Watt’s Happening aims to provide breaking news, sharp analysis, and thoughtful commentary from the cutting edge of the energy sector as this dynamic area of the world continues to expand and grow before our eyes.
Weekly Highlights:
Micronuclear Reactor Project Kicks Off
Underscoring this administration’s commitment to nuclear power, the Department of Energy just selected eleven projects to launch its nuclear reactor pilot program, with a goal of developing three of the projects by 2026. However, while the federal government, in accordance with President Trump’s recent wave of executive orders on nuclear energy, will fast-track the permitting process and provide teams to work with these energy companies, it has also firmly stated that it will not provide any funds. That is to be the domain of the private sector. Not surprisingly, certain aspects of this project have drawn concerns from the scientific community, especially the safety aspects of it and the lack of need to obtain licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
New Leadership at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
For the past five days, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has been without a chair after former Chairman Mark Christie was not reappointed by President Trump. This has been the longest period that the commission has been without a chair since 1997. However, that has now come to an end with the appointment of David Rosner. The fact that Chairman Rosner is a centrist Democrat has raised some eyebrows, but there has been little opposition to the appointment. In his office’s formal statement, Chairman Rosner underscored the importance of energy to the American economy, saying, “Energy lights our homes, powers our businesses, and we need it more than ever to grow the innovative industries of the future.”
Department of Energy Offers Funding for Critical Minerals Development
If the 20th century was the Age of Oil, the 21st is the Age of Critical Minerals. Indeed, it seems as if everything from the computers powering the AI revolution to the solar panels powering the green energy shift requires a list of minerals that are found only in certain parts of the world. It is, therefore, that the United States not be left behind in this race for critical minerals. As part of President Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, the Department of Energy has pledged up to $1 billion to support the mining and processing of these critical minerals in the United States. While much of the funding targets gallium for its use in semiconductors, lithium (used in batteries), graphite, nickel, copper, and aluminum were also mentioned by Secretary Wright in his press release.
Bangladesh’s Green Energy Revolution Hits a Snag
Last July, an uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh, and the new government pledged to reform Bangladeshi energy. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the recent turmoil has curbed the desire of Chinese businesses to build solar plants, and it remains to be seen if that interest returns after the upcoming elections are concluded in February and political stability manifests itself. The other problem is that the new government doesn’t seem to be putting its money where its green energy claims are, cancelling thirty-one solar projects that had been set up under the previous government and reviving previously cancelled plans for a new coal-fired plant in Cox’s Bazar.
Alabama, Natural Gas, and Data Centers
Regulators in the state of Alabama have officially permitted Alabama Power to acquire the Lindsay Hill Generating Station, an 895-megawatt gas-powered plant. While some individuals have praised this decision as enabling the state to position itself as the prospective site of more data centers, thereby attracting more money and experience to the state, others have pointed out that Alabama Power failed to consider solar or wind power in generating electricity and that the utility bills of ordinary Alabamians will increase as a result of this acquisition.
About the Author: Toni Mikec
Toni Mikec is the Managing Editor for Energy World, a publication of the Center for the National Interest. Before that, he worked as a political consultant for Your Voter Guide in Sacramento and as a Senior Editor at Eagle Financial Publications in Washington DC. He holds a B.A. in International Relations (summa cum laude) from the University of California, Davis and a M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Image: Shutterstock/Leonid Sorokin
