Energy Video Week 2, March 2025: Trade War Bleeds Into Electricity, Becomes a Ratcheting Power Struggle

After the Trump Administration slapped tariffs on imports from Canada, including a 10% levy on power, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would impose 25% tariffs on power flowing to Michigan, New York and Minnesota. Ford also warned, “I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely.” 2023 New York imports totaled 4.4%, while Michigan and Minnesota imported less than .5%.

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) announced a draft plan to join the Southwest Power Pool’s Markets+ real-time and day-ahead market instead of CAISO’s competing Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM).

Kia said it’s taking pre-orders for the Wallbox Quasar 2 home charger and accompanying hardware to accommodate bidirectional charging from its 76 kWh EV9 electric SUV. The combined vehicle and charger system will enable both home back-up power supply as well as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality. The charging equipment will sell for $6,440. Pre-orders are limited to residents of seven states.

Also in V2G, Nuvve was recently awarded a contract from the State of New Mexico for up to $400 million over the next 4 years to deliver a comprehensive, turnkey electrification solution to support New Mexico’s zero-emission vehicle adoption and renewable energy goals. This will include electrification of 2,000+ buses and 3,500 state-owned vehicles as well as V2G hubs and turnkey charging solutions.

Utah passed to allow 1.2 kW or smaller portable solar devices to be plugged directly into standard 120 volt wall sockets without requiring any interconnection requests to the utility. If the governor signs, it will take effect on May 7.

Now let’s move to Texas – modular nuclear reactor (MNR) startup Last Energy announced plans to build 30 microreactors in Texas near the Dallas-Fort Worth areas.

Reuters reports that a lengthy period of low wind speeds in Texas has resulted in record high output from the fossil fleet thus far this year. As a result, some fossil generators may shorten or delay planned maintenance outage breaks this spring during the shoulder demand period. This could represent a critical challenge coming into the warmer weather ahead.