Energy Future Holdings Corp. has survived its latest legal bout with bondholders demanding some $431 million worth of premiums on billions of dollars in debt. “Round one was decided in the company’s favor in March, but that ruling left open the possibility that bondholders could persuade a judge to lift the automatic stay of bankruptcy and keep their claim to premium pay alive. Wednesday, Judge Christopher Sontchi of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., eliminated that possibility.

The decision eases Energy Future’s path out of bankruptcy by reducing the amount it must include for some bondholders as it negotiates with multiple groups of creditors over a chapter 11 exit scheme.” [WSJ]

The recreational marijuana industry is reportedly draining more of Denver’s electricity than was previously anticipated. “Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational weed use in 2012, and the commercial industry has grown exponentially ever since. But that blooming market has placed a huge burden on the grid that distributes electricity throughout the state, particularly in Denver, where the largest cluster of growing facilities exist.

The city’s 354 weed-cultivation facilities sucked up 200 million kilowatts of electricity last year, up from 86 million at 351 facilities in 2012,according to the Denver Post.” [Mother Jones]

Brazil has overhauled its economic policy in the latest budget to make ethanol a priority after years in decline. “The mandatory mix of ethanol in petrol has increased – from 25% to 27.5%, and the levy on fossil fuel has been reinstated.

More importantly, subsidies to petrol have been terminated. Government incentives and Brazil’s weak currency are helping to keep ethanol more competitive than petrol. And ethanol sales are up again this year.” [BBC]

Factory photo courtesy of Shutterstock.