WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) today announced $1.2 million for eight winning teams under Phase 2 of its Partnerships to Accelerate Training and Hiring for Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP PATHs) Prize.  The three-phase prize supports regional partnerships to build a stronger workforce for geothermal heat exchange systems and shallow drilling, which is vital to help increase the use of geothermal and advances the Trump administration’s goal of delivering affordable, reliable, and secure energy for all Americans. “A strong, skilled workforce is essential to increasing the use of geothermal energy,” said DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office Curt Coccodrilli. “By meeting the need for workers trained in shallow drilling, this prize is helping to advance President Trump’s America First Energy Agenda and expand the range of affordable options available to American consumers.” In Phase 2 of the GHP PATHs Prize—called “Engage”—competitors formalized partnerships envisioned as part of Phase 1 and proposed a workforce development program. Each of the eight teams will receive a $150,000 prize for their work in Phase 2 and proceed to Phase 3, “Execute.”  The Engage winners and their project names are:  Born Global—The New England Geothermal Workforce Accelerator        Cold Climate Innovation—Heating Alaska from Below: A GHP Training Program Egg Geo LLC—AI-Driven Geo Workforce Competency Engine     Energy Environmental Corporation—Energy Environmental Colorado FORGE Team GEI Consultants Inc.—AGILE-GHP: Northeast GHP Workforce Development Hub Midwest Geothermal Collaboration/Connor Co—Midwest GSHP Technicians Workforce Initiatives Nauman Innovation Group LLC—GHP SMART CYCLE               Northwest GeoExchange—Northwest GeoExchange Training Initiative   In Phase 3, the last phase of the prize, competitors will implement their workforce programs and share results including new hires and workers trained. Learn more about GHP PATHs on the competition website. Learn how HGEO is unleashing the full potential of America’s hydrocarbon and geothermal resources to provide affordable,

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) today announced the financial close of a loan of up to $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy to help finance the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Linn County, Iowa. The investment will bring Iowa’s only nuclear power plant back online, advancing President Trump’s energy dominance agenda and Executive Order, Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base. “President Trump has set an ambitious course to restore American nuclear leadership, and the restart of Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant in Iowa marks another step in advancing America’s nuclear renaissance,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly. “Returning 615 megawatts of reliable baseload generation will drive down electricity costs, while supporting thousands of American jobs. This Administration is pursuing a comprehensive nuclear strategy, restarting existing reactors, increasing the output of our nuclear fleet, and accelerating new construction, to build the abundant, affordable, and reliable power system required for American prosperity and reindustrialization.” Duane Arnold’s restart will add 615 megawatts (MW) of reliable baseload power back on the grid—enough to power nearly 500,000 homes—and help meet growing electricity demand in Iowa and across the region. The project will create nearly 1,500 American jobs during construction and support more than 450 jobs during operations. “President Trump called for a nuclear renaissance, and the Department of Energy is delivering,” said EDF Director Gregory A. Beard. “Duane Arnold is exactly the kind of investment that will help restore American nuclear leadership, strengthen our energy security, and deliver the affordable, reliable power Americans need to fuel our nation’s future.” Duane Arnold ceased operations in 2020. Pending required U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing approvals, the plant’s restart will return reliable nuclear power to the grid and help meet growing electricity demand across Iowa and the Midwest. DOE

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office (AFFO) today announced up to $58 million in funding to advance novel, high-impact chemical technologies that use domestically sourced alternative and waste feedstocks. Projects funded through this initiative will advance new methods of chemical production that maximize the use of America’s vast biomass and waste resources. This funding supports President Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy, which calls for targeted federal investment in technology innovation that strengthens the U.S. chemical sector.  “By investing in projects that use our abundant domestic resources and build strong industry partnerships, DOE will bolster American chemical manufacturing,” said AFFO Director Valerie Sarisky-Reed. “This funding will turn cutting-edge research into market-ready industrial solutions, strengthening our chemical supply chain, lowering costs for U.S. businesses and consumers, and securing America’s economic future.” The Accelerating Scale-up and Pre-piloting of Emerging Chemical Technologies (ASPECT) funding opportunity promotes the development and commercialization of chemical technologies that lower costs, enhance performance, reduce reliance on imports, and unlock strong market growth potential. ASPECT seeks to reduce time to market by moving projects from laboratory research to pre-pilot scale testing. It includes two main topic areas:  Topic Area 1: Bench ASPECT Proposals should support the development and adoption of new technologies for producing chemicals from alternative feedstocks, moving beyond proof-of-concept to bench and pre-pilot scale. Topic Area 2: Pre-pilot ASPECT Proposals should aim to accelerate the development and market entry of strategically valuable, domestically produced chemicals. AFFO will host an informational webinar for potential applicants on September 11, 2026, to explain the streamlined application and review process.  Applicants must submit concept papers by October 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET, to be eligible to submit a Stage 1 full application. To learn more about topic areas, registration requirements, applicant eligibility, webinar registration, and the Teaming Partner list, visit the

