WASHINGTON—The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) announced today it closed a loan to lower Michigan electricity prices and modernize natural gas infrastructure. The $1.6 billion loan to DTE Gas Company (DTE) will deliver over $700 million in cost savings to millions of customers in Michigan and is made possible by President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut.  In accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy, DTE’s natural gas upgrades are critical for ensuring the affordability and reliance of America’s energy distribution system.  “Thanks to President Trump and the Working Families Tax Cut, the Energy Department is lowering energy costs and ensuring the American people have access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy,” said Secretary Wright. “This loan to DTE Gas will lower energy costs, create jobs and increase grid reliability for the people of Michigan.”  The loan will be used to help modernize and strengthen approximately 800 miles of distribution mains and service lines. This includes rebuilding an existing compressor station that enables DTE to store natural gas in low demand periods, reducing the price Michigan customers pay during peak demand periods. DOE remains committed to setting a new standard for government energy financing, ensuring the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and that loans deliver affordable, reliable, and secure energy for the American people.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today issued an emergency order to keep affordable, reliable, and secure coal generation online and address critical grid reliability issues facing the Northwestern region of the United States. The emergency order directs TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC (TransAlta) to ensure that Unit 2 of the Centralia Generating Station in Centralia, Washington, a coal-fired power plant, remains available to operate. Centralia Unit 2 was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025. The order minimizes the risk and cost of unnecessary blackouts. “Taking reliable generation off the grid compromises energy reliability and needlessly raises energy costs for Americans,” said Energy Secretary Wright. “During peak summer demand, Northwesterners deserve continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power and cool their homes.” Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, coal plants across the country are being saved from premature retirement and reversing plans to shut down. In 2025, more than 17 gigawatts of coal-power electricity generation were saved from going offline. As outlined in DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report, power outages could increase by 100 times by 2030 if the U.S. continues to take reliable power offline. The availability of Centralia to operate will continue to be an asset to maintain reliability in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) Northwest region. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment assessed that the WECC Northwest region is at high risk of energy shortfalls over the next five years, noting that “rapid forecasted demand growth is driving the need for more resources” and that “periods of unserved energy are projected for both summer and winter.” This order is in effect beginning on June 15, 2026, through September 12, 2026. Background: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s data, in 2025, Centralia generated an average of approximately 340,000 MWh per month, providing vital generation capacity to the region.  ###

HOUSTON, TEXAS—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today signed a Declaration of Intent (DOI) with the Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry of the Republic of Cyprus Michael Damianos, Minister of Environment and Energy for Greece Stavros Papastavrou, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Dr. Yechiel Leiter, and President of Rice University Reginald DesRoches to establish the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center (EMEC). The agreement establishes a framework to strengthen cooperation between the respective nations through the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center (EMEC). It also advances a key initiative envisioned under Secretary Rubio’s Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019. The agreement advances President Trump’s commitment to strengthening America’s partnerships with key allies while expanding opportunities for U.S. energy development, innovation, and investment. As global energy demand continues to grow, the United States, Cyprus, Greece, and Israel will work together to promote energy security, strengthen critical infrastructure, support emerging technologies, and advance long-term economic growth throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. “The Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center will help fulfill President Trump’s vision of prosperity and energy security at home and abroad,” said Secretary Wright. “The Eastern Mediterranean is an increasingly important region for global energy development, and this agreement strengthens cooperation among key allies while advancing our shared goals of energy abundance, economic prosperity, and regional stability. By establishing the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center at Rice University in Houston, we are ensuring all member nations of this agreement will benefit from a lasting partnership bound together by the brightest minds and industry leaders in hydrocarbon development.” The partnership will support collaboration on shared priorities including natural gas development, U.S. LNG infrastructure, energy transportation networks, grid reliability, critical infrastructure resilience, and emerging technologies. It will also facilitate scientific and technical exchanges, research partnerships, workforce development initiatives, and engagement with industry stakeholders. The Trump

