BOEM to Consider Revoking New England Wind 1 Approval

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management filed a request with a federal judge asking to allow it to reconsider a key approval for New England Wind 1 project planned off the Massachusetts coast. The filing comes more than two months after the government signaled it would take such action against the project.

It is at least the third time the administration has sought a remand of an offshore wind project approval, the others being for SouthCoast Wind and US Wind. The permits give major infrastructure projects the certainty to secure financing and move forward with construction.

More: The New Bedford Light

TVA Wins $400M Grant for Next-gen SMR

The Department of Energy awarded the Tennessee Valley Authority a $400 million grant for the development of the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor. Gen III+ reactors are advanced light water reactors that incorporate newer safety features and higher performance capabilities. The grant was established by Congress in 2024.

More: Knoxville News Sentinel

Trump Admin Renames National Renewable Energy Lab

In a press release published Dec. 1, the Department of Energy has renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory the National Laboratory of the Rockies, effective immediately. DOE said the renaming “reflects the department’s renewed focus on ‘energy addition,’ rather than the prioritization of specific energy resources.”

The laboratory was created in 1977 as a response to the 1973 energy crisis and has focused on the development and commercialization of a wide range of technologies, including photovoltaic cells, energy-efficient windows and hydrogen fuel cells.

More: CPR News; Inside Climate News; National Laboratory of the Rockies