Sierra Club Statement on FERC Decision Rejecting Centralia Coal Plant Cost-Recovery Plan

cleantechnica.com Oct 3, 2026

Sierra Club Statement on FERC Decision Rejecting Centralia Coal Plant Cost-Recovery Plan

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 3, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected TransAlta’s cost‑recovery proposal for the Centralia coal plant, a move that counters the Trump administration’s repeated emergency orders keeping the retired facility operational. The orders, issued in December 2025 and again in September 2026, required Centralia to stay online despite never generating electricity, incurring over $50 million in unnecessary costs. Sierra Club criticized the administration’s use of emergency authority and praised FERC for protecting Northwest ratepayers from these unwarranted expenses.

💡 Why It Matters

· The ruling curtails a federal policy that forced an uneconomic plant to remain idle, preventing taxpayers from subsidizing a defunct coal operation.
· It signals a shift toward enforcing energy‑transition commitments and limiting executive overreach in utility regulation.

Read full article on cleantechnica.com

Silicon Quantum Computing and Schneider Electric Advance Energy Grid Forecasting via Watermelon…

Silicon Quantum Computing and Schneider Electric entered Stage 2 of the Australian Government’s Critical Technologies Challenge Program, receiving A$3.6 million to deploy hybrid quantum‑classical machine learning across distributed energy resource networks. The partnership, led by UNSW Sydney, uses SQC’s Watermelon™ quantum feature generator to enhance classical forecasting models. Stage 1 trials showed a 20% average accuracy boost, peaking at 41%, for next‑day energy predictions over a year. Stage 2 will roll out the system to hundreds of Australian homes, embedding quantum‑generated features into Schneider’s production AI pipelines.

💡 The project demonstrates that quantum‑enhanced models can materially improve grid forecasting, potentially reducing energy waste and supporting renewable integration. It marks a rare, large‑scale deployment of quantum technology in a commercial utility setting.

cleantechnica.com · Oct 3

APS Wants to Resuscitate Four Corners Coal Plant Already Slated for Closure

Arizona Public Service (APS) announced a coal‑supply contract extension with Navajo Transitional Energy Co., pushing the Four Corners coal plant’s closure from 2031 to 2038. The move reverses APS’s prior retirement pledge, prolonging emissions, water use, and likely raising utility bills. The extension follows a Sierra Club report criticizing APS’s fossil‑fuel reliance and highlighting health and climate harms. APS will discuss its 2026 Integrated Resource Plan at a public meeting on October 14.

💡 Extending the plant keeps a major source of pollution active, undermining Arizona’s climate goals and inflating costs for residents. The decision signals a continued prioritization of fossil fuels over clean energy investment.

hydrogen-central.com · Oct 3

GLOBAL POWER SOLUTIONS ADVANCES MODULAR HYDROGEN POWER SYSTEM WITH PROPOSED FIRST EQUIPMENT…

Global Power Solutions Corp. (TSXV: PWER, FSE: NJA) announced plans to purchase its first equipment for the development and testing of a modular hydrogen power system. The acquisition, valued at roughly $300,000, will secure a driver unit that performs the power‑generation function within the pilot system. The purchase moves the project from conceptual design to physical assembly, integration, and validation. The company previously signed a joint development and licence agreement to build and demonstrate a hydrogen‑based pilot power system, aiming to assess efficiency, reliability, and performance under real‑world conditions. CEO Peter Medved said the immediate goal is to fabricate, test, and validate the system before pursuing broader commercial deployment, targeting power‑intensive sectors such as AI infrastructure, data centres, and advanced manufacturing.

💡 Validating a scalable, decentralized hydrogen power solution could give heavy‑load industries a carbon‑free alternative to traditional grid electricity.

shanghaisun.com · Oct 3

How Beijing channels lab breakthroughs onto production lines

Disc‑shaped reels of iron‑based superconducting tape are on display at Guoke Superconductor in Beijing’s Yizhuang high‑tech zone, where the startup is constructing what it claims to be the world’s first mass‑production line for the material. The line, slated for completion by the end of 2026, will have an annual capacity of roughly 100 km of tape, enough for a single fusion reactor that requires 5,000‑20,000 km. Global capacity in 2025 was insufficient for even one device. Founded in August 2025, Guoke leverages Beijing’s research institutes, talent pool, and manufacturing incentives. Yizhuang, covering 225 sq km, contributed nearly 40 % of Beijing’s industrial value added last year and hosts other advanced‑manufacturing projects, such as Platinumlife’s automated stem‑cell drug production lines that have treated over 700 patients.

💡 Scaling iron‑based superconductors could finally provide the massive lengths of tape needed for commercial fusion reactors, turning experimental energy concepts into viable power sources.

cleantechnica.com · Oct 2

US Senate Proposes New Permitting Framework. Should It Become Law?

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a 417‑page bipartisan bill, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), aimed at overhauling U.S. energy permitting. The proposal would streamline approvals for power lines, renewable projects, and natural gas pipelines by narrowing NEPA’s scope and codifying changes to the Clean Water Act. Analysts project the reform could cut grid costs by $125 billion nationwide and reduce power‑sector emissions by 9 percent by 2035. The bill awaits a post‑midterm vote in a potentially new Congress.

💡 By simplifying federal approvals, the bill could accelerate clean‑energy deployment and lower consumer electricity bills, directly benefiting households and the broader economy.

teslarati.com · Oct 2

Tesla deliveries best Wall Street guesses alongside second-best energy quarter

Tesla reported Q3 deliveries of 486,532 vehicles, surpassing the Wall Street consensus of about 462,000 and outpacing its own production of 464,391 units. The figure marks the company’s third‑best delivery quarter ever, trailing only Q3 2025 and Q4 2024, despite a 2.1 % dip from the prior year. Tesla’s energy segment deployed 13.7 GWh of storage, the second‑largest quarterly haul in its history and nearly double the 6.9 GWh delivered in Q3 2024. The energy deployment represents a ten‑fold increase since Q3 2021. Following the report, Tesla shares rose 5.07 % to $372.06, an uncommon positive market reaction to a delivery beat.

💡 The dual strength in vehicles and energy storage shows Tesla’s expanding revenue streams beyond cars, reinforcing its position as a diversified clean‑tech leader.