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order to mitigate blackouts in the Carolinas’ ahead of a period of hot weather. Issued pursuant to Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order authorizes Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (“DEC”) and Duke Energy Progress, LLC (“DEP”) (collectively, “Duke Energy”) to operate specified units located within Duke Energy’s service territory to operate up to their maximum generation output levels, notwithstanding air quality or other permit limitations arising under federal, state, or local law or regulation, or other applicable source of law. The order was issued subsequent to Duke Energy’s application. The order will mitigate the risk of unnecessary blackouts brought on by unusually high load forecasts and high temperatures across the region. “Maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the Duke Energy service territory is non-negotiable,” 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. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool ensuring Americans in the Carolinas’ have continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure 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 blackouts. The order is in effect beginning at 4:00 PM ET on June 11, 2026, and shall expire at 10:00 PM ET on June 12, 2026. Background: Duke Energy stated that some generating units are limited in providing needed generation because of conditions and limitations in their environmental permits. As a result, the system “may not have sufficient generation available to meet this unusually high demand and [Duke Energy] may be forced to curtail load in order to maintain security

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an exchange of up to 40 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Today’s solicitation opens competitive bidding, continuing DOE’s execution of President Trump’s 172-million-barrel release as part of a coordinated 400-million-barrel action by International Energy Agency (IEA) member nations’ strategic reserves. Under President Trump’s leadership, DOE has advanced an unprecedented series of large-scale SPR exchange solicitations at record speed. These actions have moved critical crude oil supplies into the market to address short term supply disruptions and bolster energy security for the United States and its allies. The crude oil will originate from the SPR’s Big Hill and Bryan Mound sites. This action builds on the Department’s four previous solicitations that collectively awarded more than 133 million barrels across three completed exchanges. DOE’s earlier exchanges demonstrated the SPR’s ability to rapidly deliver crude under emergency authorities while achieving a 26 percent premium in returned barrels—expanding the reserve at no additional cost to American taxpayers. “With today’s announcement, we are accelerating the President’s commitment to a coordinated and strategic release that stabilizes global oil markets,” said DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office Curt Coccodrilli. “This exchange will help move oil swiftly to refiners, ease short-term supply pressures, and ensure the Strategic Petroleum Reserve continues to grow stronger through the return of premium barrels.” Under DOE’s exchange authority, participating companies will return the 40 million borrowed barrels with additional premium barrels, ensuring immediate market supply while increasing the SPR’s long-term inventory. Bids for this solicitation are due no later than 11:00 A.M. Central Time on Monday, June 15, 2026. For more information on the SPR, please visit DOE’s website. 

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) today announced $3.6 million for nine design and engineering projects that will support the refurbishment or retrofit of existing coal power plants with transformational technologies that address wastewater systems and improve the efficiency, reliability, flexibility, and performance of coal and natural gas use. By upgrading our nation’s existing coal facilities, these initiatives will help strengthen the backbone of America’s power grid and ensure all American’s have access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy when they need it most. These efforts help to advance President Trump’s Executive Orders Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid to restore common-sense energy policies that prioritize dependable power, affordability, and American workers. “America’s coal fleet is an undeniable pillar of our energy dominance and economic strength, but for too long, policies have undermined this vital industry and the dedicated workforce behind it, threatening our grid’s stability and driving up costs for everyday Americans,” said DOE Acting Assistant Secretary of the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office Curt Coccodrilli. “With the project investments announced today, we are decisively moving to champion our existing coal plants, ensuring they continue to deliver affordable, reliable power, keep the lights on, and fuel America’s progress for generations to come.” Projects have been selected under three topic areas to provide a path forward to rapidly and cost-effectively restore the stability of the nation’s bulk power system while also finding beneficial uses for wastes generated by coal-based energy production. The projects will be executed in three phases, with design and engineering completed in Phase I, final engineering and detailed design completed in Phase II, and technology implementation and validation completed in Phase III. Selectees to receive Phase I funding include: Baker Hughes Energy Transition LLC (Houston, Texas),