Latest news with #ChristaMarshall
Politico
31-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Fusion emerges, boosted by Big Tech
Is it finally fusion power's moment? Helion Energy, a startup partnering with Microsoft, has started construction on a fusion power reactor, joining the race to complete the country's first. It's planning to deliver energy to Microsoft data centers within three years. That timeline may be ambitious for a long-hyped technology, but a breakthrough would be significant, write Peter Behr and Christa Marshall. Fusion mimics the energy generation of stars and could produce massive amounts of power on demand without greenhouse gas emissions. It's the latest sign of how Big Tech's deep pockets are reshaping energy technology. Microsoft is working with Constellation Energy to reopen Three Mile Island, the nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania (that's fission, not fusion). Amazon has said it plans to deploy 5 gigawatts of small modular reactors by 2040, while Meta, Oracle, OpenAI, Google and Amazon have also made investments in advanced nuclear. Support from Google has helped geothermal startup Fervo bring commercial pilot projects online. Google has also committed to purchasing power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems' planned commercial fusion plant in Virginia. At an energy conference in March, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) talked up the announcement, saying fusion 'changes the whole game' in the race to unleash more power. Reality Check Helion's planned project in Malaga, Washington, is expected to produce at least 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 17,000 homes. Here's the grain of salt (really a heaping spoonful): Fusion energy has been hyped for decades but scientists have not reliably been able to generate more energy than it takes to create the initial reaction. Scientists reached by Peter and Christa are skeptical of Helion's timeline, with one saying they are still 'decades away' from competing with a conventional nuclear or natural gas plant. But the money is there. The Fusion Industry Association says Helion is one of three developers with at least $1 billion in investments, with global investments topping $9.7 billion. In part, that's because of the tech industry's unique needs. In the U.S. alone, the electricity needs from data centers could triple between 2023 and 2028, according to a 2024 federal study. An analysis this week from S&P Global found that the tech and web services sector accounts for a whopping 68 percent of the corporate clean energy market because of its 'unmatched combination of aggressive clean energy goals and unrivaled energy demand growth.' Whether that boom continues after the Republican megalaw — which phases out many clean energy tax incentives — remains to be seen. And Trump's cuts may even be coming for fusion: the administration's budget proposal would reduce federal research into the technology, despite recent breakthroughs at federal labs that could bring the energy to reality. It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Jason Plautz. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jplautz@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Ben Lefebvre breaks down the EU's massive energy deal that was part of its trade agreement with the U.S. Power Centers EPA axes researchThe Environmental Protection Agency's piecemeal dismemberment of its science initiatives is gathering steam, stoking fears over scientific independence, writes Sean Reilly. EPA has already axed many grant-funded projects midstream, on the grounds that they no longer mesh with administration priorities. Now it plans to dissolve the Office of Research and Development, which supporters and former officials describe as an irreplaceable engine of innovation in fields like chemical safety and the risks posed by pollution exposure. 'It is heartbreaking to see what's being proposed and the actions that are being taken,' said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, who served as a top ORD career staffer before retiring in 2021. 'It's really putting American lives at risk.' The Trump threat to American gasThere are fears in Europe that the continent's energy alliance with the U.S. could be shattered if Trump offers concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, write Karl Mathiesen, Zack Colman, Gabriel Gavin, Ben Lefebvre and Hanne Cokelaere. U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe allowed countries to swap out Russian gas after the war started. They're committing to buy more of it now as part of trade deals with the U.S. to avoid tariffs. But it would be difficult to ignore cheaper Russian gas if it were to flow again because of any deals to end the war. 'The one thing that would derail the spectacular growth of the U.S. [LNG] industry is the reopening of flows from Russia. There's no question about that,' said Geoffrey Pyatt, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and energy official for former President Joe Biden. Wright's climate contrariansThe Department of Energy is reframing long-established climate science as a debate, with the help of five researchers who have spent years questioning climate change, Scott Waldman and Benjamin Storrow write. The agency released a climate report Tuesday to support the Trump administration's push to roll back greenhouse gas regulations. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Fox News that the report was meant to push back on the 'cancel culture Orwellian squelching of science.' Some of the report's assertions have been debunked for years, however, and multiple scientists said their work was misrepresented. In Other News New fear unlocked: DOE has reported the discovery of a radioactive wasp nest at a facility once involved in the production of parts for nuclear weapons. How it happened: China has become the leading seller of electric vehicles, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries — all invented in the U.S. — thanks to government policies and incentives. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Renewable energy is set to overtake coal at the top source of electricity globally by the end of next year, according to the International Energy Agency. Trump nominated Ho Nieh, the vice president of regulatory affairs at Southern Nuclear, to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A Trump administration official tasked with overhauling the Interior Department's budget and staffing is getting ready to leave the agency, raising questions about who will take over the reorganization. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
