Welcome to Wednesday. Last week, President Trump announced that Korea is investing $54B to build a natural gas pipeline in Alaska. But if you ask Korea…no such deal exists. The latest from the White House: Officials still need to “work out” the specifics, Vice President JD Vance said. 🤔
— Molly, Carrie, and the Energy Central editorial team
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Clean energy super PACs have a message for anti-renewable candidates: You're on the hot seat.
New political groups are helping the renewable industry pack more punch, particularly at the state and local levels. But can they succeed amid federal opposition to clean tech?
Renewables bite back: Recently formed super PACs are taking a tougher line with politicians—one that clean energy advocates historically haven’t touched: If you come after renewables, we’ll spend millions to unseat you.
“These super PACs are a new evolution for how the clean energy industry is approaching advocacy,” said Silvio Marcacci, senior director of communications at Energy Innovation, a non-partisan energy and climate think tank.
The key players include the American Power Forward PAC and the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition (ITC). American Power Forward, which launched this September and is linked with the Solar Energy Industries Association, aims to “build long-term, durable political power” for renewables. ITC, which also arrived on the scene this year, works to elect pro-renewable candidates and hold industry opponents “accountable.”
“If you are a sitting elected official, no matter what level of government you work in or how safe you think your seat is, we exist to ensure you treat the renewable energy industry responsibly,” ITC co-founder and CleanChoice Energy CEO Tom Matzzie told Energy Central.
The focus: Right now, the groups are targeting state and local elections. Why? These offices influence key processes like permitting and financial incentives (which can help make up for extinct federal ones).
Case in point: The Invest in America’s Future PAC (which is funded by ITC) spent $500K on the Rhode Island gubernatorial primary, attacking the incumbent for his anti-clean energy record.
Another technique? Not mentioning clean energy at all. That was the strategy behind the ITC’s successful campaign against Republican Chip Roy, a prominent clean energy critic who ran for Texas attorney general earlier this year. To land with conservative voters, the org claimed that Roy wasn’t “MAGA enough for Texas.”
The outlook: It’s too soon to say whether this strategy will work in the long run. But if you ask Matzzie, it has staying power.
“We are undefeated in every race we have gone into,” he said. “As our efforts continue to succeed, leaders in the industry will be more comfortable with hardball politics and we expect our war chest will continue to grow.”
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This winter, heating oil costs are set to jump 50%—and federal assistance for households could fall short.
Zooming in: This increase could hit Northeastern states hardest, where residents are particularly reliant on heating oil. New England families that depend on oil could spend roughly $1K more on heating this winter than last year. Meanwhile, those in the Mid-Atlantic could pay around $780 more.
Calls for more cash: That’s why NEADA is urging Congress to add $3B in LIHEAP funds. In Maine (the most heating-oil dependent state), Gov. Janet Mills is calling on lawmakers to up LIHEAP funds—and she’s handing thousands of households automatic electric bill discounts.
A deal between Google and Constellation will add 890 MW of nuclear capacity to PJM. 🤝
The agreement: The companies signed a 20-year, $4.3B PPA to boost capacity at 11 of Constellation’s nuclear units (spread across IL, PA, and NJ). These upgrades are set to start rolling out in 2028.
The throughline: The two companies are jumping on a growing trend—unlocking more power from the resources we already have (see below). Just last week, Constellation announced a similar nuclear deal with Amazon.
BTW: We recently reported that the Trump administration was planning to lend Vistra $4B to uprate its nuclear fleet in PA and OH. Now, the funding is official.
Kentucky Power will allow a data center to double its demand—on a few conditions.
The details: TeraWulf wants to bulk up its Muskie data center from 500 MW to 1 GW. AEP subsidiary Kentucky Power is down…as long as TeraWulf 1) Funds $100M in winter bill credits for residential customers over 10 years (beginning in 2029) and 2) covers the financing costs for the construction of the utility’s planned 760-MW gas plant.
What’s next: The deal must be approved by the Kentucky PSC (Kentucky Power plans on filing later this year).
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Thanks for reading. Catch up soon!