The Biden administration has unveiled a number of sweeping actions over the previous month geared toward boosting clear power deployment, enhancing manufacturing jobs, and decreasing pollutant emissions throughout the ability sector.
The measures—many introduced as a part of a complete Earth Week agenda on April 25—are notable for his or her strategic push in an election 12 months, highlighting the administration’s dedication to environmental and power priorities amidst a politically charged local weather.
The newly introduced initiatives embody the implementation of 4 new stringent guidelines by the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) that concentrate on air and water air pollution reductions from fossil gasoline energy vegetation. However in addition they embody daring native, regional, and federal initiatives from the Division of Vitality (DOE) that search to expedite the allowing course of for brand new transmission strains and make vital grid upgrades over the subsequent 5 years alongside measures from the Division of Inside (DOI) to scale back prices and expedite initiatives on public lands. In tandem, the Division of Treasury has collaborated with the DOE to allocate tax credit underneath the Inflation Discount Act (IRA).
Individually, the Federal Vitality Regulatory Fee (FERC) has moved ahead with main transmission reforms, together with a last rule to streamline the interconnection course of, and the Nuclear Regulatory Fee (NRC) has taken steps to speed up its assessment of superior nuclear reactor sorts as a part of a broader effort to help the deployment and growth of latest nuclear applied sciences.
“These huge bulletins transfer us ahead in tackling the local weather disaster and advancing environmental justice in empowering our employees and in rising our economic system,” White Home Nationwide Local weather Advisor Ali Zaidi informed reporters in a name on April 24. “These are a giant deal for the American individuals, and they’re a product of President Biden’s clear-eyed imaginative and prescient for the long run. That is how that is how we win the long run,” he added.
Zaidi on Wednesday underscored the dimensions of progress achieved over the previous 4 years. “Right this moment [the pace of] clear power deployment has doubled, and we now have sufficient clear energy on the grid to produce electrical energy to 70 million houses. So, this isn’t an idea for the long run. It’s one thing that’s exhibiting up in communities already throughout the nation. And in case you simply have a look at 2024 and the projections for this 12 months, we’re anticipated so as to add extra capability to the grid this 12 months than we’ve got in 20 years in twenty years. And the projection is that 96% of that new energy capability shall be clear,” he mentioned. “And in case you have a look at the place we’re right this moment, I feel it offers you a way of why we may be formidable shifting ahead. An enormous a part of shifting ahead is ensuring that we’ve got the provision chains and the assets to really deploy throughout the nation.”
Following is a prolonged listing of just lately applied measures.
Stringent New Environmental Guidelines
EPA Publicizes 4 New Guidelines for Energy Plant GHG Emissions, Mercury, Effluent Limitations, and Coal Ash. The EPA on April 25 rolled out last guidelines imposing stringent GHG controls on coal-fired and new baseload pure fuel energy vegetation. The principles additionally considerably tighten mercury and poisonous steel emissions requirements, strengthen effluent limitation tips (ELGs), and new safeguards for legacy coal ash floor impoundments. “The requirements introduced right this moment will be sure that energy corporations use trendy, cost-effective applied sciences to scale back air pollution and defend the well being and wellbeing of communities, together with communities traditionally overburdened by air pollution,” the White Home mentioned.
DOE Rolls Out Notable New Transmission and Interconnection Measures
Remaining Rule to Make Federal Rule Extra Environment friendly. The DOE on Thursday issued a rule that establishes the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorization and Permits (CITAP) program, which “goals to enhance coordination throughout companies, create efficiencies, and set up a typical two-year timeline for federal transmission authorizations and permits.” The CITAP program “offers transmission builders a brand new choice for a extra environment friendly assessment course of, a serious step to supply elevated confidence for the sector to put money into new transmission strains,” the White Home mentioned.
Remaining Rule to Quick Observe Environmental Critiques of Present Transmission Strains. The rule unveiled on Thursday, creates a categorical exclusion, the only type of assessment underneath the Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act (NEPA) for initiatives that use current transmission rights of approach, similar to reconductoring initiatives, in addition to for photo voltaic and power storage initiatives on already disturbed lands, the White Home mentioned.
