DOE pulls plug, UK funds nukes, BP exits H2 + Fresh RFPs in CA

See the upside behind the drama—new public-private models, asset roll-ups, and open RFP deadlines.

Author

Swarnav Pujari
July 29, 2025

Hi there,

Meta just wrote a $900M check for 600 MW of Texas solar, while Google inked a multi-year pact to scale Energy Dome’s 24-hour CO₂ battery—proof that hyperscalers are still the market makers for both electrons and exotic chemistries. On the flip side, DOE yanked its $4.9B loan for Grain Belt Express the same week the UK agreed to co-own the £38B Sizewell C nuclear plant, underscoring a new reality: U.S. federal money can vanish overnight, but overseas governments will bankroll gigawatt baseload. Data out of CAISO shows solar curtailment down 12% after batteries hit 10 GW, validating four- to six-hour storage revenue stacks. Meanwhile, BP is dumping clean energy bets—exiting a $55B Aussie hydrogen hub and offloading 1.7 GW of U.S. wind to LS Power—opening a roll-up playground for opportunistic founders. RFP cash is also on the table: California, Massachusetts, and the EU have calls due as soon as Sept 5.

🔦 Signals Worth Monitoring

🔨Headline: Enbridge-Meta $900M “Clear Fork” Solar Deal

What Happened: Meta signed a 600 MW, ~$900 million PPA with Enbridge to power Texas data-centers; COD targeted for 2027.

Why Founders Should Care: Hyperscale buyers continue dictating utility-scale solar build-outs, opening parallel demand for co-located storage, grid-services software, and land aggregation plays.

🔨Headline: Google × Energy Dome CO₂-Battery Partnership

What Happened: Google entered a multi-year agreement to help scale Energy Dome’s 8-24 hr “CO₂ Battery” long-duration storage.

Why Founders Should Care: Validation of non-lithium chemistries by an A-list offtaker accelerates bankability for deep-tech storage startups and signals corporate appetite for 24/7 clean power hedges.

🔨Headline: DOE Pulls $4.9B Grain Belt Express Loan

What Happened: The U.S. Department of Energy terminated its conditional loan guarantee for the 800-mile HVDC line crossing KS-MO.

Why Founders Should Care: Federal support for clean energy related projects continues to withdraw rapidly. Find alternative sources of capital.

🔨Headline: UK Green-lights £38B Sizewell C

What Happened: Westminster approved the 3.2 GW Sizewell C nuclear project, taking a 44.9% equity stake alongside EDF and La Caisse. 

Why Founders Should Care: Europe is reviving gigawatt-scale baseload—with new public-private funding models that could apply to other advanced fuels, SMRs, and recycling tech.

🔨Headline: CAISO Curtailment Down 12% on Batteries

What Happened: CAISO data show solar curtailment fell from 13% to 11.5% YoY for Jan–May 2025 as installed battery capacity exceeded 10 GW.

Why Founders Should Care: Empirical proof that 4-6 hr batteries monetize energy shifting and T&D deferral, strengthening revenue-stack assumptions for storage, EMS, and VPP startups.

🔨Headline: BP Exits 26 GW Australian Hydrogen Hub

What Happened: BP walked away from its stake in the $55B AREH mega-project, refocusing on oil & gas.

Why Founders Should Care: Oil and gas companies used to be viable investors in clean energy and hydrogen initiatives. The divesting pattern occurring could create opportunities for larger clean energy companies or energy focused private equity groups to acquire these assets.

🔨Headline: LS Power Buys BP’s 1.7 GW US Wind Fleet

What Happened: BP agreed to sell ten operating on-shore wind assets (1.3 GW net) to LS Power; closing expected Q4-25.

Why Founders Should Care: Secondary-market roll-ups mean demand for technologies that support the maintenance and revenue performance optimization of these assets will likely see an uptick.

📌 RFP Bulletin

See all of the RFP’s we’ve discovered in calendar format or table view.

California EPIC GFO-24-312 – Advanced Grid Technology Acceleration

California FPIP GFO-24-311 – Food Production Investment Program 2025

Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) – Joint Call 2025

  • 📅 Key Dates: Pre-proposal deadline Oct 9, 2025 (14:00 CEST) | Full proposals (by invite) due Mar 12, 2026

  • 🎯 Focus Areas: Transnational R&D on next-gen renewables, system flexibility, hydrogen, CCUS, digital & market design for the energy transition

  • 🗺️ Region: EU & Partner Countries (US startups eligible via consortia)

  • 🔗 RFP Link: https://cetpartnership.eu/calls/joint-call-2025

Massachusetts 83E Round 1 Mid-Duration Storage RFP

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