WATT Fuel Cell Begins Commercial Rollout with First Install in WV
A fuel cell manufacturer located in Westmoreland County, PA — WATT Fuel Cell — manufactures Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (“SOFC”) stacks and systems that operate on common, readily available fuels such as natural gas and propane. Instead of burning and combusting natural gas (or propane), those fuel sources are subjected to an electrochemical process that produces electricity. Hope Gas, a West Virginia-based natural gas utility, announced a plan in October of last year to roll out WATT Fuel Cells to over 5,000 of its customers (see Hope Gas Gets Ready to Roll Out WATT Fuel Cells to WV Customers). It all begins with the first customer. WATT announced yesterday that it has successfully placed its first commercial installation in Clarksville, WV. Read More “WATT Fuel Cell Begins Commercial Rollout with First Install in WV”
PJM Interconnection today announced the results of its 2027/2028 Base Residual Auction (BRA), which secured 134,479 MW of unforced capacity generation (UCAP) and demand response (DR) to meet projected electricity needs for more than 67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. The auctioned price came in at the FERC-approved cap of $333.44/MW-day (UCAP) for the entire PJM footprint, an increase of +1.3% from the 2026/2027 BRA. Even so, the BRA fits way too tightly, falling short of PJM’s reliability requirement by 6,623 MW, meaning the committed supply is less than what would be required to meet the one-event-in-10-year reliability standard of a 20% reserve margin. If that event happens in 2027/28, we’re in trouble. The lights will go out. Who’s to blame? We credit Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. 
In February 2024, members of the South Carolina Public Service Commission approved a proposed project to build a 1,020-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant in the state’s Lowcountry, in Colleton County (see 
Ohio already has 217 data centers with more on the way. Data centers are warehouses filled with computer equipment that generates a lot of heat. To cool down the computers, data centers use massive amounts of water. If data centers want to get rid of that water after it’s been used, they have to apply for a permit called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) through the Ohio EPA. Currently, data centers must apply for an individual NPDES permit, which is detailed and unique to their operations. The OEPA is looking to streamline the process to make it faster and easier. That’s a good thing. 
In 2022, then-Massachusetts Attorney General (now Governor) Maura Healey bragged she had “stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state” and that she opposes new natgas infrastructure in the state. 
MDN was among the first to tell readers that so-called environmental groups were quickly morphing from anti-fracking to anti-data center. Over the past several months, we’ve observed in various posts how opposition to data centers (from the same people who oppose fracking and shale energy) has gone from local and regional anti groups (see 
The U.S. shale industry is shifting its strategy from rapid drilling to maximizing recovery from existing wells. With the era of high-growth production ending, operators are increasingly focused on improving recovery rates, which currently average only 10% for oil. Companies like EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum are utilizing advanced technologies, including EOR techniques like “huff ‘n’ puff” gas injection and data-driven fracking, to extract more resources from mature fields. This transition toward efficiency and capital discipline aims to extend the lifespan of inventory and boost profitability, signaling a move from “shale growth” to “shale sustainability” in a maturing market. 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Time to reconsider a NY Climate Act press release; Don’t believe Kathy Hochul’s all-too-cute claims to have U-turned on climate; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Wisconsin Senate scrutiny highlights growing concerns over Bloomberg SAAG program; Judge rules Michigan can’t shut down Line 5 pipeline in Straits of Mackinac; Lingering pessimism, uncertainty further weigh on oil and gas activity; One state’s drive to slash GHGs slams into reality, a warning to others; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas gains ahead of storage data; Short-covering lifts natgas prices today — is it just a pause?; Rinse & repeat research fails to link gas stoves and asthma…again; INTERNATIONAL: Crude climbs as US threatens Russian and Venezuelan flows; USA readies new Russia sanctions if Putin rejects deal; Trump orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers in Venezuela; O’Neill leaves Woodside to become BP CEO; Netanyahu announces $34.7 billion natural gas deal with Egypt; Europe’s ‘green’ emperor is naked and cold.