Legal & Regulatory
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Energy Security
NERC: Winter Grid Reliability at Risk Amid Soaring Demand, Fuel Supply Gaps
In its recently released Winter Reliability Assessment, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) found that while resources are adequate for normal winter peak demand, large swaths of North America face an elevated risk of electricity shortfalls during prolonged, wide-area cold snaps. Noting that four severe Arctic storms have swept across much of the continent since […]
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Data Centers
Early-Stage Risk Mitigation—Essential Element for Data Center Financing
Lenders and investors are scrutinizing data center projects closely. Identifying and mitigating risks early helps attract investors and reduce financing costs. Clear documentation and realistic timelines are essential to securing financing. Land Control—The Foundation of Success: Land remains the cornerstone of any data center development. Verifying land control ensures the project’s legal and physical foundation […]
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Energy Security
Texas Issues First Performance-Based Grant Under Energy Fund for LCRA’s New 188-MW RICE Peaker
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has executed its first agreement under the Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) Completion Bonus Grant (CBG) Program, awarding the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) up to $22.56 million for its 188-MW Timmerman Power Plant Unit 1, a new natural gas–fired plant in Caldwell County, Texas. The agreement marks the operational launch of Texas’s performance-contingent funding mechanism, which is designed to accelerate […]
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Business
Procuring Power: Experts Discuss Contract Complexities
Securing a reliable supply of electricity requires plenty of research to balance the risks and rewards of striking a deal.
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Point-Counterpoint
Welcome to the Jungle: We Got FEOC (and Games)
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced sweeping changes to the Internal Revenue Code, but some of the most impactful changes for the renewable energy and fuels industries are the foreign entity of concern rules (FEOC) rules. These rules present real challenges for project owners, but they are not relevant for facilities that begin construction […]
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Commentary
Uncertainty Gives Way to Urgency: Latest Treasury Guidance Signals the Time is Now to Get Solar Projects Underway
Ever since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) first surfaced, it has been widely portrayed as an existential threat to the renewable energy transition. From boardrooms to project sites, developers braced for the worst—expecting a wave of regulatory shifts that could undermine years of progress in clean energy deployment. However, with the latest guidance from the Treasury Department released this August, uncertainty has been replaced by urgency—signaling that the time is now for decision-makers to get moving on their much-needed solar initiatives.
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Commentary
Bridging the AI Gap for Energy Utilities
The energy industry is in a bit of a technological whirlwind. Climate-related disruption and shifting adaptation requirements inject alarming levels of uncertainty into traditional business models, while a surge in amazing engineering breakthroughs and innovations simultaneously present irresistible opportunities for enhanced efficacy and resilience.
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Data Centers
The Evolution of Data Center Cooling: From Water to Emerging Technologies
Data centers are the backbone of the digital age, housing the servers and networking equipment that power everything from cloud computing to streaming services. As these facilities grow in size and complexity, so does the challenge of keeping them cool.
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Legal & Regulatory
Advocating for Public Power Companies: LPPC Focuses on Load Growth, FEMA Reform, and Tax-Exempt Bonds
Public power utilities are community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities that deliver reliable, low-cost electricity to about 2,000 communities serving more than 55 million Americans. Among the cities served by public power utilities are Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California; Jacksonville, Florida; and Seattle, Washington. The Large Public Power Council (LPPC) is the voice of large […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Extends Steam-Electric Wastewater Deadlines to 2034, Citing Grid Reliability and Rising Power Demand
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to shift capital planning and permitting timelines for the nation’s remaining coal-fired power units, acting on two measures targeting wastewater discharge under the Clean Water Act, and separately, air-quality visibility programs and the Clean Air Act. On Sept. 29, the EPA issued a proposed rule and companion […]