The pace of U.S. coal-fired plant closures quickens, coal’s share of generation to plummet Energize Weekly, April 5, 2023 The pace of U.S. coal-fired plant closures continues to accelerate with half of all the capacity, which peaked in 2011, closed by 2026, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). In 2010,…
New Ky. law makes it more difficult to retire coal-fired power plants March 27, 2023 Energy utilities now have to prove to regulators their plans to retire fossil-fueled power plants won’t compromise the reliability and resilience of the electric grid in Kentucky. It takes effect immediately. The legislation emerged following a winter storm that wiped…
White House threatens veto for Republican energy package 03/27/23 The White House on Monday threatened a veto of a House Republicans’ energy package, known as H.R. 1, if it makes it to President Biden’s desk. “H.R. 1 would take us backward. Therefore, if presented to the President in its current form, he would veto it,”…
Martin Drake Power Plant natural gas units generating power Mar 21, 2023 Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities) has started generating power with the first of six modular natural gas units at the Martin Drake Power Plant. Springs Utilities said over the next several weeks each unit will go online and offline for testing purposes, to…
EPA proposes new rules for toxic pollutants discharged from coal-fired power plants March 13, 2023 The EPA has proposed new and stricter limits on toxic contaminants that utilities can discharge from their coal-fired power plants and coal ash landfills — but it’s still unclear how the rules would affect Duke Energy’s facilities in North Carolina.…
Texas lawmakers propose bills moving away from renewable energy in attempt to shore up power grid March 9, 2023 Some Texas senators unveiled plans Thursday to shift the focus away from wind and solar and toward resources like natural gas. It was part of nine bills Texas lawmakers announced aimed at shoring up the state’s…
Global bank financing for low-carbon energy rose 15 percent to $550 billion in 2022 Energize Weekly, March 8, 2023 Investments in low-carbon energy supply rose by 15 percent in 2022 – the fastest growth rate in seven years – to $550 billion, according to BloombergNEF’s (BNEF) annual report on energy transition investment trends. Investments in…
Northern Virginia data centers could strain power grid February 27, 2023 Data centers in Northern Virginia starting to draw new environmental concerns. Monday, The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will weigh whether the centers get a waiver on air pollution. Northern Virginia hosts the largest collection of data centers in the world. A recent report…
Kentucky lawmakers advance bill to keep coal on the power grid, cite reliability concerns FEBRUARY 28, 2023 Kentucky lawmakers are advancing a bill to try to keep coal-fired power plants on the state’s electric grid “for the foreseeable future,” pointing to concerns over rolling blackouts that some utilities implemented when arctic temperatures swept through in…
EPA undoes Trump-era power plant rollback 02/17/2023 A quixotic and clamorous regulatory saga perhaps unmatched in Clean Air Act history has ended — at least for now. In a final rule unveiled Friday, EPA restored the legal underpinnings of a 2012 set of regulations for emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin that’s particularly dangerous to babies,…
Duke Energy plans gas plants as it moves away from coal, but critics see higher cost and emissions February 14, 2023 Three years ago, Duke Energy opened its newest natural gas-fired power plant in Asheville, on the site of an old coal-fired plant. Duke wants to build more gas plants around North Carolina as part…
Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says Energize Weekly, February 15, 2023 New renewable and nuclear generation is set to meet 90 percent of the growing demand for electricity globally during the next three years, while increasing extreme weather will test grid resilience, according to the International Energy Agency’s…