Welcome to Grid Brief! Here’s what we’re looking at today: two utilities try to save the Everett LNG terminal, Westinghouse applies for a UK SMR license, and more.

Could Everett Be Saved?

Everett LNG Terminal in Massachusetts has been in operation for half a century and served as a major source of reliability in winter. As its biggest buyer, the Mystic Generating Station, prepares to close, Everett has been at risk of closing up shop. But two utilities are stepping in to try and save the facility.

“National Grid Plc is asking the Massachusetts Bureau of Public Utilities to approve a six-year supply deal with Constellation Energy Corp.’s Everett Marine Terminal, according to a filing Friday,” reports Bloomberg. “Eversource Energy, meanwhile, said it plans to submit a similar request to regulators as early as Monday.”

If NG and Eversource can find a way to save Everett, it will be a boon for the region. For more about the situation at Everett, check out our recent Deep Dive for premium subscribers.

Westinghouse Begins UK License Process for AP300

Westinghouse has submitted its license application to the UK’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

“Westinghouse is one of six small modular reactor (SMR) suppliers shortlisted in October 2023 to bid for support from the UK government as part of plans to quadruple the country's nuclear energy capacity to 24 GW by 2050, and earlier this month announced it has signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power Limited to build four AP300s in northeast England,” reports World Nuclear News. “This would be the UK's first privately-financed SMR fleet.”

The AP300 SMR is premised on Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor, which has been most recently completed at the Vogtle plant in the US.

News of Westinghouse’s submission comes as the UK has set ambitious goals for nuclear, hoping to add 24 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050. Yet the Hinkley nuclear construction project faces new delays that will take years and cost billions. The UK’s nuclear power output has also hit a 42-year low.

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Conversation Starters

• Shell sees Asian pivot from coal to LNG. “UK energy supermajor Shell has projected that liquefied natural gas (LNG) will replace coal as a leading driver of Chinese and other Asian economies. According to the firm’s LNG Outlook published today, demand will rise by 50 percent by 2040 and global LNG trade will grow to around 625-685m tonnes per year, up from the 404m tonnes traded in 2023,” reports Oilprice.com. “‘China is likely to dominate LNG demand growth this decade as its industry seeks to cut carbon emissions by switching from coal to gas,’ said Steve Hill, executive vice president for Shell Energy.”

• Goldman: Indian steel threatened by EU carbon import taxes. “There is a potential for an additional $102 to $190 a ton of tax charges on flows of Indian steel to the bloc over the next decade, analysts led by Emma Jones said in a report. That range — which assumes a carbon price of $70 — is 15% to 28% of current hot-rolled coil prices, they said,” reports Bloomberg. “Policymakers worldwide are seeking to reduce carbon emissions in their fight against climate change, with steel traditionally among the most polluting industries. Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism aims to subject imported goods such as steel to a levy to ensure its own strengthened pollution standards aren’t undermined by trading partners.”

• BOEM signs off on Oregonian offshore wind sites. “The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Tuesday that it has made two final wind energy area, or WEA, designations offshore Oregon, totaling around 195,012 acres and offering up to 2.4 GW of potential capacity,” reports Utility Dive. “The Brookings WEA near the coast of Oregon and California totals around 133,808 acres and is around 18 miles from shore, while the Coos Bay WEA further north totals 61,204 acres and is 32 miles from shore.”

Crom’s Blessing

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