Public meeting held to address proposal to close four coal plants in Western Kentucky Aug. 14, 2023 People from across Western Kentucky voiced their concerns over a proposal to close several coal plants. In Madisonville, the Public Service Commission hosted a public comment session Monday to address a recent proposal…
Quebec government says it is open to studying whether to restart nuclear reactor
Quebec government says it is open to studying whether to restart nuclear reactor Aug 14, 2023 Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said Monday he agrees with Hydro-Québec’s decision to study a possible reopening of the province’s only nuclear power plant. Fitzgibbon was reacting to last week’s news that the power…
How a grid rule change could derail Texas renewables
How a grid rule change could derail Texas renewables 08/04/2023 In the midst of a sweltering summer when renewable energy has helped Texas avoid grid outages despite record demand, wind and solar companies are warning that a proposed rule may cripple their industry. The state’s main grid operator is reviewing…
PSC to retire several coal, natural gas plants
PSC to retire several coal, natural gas plants Aug 4, 2023 The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) will provide several opportunities over the next month for the public to receive information and provide comments regarding Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities’ (LG&E/KU) request to retire four coal-fired electric generating…
APS says rate hike vital to keep homes in Phoenix powered, recover infrastructure costs
APS says rate hike vital to keep homes in Phoenix powered, recover infrastructure costs Aug 4, 2023 As a rate increase for Arizona Public Service customers is on the horizon, the president of the company said it is necessary to recover infrastructure costs and to continue powering Phoenix homes. Regaining…
Cyberattacks on the power grid are on the rise as utilities seeking security play catch-up
Cyberattacks on the power grid are on the rise as utilities seeking security play catch-up Energize Weekly, August 9, 2023 In the summer of 2022, the Colorado Springs Utilities alerted its customers that their data from its system had been hacked. Several months later, 2,000 wind turbines in Germany were…
Wind and solar are propping up the Texas power grid amid a brutally long heat wave
Wind and solar are propping up the Texas power grid amid a brutally long heat wave July 28, 2023 As Texas bakes under a sweltering heat dome this summer and people crank their air conditioners, the state’s energy demand has smashed records. But the power has stayed on and prices…
Northland transmission line to boost reliability as renewables replace power plants
Northland transmission line to boost reliability as renewables replace power plants July 31, 2023 Large cross-country transmission lines carrying clean energy from remote rural areas to population centers will be a key strategy for reducing emissions. But as a project in Minnesota illustrates, the grid puzzle is more complicated than…
America’s first new nuclear reactor in nearly seven years starts operations
America’s first new nuclear reactor in nearly seven years starts operations JUL 31 2023 Monday marked the first time a new nuclear reactor has begun delivering power to the electric grid in the United States in nearly seven years. Nuclear energy does not generate the greenhouse gas emissions that cause…
Michigan PSC approves DTE Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan, setting path to net zero emissions by 2050
Michigan PSC approves DTE Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan, setting path to net zero emissions by 2050 July 28, 2023 DTE Energy received approval for its CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) this week from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), greenlighting a clean energy plan that will speed the end of…
Infrastructure and green energy spending are powering the economy
Infrastructure and green energy spending are powering the economy July 28, 2023 A surge in government funding and related private investment is beginning to make its way to businesses and communities across the country, building electric vehicles, new bridges, airport upgrades and a host of other infrastructure and green energy…
Global temperatures are rising in 2023 and so is worldwide consumption of coal and oil
Global temperatures are rising in 2023 and so is worldwide consumption of coal and oil Energize Weekly, August 2, 2023 As the world sizzles, with July the hottest month on Earth since records have been kept, consumption of coal and oil – the two main sources of climate-warming greenhouse gases…
Swiss firm chooses Colorado for solar cell manufacturing plant
Swiss firm chooses Colorado for solar cell manufacturing plant July 24, 2023 Meyer Burger, a Swiss maker of solar cells and modules, will locate a new manufacturing plant in Colorado Springs as it boosts its U.S. presence, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced Monday. The new…
Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand
Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand July 24, 2023 The Pacific Northwest’s need for more — and renewable — electricity is increasing, and Bonneville Power Administration officials say the grid needs billions of dollars’ of work to keep those higher energy loads flowing across…
NV Energy wants $1.8B to replace Nevada’s last coal plant
NV Energy wants $1.8B to replace Nevada’s last coal plant July 20, 2023 NV Energy is committing to shutting down its last coal plant by 2025, the utility announced Wednesday, and will spend nearly $2 billion to do it. The news comes after questions were raised early this year on…
State regulators to hear Plant Vogtle progress report after nuclear expansion stalled again
State regulators to hear Plant Vogtle progress report after nuclear expansion stalled again July 24, 2023 Georgia Power announced on Friday that the Waynesboro’s nuclear energy facility operators, Southern Nuclear, has turned over to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission the 364 inspections, tests and analyses required for regulatory approval to assure…
San Diego Gas & Electric seeks tax credits for energy storage to reduce power rates
San Diego Gas & Electric seeks tax credits for energy storage to reduce power rates July 24, 2023 San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is seeking federal investment tax credits for its energy storage projects which would represent millions in savings for its customers, it was announced Monday. The tax…
Congestion on the U.S. electric grid added $20.8 billion in costs in 2022
Congestion on the U.S. electric grid added $20.8 billion in costs in 2022 Energize Weekly, July 26,2023 The increasingly choked U.S. electric grid – sometimes preventing the cheapest generation from getting online – cost consumers $20.8 billion in 2022, a 55 percent year-over-year increase, according to utility consultant Grid Strategies.…
