Join host Bill Derasmo as he chats with Dr. Majid Keshavarz, chief technology officer at EnerVenue. They trace the evolution of nickel‑hydrogen batteries from their NASA origins in the 1970s — proven on missions like Hubble, the ISS, and Mars — to today’s grid applications. Tune in to learn how this inherently safe chemistry delivers decades‑long service life, high cycle counts, and recyclable materials for long‑duration, grid‑scale storage.

On October 10, 2025, FERC accepted Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (“SPP”) proposed revisions to its Open Access Transmission Tariff (“OATT”) to establish a provisional load interconnection process. SPP argued the provisional load interconnection process is driven by an increase in requests for load additions and will improve transmission planning and encourage new generation resources to come online by allowing SPP to study interconnection requests while accounting for planned generation. FERC accepted the tariff revisions subject to further compliance, finding the provisional load interconnection process will allow SPP to better understand the impacts of load requests and identify necessary network upgrades.

On October 7, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nominations of Laura V. Swett and David A. LaCerte as FERC Commissioners. Once they are sworn in as Commissioners, they will fill the remaining two seats on the five-member Commission. Commissioner Swett’s term ends on June 30, 2030, and she will…

On October 7, 2025, FERC rescinded the regulation that precluded natural gas pipeline companies from receiving authorization to proceed with construction of their new projects during the period for filing requests for rehearing of certificate orders, or while rehearing is pending. In doing so, FERC stated that its rescission will…

On October 1, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a final rule revising 53 regulations to include conditional sunset provision in response to the April 2025 Executive Order titled “Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy.” FERC, along with nine other agencies, was required to establish one-year…

On September 30, 2025, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a joint petition for review brought by Sierra Club and Appalachian Voices (together, Petitioners) challenging FERC’s grant of a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee Gas) to construct a new natural gas…

On September 30, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) vacated and remanded FERC’s order approving a two-tiered fuel rate structure for Antero Resource Corporation’s (“Antero”) usage of Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.’s (“Tennessee Gas”) Broad Run Expansion Project (“Expansion Project”). The D.C. Circuit held FERC’s approval of the rate structure was arbitrary and capricious because it required Antero to always pay for the highest fuel rates irrespective of the segment’s actual operations.

On September 9, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court upheld FERC’s order granting Broadview Solar, LLC’s (“Broadview”) hybrid solar and battery project qualifying facility (“QF”) status based on FERC’s interpretation of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (“PURPA”). Specifically, even without the benefit of Chevron deference (discussed below), the D.C. Circuit reaffirmed FERC’s interpretation that PURPA’s 80 MW statutory size limitation should be applied using the capacity a QF can “send out” to the grid, even if the facilities have a higher aggregate generating capacity.

On September 18, 2025, FERC accepted in part and denied in part the Maine Office of Public Advocate’s (“Maine OPA”) request for eight New England Transmission Owners (“Identified NETOs”) to answer information requests as part of the Information Exchange Period within their Formula Rate Protocols (“Protocols”). Three of the Identified NETOs must now answer Maine OPA’s information requests regarding procedures for evaluating the need for asset condition projects; all Identified NETOs must provide information on their respective procedures for ensuring asset condition projects are not placed in service before such projects are needed.

In the latest chapter in a long-running saga dealing with certain credits for transmission upgrades in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), on September 18, 2025, FERC directed SPP to submit a compliance filing addressing certain aspects of SPP’s proposed plan (Refund Plan) for unwinding credit payment obligations assessed by SPP.