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order to mitigate the risk of blackouts in the Carolinas amid hot weather conditions. Issued pursuant to Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order authorizes Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke) to dispatch specified units and to order their operation as needed to maintain reliability. The order also authorizes Duke, in collaboration with its Transmission Owners, to direct backup generation resources to operate as a last resort before declaring an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3 or during an EEA 3. This order was issued pursuant to an application from Duke submitted on September 3, 2026. “Thanks to this emergency order, Americans will not have to worry about losing access to affordable power this Labor Day weekend,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like this. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that hardworking American families and businesses in the Carolinas’ have continued access energy to power and cool their homes.” On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration’s energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to the risk of blackouts. The order is in effect beginning on September 3, 2026, through September 8, 2026. 

WASHINGTON—This Labor Day, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is celebrating the hardworking men and women who power America with the release of the 2026 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER). The annual report highlights strong job growth across critical energy sectors at the heart of President Trump’s Energy Dominance agenda. America’s most reliable energy sectors are adding jobs and powering industries across the country. These critical sectors deliver the affordable, reliable, and secure energy that American families, businesses, and industries depend on. After years of decline under the previous administration, America’s coal and nuclear power workforces are growing again under President Trump’s leadership. “Energy is the sector that enables every other sector of our economy, and America’s energy workers make it all possible,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “These hardworking men and women keep our lights on, our factories running, and our economy growing. President Trump’s Energy Dominance agenda is putting them first and delivering the affordable, reliable, and secure energy America needs.” Energy careers are also delivering bigger paychecks for American workers. The median energy-sector salary reached $63,000—24% higher than the U.S. median salary. America’s growing energy needs are creating the jobs of the future. The 2026 USEER’s new Future Outlook chapter highlights rising demand for skilled energy workers and growing competition for talent across energy and other expanding industries. These trends are opening new pathways to high-paying, skilled careers for American workers. As energy demand grows, America’s energy workforce will power the next generation of American industry, innovation, and economic growth. Highlights from the report include:  •    The median energy-sector salary was $63,000, 24% higher than the national median salary of $51,000. •    Natural gas transmission and distribution added 12,500 workers, growing employment by 5%. •    Nuclear power added 2,300 workers, growing employment by 4%. •    Coal power generation added 2,800 workers, growing

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO), in collaboration with the Office of Technology Commercialization, today announced a Request for Information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on opportunities to better connect private capital and public-private partnership programs with coal, oil and gas, and geothermal energy technologies.  The RFI supports President Trump’s American Energy Dominance agenda by strengthening connections among American energy innovators, industry and private capital to accelerate commercialization, lower energy costs, strengthen reliability and energy security, and power American prosperity. This effort builds on the recently announced Small Business Investment Company-Energy (SBIC-E) Initiative, announced by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to mobilize private capital for American energy technologies and businesses.  “President Trump has made American energy innovation and dominance a priority, and connecting promising technologies with the right technical expertise, industry partners and sources of capital is critical to delivering on that vision,” said DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office Curt Coccodrilli. “Through this Request for Information, we would like to hear directly from investors, innovators and industry about the opportunities and challenges they see in commercializing coal, oil and gas, and geothermal energy technologies.” “Too often, promising American technologies face barriers between development and commercial deployment,” said Anthony Pugliese, DOE Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization. “We want to better understand where those barriers exist and how DOE can work with the private sector to create stronger pathways to market, helping more American energy technologies scale, compete, and succeed.”  DOE is soliciting feedback from investors, industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies and other stakeholders to better understand investor interest, barriers and opportunities related to the development and commercialization of subsurface energy technologies.   Areas of interest include, but are not