A Goal to Improve 100,000 Miles of Present Transmission. The DOE on Thursday made funding out there via the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program to help upgrades to current transmission strains. The DOE’s categorical exclusion “will pace up the method to improve current strains. The facility sector can obtain this ambition primarily by deploying trendy grid applied sciences like high-performance conductors and dynamic line rankings that allow current transmission strains to hold extra energy,” the White Home mentioned. “As a complement to constructing new strains, deploying options like these provide quick and cost-effective methods to unlock lots of of gigawatts of extra clear power, enhance system reliability and resilience, scale back grid congestion, and reduce power prices.”
Southwest Intertie Challenge-North. Leveraging $30 billion, the DOE on Thursday unveiled a capability contract from the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP) that will help a brand new 285-mile, 2-GW transmission line from Idaho to Nevada. The Southwest Intertie Challenge-North “is predicted to supply lots of of jobs to employees with the Worldwide Brotherhood of Electrical Staff,” the White Home mentioned.
Completion of the three.2-GW Ten West Hyperlink Line. On Thursday, the DOI introduced the completion of the Ten West Hyperlink transmission line from Arizona to California. The road will start transmitting electrical energy right this moment. The DOI accredited the development of this venture in 2022
Persevering with Funding in Grid Upgrades. Functions final week closed for as much as $2.7 billion in DOE grant funding underneath the second spherical of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program for initiatives to improve and modernize the transmission and distribution system to extend reliability and resilience. “This builds upon $3.46 billion in initiatives chosen for grid upgrades in October 2023, that are funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation,” the White Home mentioned.
Charting a Grid That Will Meet Rising Challenges. Final week, the DOE launched the 2024 Way forward for Useful resource Adequacy Report, which lays out options to fulfill rising electrical energy demand whereas slicing emissions and sustaining affordability. The DOE additionally launched the Progressive Grid Deployment Liftoff Report back to chart pathways to deployment of contemporary, commercially out there transmission and distribution applied sciences that might help 20 GW to 100 GW of peak demand.
Connecting Energy Crops to the Grid. As well as, the DOE final week launched the Transmission Interconnection Roadmap, a report that lays out options to speed up the method of connecting extra energy era to the grid and scale back wait instances. “The Roadmap enhances $10 million that DOE just lately made out there for analytical instruments and different approaches to speed up the interconnection course of,” The White Home mentioned. “Moreover, the Federal Vitality Regulatory Fee is shifting ahead to implement a collection of main transmission reforms, together with a last rule to streamline the interconnection course of.”
Securing Vital Provide Chains
The White Home on Thursday mentioned that whereas non-public corporations have invested virtually $80 billion in clear power manufacturing, current actions “proceed the progress to construct and safe home provide chains and be sure that the U.S. will lead the world in clear power manufacturing.”
Treasury Dept., DOE Announce $4B in Tax Credit score Allocations. The Treasury Division and DOE just lately introduced $4 billion in IRA tax credit score allocations for over 100 manufacturing initiatives throughout 35 states underneath the Qualifying Superior Vitality Challenge Tax Credit score (48C). “This contains initiatives to fabricate transformers and grid parts, electrical car parts and chargers, and transmission cables, produce clear metal, and course of vital minerals and supplies,” the White Home famous. “These allocations embody $1.5 billion for initiatives in historic power communities which have skilled closure of coal mines and energy vegetation.”
A Increase for the U.S. Nuclear Gas Provide Chain. Final week, the DOE introduced milestones to help the construct out of a home gasoline provide chain for nuclear power and scale back U.S. reliance on imports of gasoline from Russia. The DOE mentioned it just lately closed the requests for proposals to buy high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) wanted for superior nuclear reactors, a part of a $700 million program secured via the IRA. “Furthermore, an enrichment plant (positioned in Piketon, Ohio) produced the primary 100 kilograms of civilian HALEU ever within the U.S. with future plans to develop to 900 kilograms.” U.S. capabilities are slated to additional enhance owing to an “an extra
$2.7 billion made out there from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation within the Fiscal 12 months 2024 Vitality and Water Improvement,” the White Home famous. When paired with $2.2 billion from France and the UK, the funding will meet and exceed a dedication made final fall at COP28 to pool funds to develop a protected and safe international provide chain, it mentioned.
Boosting the Renewables Buildout
Along with these measures, the White Home mentioned the administration highlighted steps to speed up the buildout of renewable power.
