DOE Chief Jennifer Granholm told Columbia U. summit the president is "obsessed" with project permit reform and expedited approvals—as G7 climate ministers agreed April 16 to pursue common goal of net zero through "various pathways," while still supporting natural gas development.
University researchers in West Virginia and South Dakota will gain $16M for front-end design of extraction facilities, with $450M also awarded for clean energy demonstration projects at mine sites across the U.S.
Pact details not disclosed in dispute over GE Haliade-X offshore wind turbine design, leaving unclear the status of a court-mandated ban on U.S. sales.
At the European Union summit, negotiations got underway on details to launch continent toward self-sufficient clean energy manufacturing and materials sourcing to meet proposed net-zero emissions goals.
DOE's push to attract private investors is seen to fast-track commercialization of clean hydrogen, long duration energy storage and advanced nuclear power.
TIC, Sargent & Lundy, Mitsubishi lead team picked to build $1.2B hydrogen-capable Texas power plant, as U.S. Energy Dept. aims first half of infrastructure law funds to expand fuel's use and refine technology gaps some market observers see.
Report says US sector hit big development milestones last year, including project movements and three federal lease auctions that added 11.4 GW in capacity, with another set in the Gulf of Mexico, but advocacy group says this still likely won't meet Biden call for 30 GW of power deployed by 2030.
State regulators approved construction of a 1-GW onshore wind project, set to double current capacity, while the US Interior Dept. will allow development of a floating offshore wind turbine array in the deep-water Gulf of Maine.
But even with emerging cost risks, New York's latest wind procurement that seeks up to 4.6 GW attracted a record 100 proposals from six wind developers, including one that awarded Skanska USA on Feb. 7 a CM contract for a planned $250M assembly hub at a Brooklyn marine terminal.
Country could develop about 125GW of new renewable energy sources by 2030 for hydrogen manufacture, with $2.4 billion in new public funding announced for electrolyzers it hopes will produce up to 5 million metric tons per year.
