Focus
Governor Newsom signs executive order to accelerate projects at risk of losing IRA support
PV-Tech – September 4
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to accelerate the permitting of energy generation projects that could be set to lose Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) support, many of which are renewable power projects. The order is a response to the federal reconciliation bill passed earlier this year. The order instructs the state’s Energy Working Group – established by an earlier executive order – to “immediately identify” energy generation projects that are eligible for IRA tax credits but could lose these credits under the new federal policies, and “to support state agencies in taking all steps necessary and authorized by law to accelerate and prioritize all permitting [and] approval” of such projects.
News
Federal grid interventions enter a second phase as DOE extends emergency orders
Power Magazine – August 28
The Administration’s unprecedented use of emergency grid authorities entered a second phase in August 2025, as the Department of Energy (DOE) extended three critical reliability orders. The measures signal that this year’s historic string of federal interventions—staked in Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act—are likely to continue beyond the traditional summer peak and into the winter planning season.
Clean electricity from the Earth: Bidders show interest in geothermal in the California desert
Los Angeles Times – August 26
For the first time in nearly a decade, federal officials auctioned off leases for new geothermal energy projects in California — and all 13 parcels offered received bids. Dozens of buyers participated in the BLM’s August 26 online sale of 10-year leases on 23,000 acres in Imperial, Lassen, and Modoc counties. California is already home to the world’s largest geothermal field — the Geysers in Sonoma and Lake counties — as well as a major field in the Salton Sea area.
BLM aims to revise sage grouse plans
Capital Press – September 2
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seeks public comments through October 3 on proposed amendments to greater sage grouse management plans in eight Western states. The amendments — to impact BLM-managed public lands in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming — would continue to ensure responsible habitat stewardship while making more public land available for energy development and mining, according to a bureau news release.
Projects
Northern California offshore wind project loses $427 million in federal funding
SiliconValley.com/The Mercury News – September 3
The federal government has cancelled nearly half a billion dollars in federal funding for one of the state’s most high-profile ocean wind turbine projects. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on August 29 that $426.7 million approved last year would be revoked. The money was to help build a new marine terminal in Humboldt Bay near Eureka where huge cranes, warehouses, and wharfs were to assemble and deploy the giant floating turbines along the California and Oregon coasts.
Southern California healthcare clinic powers up microgrid with on-site solar and battery storage
Microgrid Knowledge – August 27
On August 22, Loma Linda University Health flipped on its new solar and energy storage microgrid totaling 3 MW in overall capacity. The system is expected to meet up to 87 percent of electricity demand from Loma Linda’s Faculty Medical Clinics.
New Mexico State University to lead $14.2 million pumped storage project with Navajo Nation
International Water Power & Dam Construction – August 26
New Mexico State University will lead a $14.2 million project to study the development of a large-scale pumped storage hydropower facility on Navajo Nation land in the Four Corners region. The Carrizo Four Corners Pumped Storage Hydropower Center Project is funded by $7.1 million from the U.S. DOE and $7.1 million in cost-share contributions. The proposed facility would have a generating capacity of 1,500 MW, a pumping capacity of 1,338 MW, and about 70 hours of storage.
Prometheus partners with Engie to co-locate data centers with renewable assets in Dallas, Texas
Data Center Dynamics – September 3
Engie North America Inc has partnered with Prometheus Hyperscale to co-locate data centers at select renewable energy generation and battery storage plants along the Texas I-35 corridor. Prometheus will deploy its liquid-cooled data center infrastructure alongside Engie’s renewable and battery storage assets, starting with the addition of AI-ready data center compute capacity at certain sites next year.
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