Good morning. So…sheep have historically owned solar grazing—they’re small enough to slip under the panels and (unlike goats) not inclined to hop on top. But cattle outnumber sheep 17-to-1 in the US, and Silicon Ranch isn't ignoring the math. The developer’s new CattleTracker pilot is studying whether cows can share a 20-acre array without knocking the racking askew. The answer's due in 2028. 🐮
— Molly, Alex, and the Energy Central editorial team
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Three years after a failed SPAC merger, X-energy shares finished Friday up 27% following an IPO that valued the SMR developer at roughly $11.5B. (WSJ)
Amazon owns close to 20% of the company after stepping in as both investor and customer in 2024. Ares Management—which led the busted SPAC and stuck around with fresh financing—is set to clear over 4X on its $160M stake.
What changed: AI-driven electricity demand pulled SMRs back into vogue. Amazon alone has a 5+ GW commitment from X-energy.
Yes, but: The Maryland-based company is still years from completing a reactor or clearing regulatory licensing. And it’s racing comps like Bill Gates-backed TerraPower, Oklo, and NuScale for the same hyperscaler appetite.
A House Republican coalition is pitching a partial walk-back of clean energy tax credit cuts from last year’s budget bill under the banner of "energy dominance." (Rep. Fitzpatrick)
The bipartisan American Energy Dominance Act would restore several key tax incentives scheduled to expire on June 30, which supporters argue would otherwise stall major infrastructure projects.
What would make the cut? 179D, which makes the commercial building energy-efficiency deduction permanent again; 45L, which keeps the new home energy-efficiency credit alive through 2032; 45V, which gives the clean hydrogen credit a longer build-start deadline; and 45Y/48E, which shields clean electricity production and investment credits from policy risk.
DTE plans to file a $474M rate case in Michigan this week—but a rate freeze could follow. (Utility Dive)
The utility said it would freeze rates for two years as long as 1) certain customer projects come online as planned and 2) certain regulatory approvals are received.
Keep in mind: Utilities in Michigan can file new rate cases every year, but a state-level proposal is looking to enact a three-year minimum between rate cases (thank customer backlash for that one). DTE has filed five cases in the last seven years.
TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné says we’ve got 2–3 months before the Iran War kicks off major global energy scarcity. (Reuters)
State of play: Navigation through the world’s most critical energy artery remains choked by a dual squeeze—Iranian seizures of container ships and a US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The UK and France are leading a 12-nation coalition to guarantee "freedom of navigation" in the Strait. But President Trump has signaled the US will proceed without allies, maintaining a unilateral "make-it-or-break-it" stance on the conflict.
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At Data Center World last week, industry leaders noted that NIMBY has devolved into BANANA: "Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything." (RTO Insider)
Aligned Data Centers' Phill Lawson-Shanks (who delivered the warning) told developers not to even bring up SMR co-location for now—projects are hard enough to permit without the nuclear drama.
The Air Force has tapped three companies to develop and operate microreactors at its bases, targeting at least one online by 2030. (KRTV)
The matchups: Malmstrom AFB (Montana) will partner with Westinghouse, Buckley SFB (Colorado) with Radiant Industries, and Joint Base San Antonio (Texas) with Antares Nuclear.
Why it matters: The military pathway sidesteps utility procurement timelines and hands developers a customer that doesn't need the state’s blessing.
A “coalition of the willing” is meeting in Colombia to bypass the UN deadlock and map a complete exit from fossil fuels. (BBC)
The group includes major fossil fuel producers like Australia, Nigeria, the UK, and Colombia, representing a fifth of the global supply.
The gathering follows COP30’s failure last November to land a fossil fuel roadmap. Organizers frame it as a complement to the COP process, not a replacement.
Underscoring the urgency: Prof. Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute told the BBC the world will "inevitably" pass 1.5C in the next 3-5 years. Meanwhile, concerns over fuel supply are driving a sharp uptick in European EV demand.
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Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow for more.