WEEK OF FEBRUARY 27, 2026 | | DOE loans Southern $26.5B for 5 GW of new gas, other grid investments | |
The U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday it has closed a $26.5 billion loan package to Southern Co. to build or upgrade 16.7 GW of grid resources, including 5 GW of new gas generation.
It is the largest loan in DOE’s history, and officials say it will deliver over $7 billion in cost savings for customers of Southern subsidiaries Georgia Power and Alabama Power.
| Xcel must begin pole replacement in Texas as court weighs Smokehouse Creek fire lawsuit | |
Xcel Energy has been ordered to replace damaged distribution poles in Texas and inspect no fewer than 35,000 poles per year while a court considers a state lawsuit claiming the utility could have prevented the 2024 Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas panhandle.
The order, an “agreed temporary injunction” issued by Judge Steven Emmert of the 31st Judicial District Court of Hemphill County, Texas, largely aligns with pole-replacement procedures Xcel Energy implemented shortly after the 2024 blaze, according to a company spokesperson.
| House passes bills to weaken DOE’s appliance efficiency program, repeal home rebates | | |
Consumer advocates lamented the votes. “Efficiency rules are incredibly popular because they save families money on their utility bills,” said Dylan Jaff at Consumer Reports.
Consumer advocates say two bills passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week could keep energy-guzzling appliances on shelves and eliminate rebates for low- and moderate-income earners to make their homes more efficient. Proponents of the legislation say it gives consumers greater choice and savings.
| | Massachusetts’ least-cost 2050 peak power mix is combustion-free: report | | |
But a top official with a regional independent power producer group said the focus now, amid rising demand, should be on “energy addition, not retirement or replacement.”
New England’s most populous state can fully decarbonize peak generation by 2050 at lower cost than continuing to run fossil-fuel peaker plants, Synapse Energy Economics said in a report prepared for the Massachusetts Clean Peak Coalition.
| | Solar and wind PPA prices up 9% in 2025, set to continue rising with energy demand | | |
Meanwhile, energy storage agreements, or ESAs, have emerged as a fast-growing new product category.
Prices for wind and solar power purchase agreements in North America each rose nearly 9% in 2025 over the previous year, according to data from LevelTen Energy’s marketplace released in January.
| | Glenfarne announces phase one Alaska LNG milestones | | |
Glenfarne Group, LLC subsidiary Glenfarne Alaska LNG, LLC, majority owner and developer of the Alaska LNG Project, announced a series of major advances that move Phase One of the Alaska LNG Project from development into early execution – focused on rapidly delivering reliable, affordable natural gas to Alaskans.
Glenfarne Chief Executive Officer and Founder Brendan Duval said, “This is about progressing from planning to building. By aligning construction, pipe supply, gas supply, and in-state customers, we are advancing Alaska LNG in a concrete way that is practical, financeable, and focused on delivering real benefits to Alaskans.
| | Kinder Morgan is expanding a Texas-to-Arizona pipeline | | |
In a move to boost fuel transportation to the Southwest and Mexico, SFPP, L.P., a Kinder Morgan, Inc. subsidiary, has launched a binding open season for a proposed expansion of its East Line system.
The pipeline, which runs from El Paso, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona, could see an increase of up to 3,250 barrels per day in capacity.
| | CER Launches Online Portal for Faster, Easier Filings | | |
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has launched the CER Portal, a secure, one‑window access point for certain regulatory filings. The Portal improves how the CER processes applications, saving time, reducing effort and improving regulatory efficiency.
Companies can securely submit project notifications and applications for pipelines under 40km in length online (Section 214 of the CER Act). Impacted Canadians, including landowners and Indigenous communities, can also use the Portal to easily submit Statements of Concern about these projects.
| | $5 Billion Pipeline Deal Could Be Coming to the Gulf Coast | | |
Texas-based EnCap Flatrock Midstream is considering a sale of gas pipeline operator Momentum Midstream in a deal that could fetch $5 billion.
According to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources, the venture capital firm is currently talking with financial advisers to find a buyer. The sources noted that talks are in their early stages and EnCap Flatrock Midstream may eventually decide against a sale.
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