DOE awards $75M to turn coal waste into rare earths
The Department of Energy selected five projects to extract rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal and coal byproducts, marking a domestic supply pivot away from Chinese refining.
FERC votes tomorrow on grid rule that unlocks hundreds of GW of storage
FERC's June 18 ruling on large-load grid interconnection will set the first federal standard for data centers and battery storage connecting directly to the interstate transmission system, reshaping economics across PJM and three other major grids.
Congress targets NRC hearing rules, fuel recycling in six-bill nuclear push
House subcommittee advances six legislative proposals to compress NRC licensing timelines for SMRs and advanced reactors, targeting mandatory hearing reform and domestic fuel recycling.
Kazakhstan commits $470M to processing as China alternative
Kazakhstan pledged $470M in geological exploration and $1.5B in smelter capacity at AMM 2026, positioning itself as a non-China critical minerals processor for Western supply chains.
DOE validates Xcimer's laser fusion design as national strategy accelerates
The Department of Energy approved Xcimer Energy's Athena fusion plant preconceptual design on June 10, marking the most comprehensive government review of a privately developed fusion architecture and validating a specific commercial pathway the industry has been betting on.
China locks down critical minerals in consolidated security framework
China's State Council Order No. 839, signed May 20 and effective June 15, unifies control over rare earths, gallium, germanium, and graphite across mining, processing, stockpiling, and export, formalizing a state-directed supply chain that Western manufacturers depend on.
Trump DOE backs Biden lithium refinery grant, signaling bipartisan bet on domestic processing
American Battery Technology wins DOE appeal to reinstate $115M lithium refinery grant, showing Trump administration will honor critical minerals infrastructure across administrations.
DOE funds first U.S. rare earth plant from industrial waste
Colorado School of Mines and ElementUSA receive $67M to process rare earth elements from alumina refinery tailings in Louisiana, targeting 150–1,000 MT/year of domestic supply.
DOE funds magnesium smelter milestone, closing U.S. supply chain gap
DOE awarded $45.7M to 19 critical minerals projects including Big Blue Technologies' first commercial-scale U.S. magnesium smelter, addressing near-total import dependence.
DOE awards $45.7M to fix America's magnesium and rare earth gaps
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $45.7 million across 19 critical minerals projects on May 19, targeting domestic processing capacity in magnesium and rare earth elements where the U.S. remains completely import-dependent.
FERC locks PJM capacity prices through 2029, shielding 67M ratepayers from spike
FERC approved PJM's price collar for 2028-29 and 2029-30 auctions, capping wholesale prices at $325/MW-day instead of a projected $550/MW-day, driven by explosive data center demand growth.
DOE locks in $1B for Texas and Louisiana carbon removal hubs
The Department of Energy retained over $1 billion in federal funding for the South Texas DAC Hub and Project Cypress, cementing carbon removal as permanent U.S. climate infrastructure regardless of administration.
DOE's coal order expires May 24, 4.4 GW hangs in the balance
The Department of Energy's emergency order keeping Pennsylvania's Eddystone coal plant online expires in three weeks, exposing the grid's true capacity crisis.
Battery storage jumps 51% in one year as grid adds record 86 GW
U.S. utility-scale battery storage will surge to 67.5 GW by end-2026, a 51% annual increase, as developers plan a record 86 GW of new capacity led by solar and storage in a structural shift away from fossil fuels.
DOE restores $1.2B for DAC as Stratos prepares first 500K-tonne startup
The Department of Energy is funding Occidental's Stratos plant and Heirloom's Project Cypress to commercial scale, with Stratos entering operation this quarter, representing an 873% jump in global DAC capacity in one year.
FERC Misses DOE Deadline on Data Center Grid Access Rule
FERC will vote in June 2026 on federal authority to regulate how data centers and large industrial loads connect to the transmission grid, missing DOE's April 30 deadline by two months and raising questions about whether legal durability will actually arrive.
US Desalination, IDE Technologies Launch $1B Texas Plant
US Desalination and IDE Technologies announced a $1 billion seawater desalination plant for South Texas that will produce 50 million gallons daily, marking the largest privately financed U.S. water infrastructure bet in a decade.
DOE Releases $1.9B Grid Transmission Funding; May 20 Deadline Looms
The Department of Energy opened a $1.9 billion transmission funding window under the SPARK program, with applications due May 20, targeting reconductoring and advanced grid tech to unlock 86 GW of new capacity planned for 2026.
USDA Kills Farm Solar Grants Just as Baseline Funding Collapses
USDA formally rescinded REAP grant awards on April 15, 2026, pausing the primary federal program for on-farm renewable energy. The move eliminates funding for thousands of stalled projects and signals a deliberate policy reversal on agricultural decarbonization.
FANCO Files for NRC Review of Lead-Bismuth Fast Reactor
First American Nuclear submitted its EAGL-1 small modular reactor design to the NRC on April 15, marking the first lead-bismuth-cooled reactor in the U.S. pre-application pipeline and a direct challenge to sodium-cooled designs.