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Good morning and happy Friday,
Lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill this week after a monthslong recess, and they have a lot on their plates, including avoiding a government shutdown. Work is expected to proceed on the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which contains provisions related to advanced nuclear reactors, and hopes for permitting reform are still alive.
One issue challenging many GOP legislators (and worrying DOE Secretary Chris Wright) is rising electricity costs; Heatmap reports that the messaging war on power prices is ramping up, and the affordability of clean energy is a key theme.
This week brought a cautionary tale from North Carolina, where an email campaign gone wrong “may have backfired” in its attempt to portray support for a natural gas pipeline – a timely reminder that if you’re going to seek grassroots support, make sure you do it right!
Meanwhile, ACP released its Q2 2025 Clean Power Quarterly Market Report, along with a related presser: REPORT: Federal Chaos Sparks Warning Signs for Clean Energy Investment that outlines the impact “federal policy attacks and fluctuating trade policy” have had on the industry; for its part, SEIA released its new reliability-focused policy agenda.
And finally, we’re growing the Bantam team. We’re looking for a Communications Director and a Campaign Manager to help shape the national conversation and build the public support needed to move energy projects from vision to reality. If you know someone who’s ready to take on this challenge, please pass it along.
Read on for more.
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Fusion Fanfare
Regular Dispatch readers know that fusion is a fave for us, and as E&ENews reports, the technology is “having a moment” as it sees surging investment as well as increased regulatory attention. Here’s a sampling of recent events in the sector and a few things to keep your eye on:
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We’ve told you about Commonwealth Fusion, the Virginia-based company seeking to build the world’s first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County; in June, Google signed a PPA for 50% of the electricity produced.
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In July, Helion Energy started construction on a fusion project in Washington State it hopes will deliver power to the grid as early as 2028; it inked a PPA with Microsoft back in 2023.
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In recent years, the fusion power industry has evolved from “primarily government-led initiatives” to include 53 private companies worldwide, with combined funding approaching $10 billion. Commonwealth has captured about one-third of that total, raising nearly $3 billion from investors; the most recent round brought in $863 million.
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One thing to watch is that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to release new rules this fall that will streamline fusion energy regulations in a bid to accelerate the commercialization of fusion energy in the U.S.. Which got us wondering: is Jackson Oswalt involved?
⚡️ The Takeaway
Safety first. Nuclear power is enjoying a renaissance in the U.S. generally, and investor interest in small modular reactors (SMRs, which use the well-established fission process) is growing, although not without issues. As for big nukes, some have concerns about safety: this week Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright was called to speak at an oversight hearing held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where Democratic members of the NRC “told lawmakers…that it’s a possibility they could be fired … at any moment for their regulatory decisions,” cautioning that “curtailing transparency and public engagement in reactor approvals could weaken public confidence in nuclear power.”
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Offshore On the Ropes
The U.S. offshore wind industry is “reeling” from the impact of a government-wide attack that’s already shut down projects and is angling to challenge wind on several new fronts, including slashing $679 million in funding “designed to support offshore-wind-related ports and manufacturing facilities.” As the sector fights for survival, the chilling impact on investor confidence isn’t going unnoticed. Here are some key things to know:
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On August 22, the administration issued a stop-work order for Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project (the company is suing); experts warn the move could be a disaster for New England’s grid, and some supporters who lost jobs as a result of the order are also upset.
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Since then, the administration has revoked approval for US Wind’s 2.2 GW Maryland Offshore Wind project off the coast of Maryland and Delaware, and cancelled the permit for Avangrid’s 791 MW New England Wind project in Massachusetts.
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Another Massachusetts project, the potentially 2.4 GW SouthCoast Wind installation which is being developed by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, is on the chopping block as administration officials “reconsider” its permit.
⚡️ The Takeaway
A costly crusade against ratepayers. As noted above, industry observers say blocking these projects could result in real harm to ratepayers; last month, ISO New England issued a statement saying that “delaying the [Revolution Wind] project will increase risks to reliability” in the region, and a report issued this week by Daymark Energy Advisors finds that “if the 3.5 GW of wind energy projects currently contracted offshore New England had been operational last winter, it could have offset the surge in natural gas prices that season and saved ratepayers a total of $400 million” – or about 11% – on their energy bills.
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Oh Hail, Yes
Hail has long been the Achilles’ heel of solar projects, with big storms leading to headlines about jaw-dropping damage. Although hail only accounts for 2% of filed claims on utility-scale projects, but 50% of the cost, according to technical due-diligence and risk-mitigation service provider VDE Americas.
Several companies that make tracking systems have responded by adding “hail stowage” capabilities that quickly put the panels in a near-vertical position in the event of a hailstorm. While this can help a lot, developers, insurers, and others can benefit by having accurate data about a given panel’s breaking point if it’s hit by hail.
Enter VDE Americas’ “Hail Resiliency Curve Test,” which “simulates real-world hailstorm conditions where solar panels face numerous impacts from a range of hailstone sizes and wind speeds during severe hailstorms.”
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The panels are tested by “firing a series of small to large hailstones at…various speeds until the glass fractures.” In addition to helping projects assess risk, the test helps glass reliability engineers by providing “a statistically representative probability of failure.”
The company’s president and CEO Brian Grenko explains that “Conventional hail risk models that are relied upon by many in the insurance community are severely antiquated and outdated. Hail resiliency curve test results provide a superior characterization of solar panel hail resiliency, reducing uncertainty for investors and insurance providers.” We just hope they have a few solar-powered vacuums on hand to clean up the mess.
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Thanks for diving into the Developer Dispatch with us.
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Building American power requires a powerful team. |
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