Politico
21-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
3,500 percent solar tariff divides US industry
There's a new solar tariff in town, and it's a biggie. An independent federal agency has backed imposing levies as high as 3,521 percent on China-linked solar imports from four Southeast Asian countries, writes Christa Marshall. The International Trade Commission concluded unanimously that U.S. manufacturers have been 'materially injured' by imported solar cells and panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The commission's finding clears the way for the Commerce Department to issue the trade penalties. The news is drawing mixed reactions from a solar industry already facing massive headwinds from the Trump administration's efforts to undermine Biden-era clean energy policies. The Solar Energy Industries Association, the industry's leading trade group, said the decision would raise costs for manufacturers and project developers that still rely on foreign parts. 'Imposing additional tariffs on cell imports at this stage risks stalling progress and undermining the very industry they are meant to support,' said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA's president and CEO. But several U.S. solar manufacturers, including industry leader First Solar, applauded the decision as a major win. They have long contended that China unfairly subsidizes companies in Southeast Asian countries to flood the U.S. market with cheaper solar components. 'This ruling is a step forward in addressing China's continuing efforts to undermine the U.S. manufacturing rebuilding effort,' Mike Carr with the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition told Christa. Not so fast … Still, even domestic solar manufacturers say the new tariffs may amount to diddly squat if GOP lawmakers slash Biden-era benefits for the industry in their massive budget bill. The bill would weaken or ax provisions in Democrats' 2022 climate law that benefit the solar industry, including for domestic manufacturers. 'All the trade protections in the world won't make a difference if Congress backtracks on its commitments to reshore this critical industry,' Carr said. Provisions in the climate law have helped domestic production of solar panels grow sixfold since 2023. Solar manufacturing jumped from less than $1 billion in annual investments in 2022 to nearly $6 billion last year, according to research firm Rhodium Group. The Republican megabill that moved through the House Ways and Means Committee this month could imperil 300 solar and storage facilities and cut solar power generation equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of Pennsylvania by 2023, according to a SEIA analysis. It's Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: James Bikales breaks down how House Republicans' reconciliation package could undermine President Donald Trump's efforts to create a domestic supply chain for critical minerals. Power Centers Zeldin vs. Senate Democrats Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin sparred angrily with a top Senate Democrat over the cancellation of hundreds of agency grants awarded during the Biden administration, writes Sean Reilly. During the hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Zeldin and ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) descended into a shouting match over the mechanics of how those cancellations were decided. The heated exchange underscores Democrats' bitterness over the Trump administration's efforts to take back billions of dollars in Biden-era grants awarded by EPA and other agencies. Offshore wind resurrection raises quid pro quo queries Trump's sudden decision Monday to lift his stop-work order on Empire Wind 1, a major New York offshore wind farm, prompted widespread speculation that the president had extracted a commitment from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to green-light a natural gas pipeline, writes Benjamin Storrow. The governor, a Democrat, insisted no such deal was made, even as her aides noted Hochul was not opposed to a new pipeline — provided it meet all the necessary permitting requirements. Wildfires rage as EU delays anti-deforestation rulesGlobal forest loss from climate-change-fueled wildfires reached a 20-year high in 2024, leading to the destruction of some of the planet's most important natural carbon sinks, writes Louise Guillot. The finding, detailed in a new report from the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland, comes as the EU delays anti-deforestation rules and unwinds other environmental protections in a bid to boost economic competitiveness. In Other News Study: Earth's major climate goal is too warm for the polar ice sheets. Pesky pests: What climate change means for summertime bugs. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Interior Department said it's begun the process of evaluating a possible offshore mineral lease sale in U.S. waters off American Samoa, the first such auction in more than three decades. The Trump administration said Wednesday it is redirecting $365 million intended to expand rooftop solar and storage in Puerto Rico to the island's unreliable power grid. Environmental and Appalachian advocacy groups are demanding a full Senate hearing — and not just a vote — to question Trump's pick to lead the Mine Safety and Health Administration amid budget and staffing cuts. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
