PROGRESS ON PUBLIC ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS: The number of publicly available electric vehicle chargers has doubled under the Biden administration, the Department of Energy announced on Tuesday.
In a funding announcement allocating $521 million in grants to help boost the buildout of EV chargers and alternative fueling infrastructure, the agency announced there are currently over 192,000 publicly available charging ports across the country, with approximately 1,000 new public chargers being added each week. It’s expected that the allocated funds will build 9,200 more chargers across the country.
Why this matters: Upon enacting the bipartisan infrastructure package, the Biden administration eyed a goal of building 500,000 chargers in the U.S. by 2030. But a March report from the Washington Post outlined that after more than two years since Congress allocated $7.5 billion to build the stations, only seven new chargers attributable to the law were operational across four states – illustrating the difficulty of bringing policy to life.
In its latest announcement, DOE stressed the “catalyzing” effect the funds had on private investment for EV charging infrastructure.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris believe in building infrastructure from the bottom up and the middle out,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm . "It will deliver good paying local jobs while giving Americans more transportation options no matter their geography or income and allow those looking for a new vehicle to more confidently take advantage of tax credits to purchase new and used EVs.”
The latest round of funding is expected to spread across 29 states, two tribes, and the District of Columbia.
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INDIAN SOLAR PANELS DETAINED BY CBP: The U.S. has detained nearly $43 million in electronic imports from India since October, following regulations that would ban goods made with forced labor, Reuters reports.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not specify what kind of electronics it has detained, but industry sources noted to the publication that polysilicon – a component of solar panels – is classified as “high priority” in the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Solar panels have made up most of the stopped shipments in that classification.
A staggering statistic: Nearly a third of India’s detained electronic shipments were denied – a stark contrast to earlier years, where no shipments from the country were denied. Just 5.4% of shipments from top solar suppliers in Southeast Asia were denied entry over that period.
Why this is important: This is a major setback for Indian producers looking to supply a need for U.S. solar developers navigating tariffs and harsher trade policies on mainly Chinese companies. Read more on that here.
PANAMA CANAL EASES VESSEL RESTRICTIONS: The Panama Canal is lifting restrictions it placed in response to lowering water levels from a severe drought, alleviating a bottleneck in global shipping.
Bloomberg reports that the Panama Canal Authority will now allow up to 36 vessels to move in transit after rains lifted water levels, administrator Ricaurte Vasquez told reporters on Monday. The agency is expecting water levels to be further raised with rainfall through November.
At the height of the drought, the canal restricted daily transits to just 24 vessels – compared to 30-32 vessels currently entering the waterway. Vasquez mentioned that it’ll take about five to six months for shippers to return in full.
Some background: Last year’s El Niño caused a decline in rainfall and forced the canal to enact daily transit restrictions for the first time in history. Authorities even held auctions where shippers bid for slots to move through the waterway. Some shippers carrying time-sensitive cargoes, such as liquified natural gas and liquified petroleum gas, had decided to move through alternative routes.
Looking forward: The agency may need to continue implementing seasonal draft restrictions during the 2025 dry season, but will look to avoid using daily transit restrictions. Furthermore, the canal is also exploring the possibility of creating more long-term reservation slots for time-sensitive cargoes to accommodate LNG and LPG shippers. Read more on that here.
RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINIAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE: Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine yesterday, targeting power plants and other energy facilities, CBS News reports .
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the state-owned power grid operator, Ukrenergo, was forced to implement emergency power cuts. The private energy company DTEK also introduced emergency blackouts.
The Russian attack was carried out first by drones and then with cruise and ballistic missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force. Authorities in the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, and Lviv said that their energy infrastructure was targeted.
The air force said it was the largest attack of the war yet, according to Reuters. Seven people were reported killed in the strikes.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he condemns Russia’s efforts to “plunge the Ukrainian people into darkness.”
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