** Atlanta overtakes northern Virginia as a hotspot for data center construction, with 2,160 MW worth of development underway in the Georgia metro area.
** As GOP Congress members push to revoke the Biden administration’s ban on offshore drilling, Florida Republicans say they still don’t want drilling off their coast.
** The Trump administration announces plans to drop a federal lawsuit against a Louisiana synthetic rubber manufacturer accused of worsening cancer risks for a neighboring, majority-Black community.
** Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker raises concerns about a new bill that would require data center operators to meet their power demands with renewable energy, saying it could stall investments in the state.
World
** The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Ecuador has awarded a 20-year concession for its Sacha oil block (Block 60) in central Ecuador to a Sino-Canadian consortium. The consortium is formed by subsidiaries of the Chinese Sinopec and Canadian group New Stratus Energy.
** Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company Saudi Aramco has released its 2024 results, posting a record net income of US$106.2bn, a 12 % decrease compared to 2023. Capital expenditure rose by 19% to US$50bn.
** Skyborn Renewables, TotalEnergies and their partners have inaugurated the 640 MW Yunlin offshore wind project, located off the western coast of Taiwan, as the power plant became fully operational. The wind park consists of 80 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines, the last of which was installed in October 2024.