The agency has handed Congress the list of resurrected projects (and less than 1% ever received termination notices). The revived awards include projects under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Program, recently renamed SPARK. Not on the list? The many projects that DOE has kept in limbo.

Bigger picture: Last year, the agency opened just eight new funding opportunities (down from an annual average of 50), per a DOE Alumni Network analysis. Zero went to efficiency or renewables offices. Meanwhile, $2.8B of funding appears to be abandoned. 

The damage: 15 months of funding destru..erm, disruption, have already pushed some grantees to give up on awards outright, while others were forced to file for bankruptcy. And staff departures raise questions about whether DOE can even administer the projects it says it's keeping.

The latest: Iran is threatening to disrupt shipping across the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, and Red Sea if the US blockade continues. President Trump’s POV? He called the war "very close to over." Regardless, in-person negotiations may resume this week.

Follow the money: The world's top 100 oil & gas producers pocketed an estimated $23B in windfall profits in March alone—roughly $30M an hour, a Global Witness analysis found. If oil holds around $100/barrel through year-end, that figure balloons to $234B.

EIA already runs compulsory surveys with energy generators and their industrial customers. Now, it’s time for data centers to hand over their data. 

Laying the groundwork: The agency is running pilot data center surveys in Texas, Washington state, and northern Virginia, and a second tranche will cover at least three more states. These are slated to finish by late September. What they’re asking about: annual electricity use, behind-the-meter generation, cooling systems, square footage, and IT efficiency metrics. 

Why it matters: Most info on data center energy use is still considered proprietary. As behind-the-meter gas generation proliferates—and ratepayer concerns mount—the survey could give regulators and utilities their first real baseline. But the EIA hasn’t indicated when a national survey would launch.

The numbers: Solar PPA prices rose 13% year-over-year and wind jumped nearly 24%, per LevelTen Energy. The causes? Tariffs, labor shortages, and permitting headaches. Despite the high price tag, data center developers are still seeking out solar due to its speedy deployment. 

Meanwhile in Beijing: Chinese officials are considering restricting exports of cutting-edge solar manufacturing tech to the US, Reuters reported. China makes 80%+ of the world’s solar components, so the move may hinder US ambitions for domestic solar factories (Tesla, for instance, is reportedly negotiating a $2.9B bid for Chinese panel-making equipment).

The underwater Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline will run around 23 miles, delivering gas from PA to National Grid’s 2M customers in NYC and Long Island. Completion is targeted for late 2027.

The politics: NY officials have rejected the pipeline 3x due to environmental concerns. But it resurfaced shortly after NY Gov. Kathy Hochul persuaded Trump to spare a NY offshore wind project…she denies a deal.

What’s next: A coalition led by Earthjustice has sued to block it. And developer Williams Companies is already pitching a second pipeline (not yet approved) to carry PA gas through upstate NY to New England.

The ban, covering facilities >20MW, would last for 1.5 years while officials craft new policies to address the state’s data center buildout. It’s on its way to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, who has voiced support. Another recent move to temper the data center boom: The NAACP sued xAI this week, alleging its gas turbines powering Memphis-area data centers ran for months without air permits.

While we’re here: Following years of talks, Georgia Power won unanimous GPSC approval for a new program enabling data centers to procure their own solar and battery projects (aka BYONCE). But it’s unclear how this affects the utility’s planned 10 GW buildout (60% gas), one of the biggest new fossil fuel rollouts nationwide—and whether ratepayers will be left paying off these investments.

The thread: States are scrambling to figure out who pays, who benefits, and who breathes the exhaust as data center load projections balloon. And the answers are landing differently everywhere.

Maryland and Colorado became the fourth and fifth states to send plug-in solar rules to their governors. These cover devices up to 1.2 kW (MD) and 1.92 kW (CO), which feed power through a standard wall outlet (no interconnection process needed). CO’s bill also bars landlords and HOAs from blocking installations. So far, 33 states plus DC have introduced similar legislation…but plenty of bills have fizzled out or faced delays.

In Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bipartisan storage bill setting capacity targets of 4 GW by 2030 and 16 GW by 2045—the country’s most aggressive short-duration storage goal yet. And VA already ranks top five nationally for storage projects in the pipeline.