siting authority under the Federal Power Act, targeting regions where transmission constraints were blocking both renewable energy development

Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order to increase grid stability and minimize the risk of energy shortfalls in Guam on Aug. 5, invoking federal authority to direct utility operations on the strategically critical Pacific island. The order comes as the U.S. territory faces rising electricity demand combined with Pacific hurricane season vulnerabilities that threaten grid infrastructure serving approximately 160,000 residents, DOE said. The emergency authority allows the department to direct utilities and grid operators to take specific stabilization actions outside normal regulatory channels. Guam’s electric grid has been a source of concern for both civilian and military officials.

The Department of Energy closed a $489.4 million loan to lower electricity costs and fortify Puerto Rico’s chronically fragile electric grid on Aug. 5. The loan, closed through DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, is designed to upgrade infrastructure that has left the island’s 3.2 million residents vulnerable to prolonged outages following hurricanes and other extreme weather events since Hurricane Maria devastated the grid in 2017, DOE said. The funding arrives during peak Atlantic hurricane season, when the risk of catastrophic grid damage is at its annual high. Puerto Rico’s grid remains one of the most unreliable in any U.S.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the Department of Energy will not proceed with three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors that were selected for review under the Biden administration on Aug. 11. The cancellation reverses a federal initiative designed to use DOE authority to expedite siting and permitting for high-voltage transmission lines crossing state boundaries, the department said. National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors allow the federal government to intervene when states block or delay transmission line projects deemed critical to national electricity reliability. The designation was intended to accelerate construction of long-distance lines connecting renewable energy generation sites with

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing closed a $489.4 million loan to lower electricity costs and strengthen Puerto Rico’s electric grid on Aug. 5. The island faces rising electricity demand and enters the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season with a grid that has been under sustained reconstruction since Hurricane Maria devastated the territory in 2017, according to DOE. Puerto Rico’s residents pay some of the highest electricity rates in the United States while receiving some of the least reliable service. The loan was closed by DOE’s financing office, which rebranded from the Loan Programs Office to the Office

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the Department of Energy will not move forward with three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors that were selected under the Biden administration, the agency said Aug. 12. The reversal marks a significant shift in federal grid expansion strategy, removing a tool the prior administration sought to use to accelerate long-distance transmission buildout across priority regions. The DOE did not announce a replacement policy in the same release. National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors give the federal government backstop authority to site transmission lines over state objections under certain conditions. The designation was intended to break