Good morning. An old nuclear plant is getting a new lease on life: As we reported, Holtec is preparing to revive the 54-year-old Palisades facility…and not everyone is jazzed about it. The quinquagenarian plant’s return has sparked local opposition over signs of age and environmental impacts.
This got us wondering: How are Daily readers feeling about nuclear plant restarts? In yesterday’s poll, 52% said they’re for it, 29% were against it, and the rest weren’t sure.
Some respondents said these could offer a temporary fix while we build new units…as long as restoration is done right. But others pointed to high costs, low efficiency, and that pesky nuclear waste problem.
One reader had a different take: “The money would have been better allocated to efficiency and renewables plus storage,” they said. Much to chew on. 🍔
— Molly, Carrie, and the Energy Central editorial team
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President Trump is tightening his grip on the grid: He recently issued an executive order enabling federal officials to halt purchases of certain foreign-made power equipment. This news arrived a month after the Trump administration banned sales of inverters made abroad.
The biggest casualty: Battery storage, according to BloombergNEF analysis shared with Energy Central.
Why? The order targets China…where we source 60% of our lithium-ion batteries. But other equipment, like transformers and switchgear, are far less vulnerable. The US either buys those domestically, or from non-Chinese manufacturers.
The impacts: This order could dampen some serious storage momentum. Q2 BESS installations reached a record high (around 20 GWh), per a new SEIA report. That’s a 108% quarter-over-quarter boost.
In the short term, we’ll likely see BESS projects get delayed—or outright cancelled, BNEF experts told Energy Central. Eventually, developers could be forced to switch supply chains…so some projects may no longer pencil, said Isshu Kikuma, a BNEF energy storage analyst. “If the grid or project developer can’t keep up with rapid load growth, that could be a huge risk to the overall US power grid systems,” Kikuma told us.
The confusion: For now, the vaguely worded order has left developers in limbo. They won’t know much until the White House offers more clarification (which is expected within 120 days of the order).
What makes this order different: Along with the inverter ban, it gives federal officials unprecedented leeway over the tech reaching the US market. This includes “far more power to truly block out Chinese firms, if that is what it intends to do,” said Zoe Zakrzewska, a trade and supply chains analyst at BNEF.
Can domestic suppliers fill the gaps? We’ve seen major progress in US production this year: LG opened one of the country’s largest battery cell factories, Anthro Energy broke ground on a facility targeting 25 GWh annually, and Samsung SDI is developing its first wholly-owned North American plant.
But…it could take years to beef up the domestic supply chain. For now, one thing’s for certain: Uncertainty.
Interregional transmission could save Eastern Interconnection customers up to $15.3B by 2050.
The numbers: That’s 2-3X more savings than future scenarios without cross-regional lines, according to modeling by S&P Global Energy’s consulting arm (commissioned by orgs including National Grid).
The reasoning: These lines can transport cheaper electrons along a regional grid—so states are less dependent on pricier local generation.
Why it matters: Chunks of the Eastern Interconnection, including PJM and the Northeast, face skyrocketing power bills and shrinking reliability margins.
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The DOE hopes a new uranium conversion plant can bolster domestic nuclear.
Pump it up: To help close the gap, the DOE has selected Raven-Flint to build a pilot conversion facility (with the aim to process over 500 tons of uranium annually, enough to power two large reactors).
RIP to California’s VPP program?
What happened: California’s legislative session has come to a close, and officials haven’t secured more funding for one of the country’s biggest VPP networks. The Demand Side Grid Support program has reached >1 GW of capacity, including customer-owned solar + storage, EVs, and smart thermostats.
Fervo just sealed a major deal to power a ‘potential’ Google data center.
The details: As soon as 2028, Google will buy nearly 400 MW of enhanced geothermal from Fervo’s Cape Station plant. Right now, the Utah facility isn’t yet sending power to the grid (Fervo is targeting late 2026).
Hotter than ever: This is the biggest deal of its kind for next-gen geothermal. And it could get even bigger—the agreement may expand to 600 MW by 2030.
While we’re here: The Bureau of Land Management is easing its rules around geothermal exploration. The agency will no longer require permits for “casual use” activities, like field mapping and shallow probing.
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