Accelerating Offshore Wind Deployment. On April 24, the DOI introduced plans for the subsequent 5 years of offshore wind leasing, in addition to a last rule to modernize offshore wind rules. “Over the subsequent 20 years, the ultimate rule is predicted to end in value financial savings of roughly $1.9 billion to the offshore renewable power business, financial savings that may be handed onto shoppers or used to put money into extra job-creating clear power initiatives,” the White Home mentioned. The DOE this week additionally launched the Offshore Wind Liftoff Report, charting a route to success for the subsequent wave of initiatives via continued innovation and value reductions, together with DOE’s newest steps to help offshore wind manufacturing and transmission growth. The DOI has to this point accredited eight offshore wind initiatives, a mixed 10 GW of commercial-scale offshore wind initiatives. Two are already offering energy to the grid. The Bureau of Ocean Vitality Administration (BOEM) has in the meantime 4 offshore wind lease auctions, which introduced in virtually $5.5 billion in excessive bids, together with a record-breaking sale offshore New York and New Jersey, and the first-ever gross sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. BOEM is now trying to discover extra alternatives, together with within the Gulf of Maine and offshore Oregon and the U.S. Central Atlantic coast.
Renewable Vitality on Public Lands. Earlier this month, the DOI issued a last rule to scale back charges for photo voltaic and wind initiatives on public lands by 80%. It introduced that it has now permitted greater than 25 GW of unpolluted power initiatives on public lands, surpassing a serious milestone forward of 2025.
Boosting Geothermal Vitality Assets. Final week, the DOI adopted categorical exclusions to expedite the assessment and approval of geothermal power exploration on public lands. In March, the DOE launched a brand new Pathways to Business Liftoff report on geothermal energy, which suggests U.S. geothermal power manufacturing might develop by an element of 20 to 90 GW by 2050.
Bettering the State and Native Renewable Vitality Siting Course of. The DOE earlier this month opened a funding alternative for state-based collaboratives to construct capability to enhance renewable power planning and siting processes. The funding, supported by the IRA, “will speed up the siting course of to convey renewable power on-line quicker whereas enhancing outcomes for host communities, native governments, and deprived communities,” the White Home mentioned.
New Photo voltaic, Nuclear A part of Environmental Justice Initiatives
Beneath the President’s Justice40 Initiative, the administration is pursuing a purpose that will see 40% of the general advantages of sure federal in local weather, clear power, and different investments circulate to “deprived communities which were marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by air pollution.”
“By way of the Justice40 Initiative, 518 applications throughout 19 federal companies are being reimagined and remodeled to make sure the advantages attain the communities that want them most,” the White Home famous. “Federal companies are making this occur with the Local weather and Financial Justice Screening Device, which is used to determine communities that profit from the Justice40 Initiative.”
Photo voltaic for Low-Earnings Communities. This week the EPA introduced $7 billion to deploy photo voltaic power for low-income communities via the Photo voltaic for All program, funded by the Inflation Discount Act. “The 60 choices will present funding to help 60 states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits to allow low-income and deprived communities to learn from photo voltaic, slicing annual electrical energy payments by greater than $350 million for low-income households, creating an estimated 200,000 jobs, and rising grid reliability,” the White Home mentioned.
Constructing Out Energy on Former Mine Lands. DOE just lately introduced as much as
$475 million for 5 initiatives in Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to speed up clear power deployment on present and former mine lands. The initiatives, supported by the BIL, will deploy geothermal, pumped-storage hydropower, photo voltaic, and battery storage.
Encouraging a Coal to Nuclear Swap. The DOE famous it just lately launched an data information and technical examine for communities and stakeholders who’re contemplating changing their coal vegetation with nuclear. “Coal-to-nuclear transition can considerably scale back the price of nuclear plant building, whereas creating new high-paying jobs, rising neighborhood earnings and income, and enhancing public well being,” it mentioned. The information is predicated on a technical examine that discovered transitioning from a coal plant to a nuclear one would “enhance native employment alternatives, create extra higher-paying jobs, and spur elevated revenues and financial exercise within the host neighborhood.” It additionally discovered that, with planning and help for coaching, most employees at an current coal plant ought to be capable to transition to work at a alternative nuclear plant.
Financing Native Clear Vitality Initiatives. Earlier this month, the EPA introduced $20 billion in grant awards underneath two competitions from the Greenhouse Fuel Discount Fund to create a nationwide community to fund local weather and clear power initiatives.
Microgrids for Tribal Communities. The DOE just lately introduced a $72.8 million conditional dedication to fund a solar-plus-storage microgrid on the Tribal lands of the Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay Indians.
—Sonal Patel is a POWER senior editor (@sonalcpatel, @POWERmagazine).
