The U.S. Department of Energy extended an emergency order to mitigate blackouts in New England ahead of more winter weather, with below freezing temperatures projected into early this week.

State regulators, Type One Energy, and the Tennessee Valley Authority recently announced the initial submission of a “byproduct material license” application in preparation for Tennessee’s first commercial fusion project.

Tennessee public power utility Nashville Electric Service reported that it has made significant progress in restoring power to customers that were impacted by Winter Storm Fern.

The following is a transcript of the Dec. 1, 2025, episode of Public Power Now. Learn more about subscribing to Public Power Now at Publicpower.org/Podcasts. Some quotes may have been edited for clarity. Paul Ciampoli Welcome to the latest episode of Public Power Now. I'm Paul Ciampoli, APPA's News

Rapidly growing electricity demand from data centers, electrification, and other sources can -- under certain conditions -- lower average retail electricity rates while enabling needed grid investments, according to findings released by the Electric Power Research Institute.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approved an unprecedented reduction in its CleanPowerSF electricity rates, cutting generation charges by 20% to 25%. The rate cuts will take effect March 1.