DTE Energy to move up retirement of its coal-fired Monroe Power Plant by 3 years
DTE Energy to move up retirement of its coal-fired Monroe Power Plant by 3 years July 12, 2023 Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. announced a clean energy plan Wednesday that includes moving up the retirement of its coal-fired Monroe Power Plant — one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in…
Holtec gets NRC go-ahead for US used nuclear fuel store
Holtec gets NRC go-ahead for US used nuclear fuel store 13 July 2023 Holtec International has received the final licence from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for construction and operation of a waste storage facility in Lea County, southeast New Mexico. The site will temporarily store nuclear waste from…
Maine’s electric rates expected to rise through 2024 until solar subsidies ease
Maine’s electric rates expected to rise through 2024 until solar subsidies ease July 13, 2023 Mainers can expect more rate hikes for electricity through the end of next year until the solar subsidies that have driven up rates for consumers wind down. The Legislature is reining in its costly net…
Avangrid agrees to pay $48m to terminate offshore wind deal
Avangrid agrees to pay $48m to terminate offshore wind deal Jul 17, 2023 Avangrid and the State’s three major utilities on Monday agreed to terminate a power purchase agreement they signed just last year, with the offshore wind developer agreeing to pay a total of $48 million to put the…
Duke Energy Kentucky partners with Amazon for solar project
Duke Energy Kentucky partners with Amazon for solar project July 10, 2023 Duke Energy Kentucky recently completed a new utility-scale rooftop solar project on the Amazon Air Hub rooftop adjacent to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. This project is the largest rooftop solar array in the state, with over 5,600…
Ontario Building More Small Modular Reactors to Power Province’s Growth
Ontario Building More Small Modular Reactors to Power Province’s Growth July 07, 2023 The Ontario government is working with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to commence planning and licensing for three additional small modular reactors (SMRs), for a total of four SMRs at the Darlington nuclear site. Once deployed, these four…
NS Power plans to produce electricity with fuel oil until 2050 instead of with coal
NS Power plans to produce electricity with fuel oil until 2050 instead of with coal July 4, 2023 Nova Scotia’s power utility plans to convert a coal-burning electricity station in Cape Breton to burn heavy fuel oil once federal regulations phase out coal entirely in 2030. The proposal has raised…
Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S.
Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S. Energize Weekly, July 12, 2023 Electric vehicle (EV) sales are projected to almost triple between 2022 and 2026, reaching nearly 27 million vehicles as the technology pushes beyond automobiles to trucks and buses, according to…
US government sets sight on Great Lakes for offshore wind
US government sets sight on Great Lakes for offshore wind 06/30/2023 While efforts to expand offshore wind in the U.S. are currently focused primarily on the coastal regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, another body of water is once again coming into focus: the five Great Lakes…
How old coal plants could help fuel a renewable boom
How old coal plants could help fuel a renewable boom 06/30/2023 When Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant closes Saturday, it will leave behind more than towering smokestacks and mounds of coal waste. The Homer City Generating Station has a valuable asset: a connection to both the nation’s largest regional power grid…
Palisades nuclear plant gets $150 million in Michigan budget
Palisades nuclear plant gets $150 million in Michigan budget Jul. 03, 2023 Michigan lawmakers included $150 million toward the effort to restart the Palisades nuclear plant as part of a record $81.7 billion state budget passed last week. State officials contributed the millions in taxpayer dollars toward Holtec International’s effort…
City eyes recent land purchase for power plant
City eyes recent land purchase for power plant June 28, 2023 In April, the City of Mesa finalized a deal to purchase 9 acres of vacant land at the northeast corner of University and Stapley drives from the U.S. Government for $2.6 million. In the quitclaim deed transferring the property…
Colorado and Wyoming, at odds over energy policy, find common ground on carbon capture
Colorado and Wyoming, at odds over energy policy, find common ground on carbon capture Energize Weekly, July 5, 2023 When it comes to energy policy, there isn’t a lot that Wyoming and Colorado see eye to eye on, but the two neighbors have common ground on capturing carbon dioxide from…
Northern Maine power line project moves forward, slowly
Northern Maine power line project moves forward, slowly June 26, 2023 Plans for a major renewable energy project that would connect Aroostook County to New England’s electric power grid are inching forward. Last week, legislators and Gov. Janet Mills signed off on a bill for construction of a high-voltage transmission…
EnergySolutions sets its sights on nuclear new build
EnergySolutions sets its sights on nuclear new build Jun 22, 2023 Utah-based decommissioning company EnergySolutions has entered the early phases of exploring the possible use of former nuclear sites acquired by the company, such as the closed Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin, as potential locations for future new nuclear…
TVA preparing to start up new gas-powered turbines at former Alabama coal plant
TVA preparing to start up new gas-powered turbines at former Alabama coal plant June 21, 2023 Seven years after the last of the coal-fired generators were shut down at the Colbert Fossil Plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority is preparing to start up three new natural gas combustion turbines at the…
West Virginia bets on hydrogen in gamble to save coal plant
West Virginia bets on hydrogen in gamble to save coal plant 06/25/2023 A little-known company that enjoys the backing of West Virginia’s top political leaders is in talks to turn one of the state’s largest coal plants into a clean energy behemoth. Omnis Global Technologies, a California-based firm, says it…
U.S. solar industry sets record in the first quarter of 2023 but faces a host of challenges
U.S. solar industry sets record in the first quarter of 2023 but faces a host of challenges Energize Weekly, June 28, 2023 After a record-setting first quarter in 2023, the U.S. solar industry is poised for rapid growth while facing a spate of challenges including system underperformance, labor shortages and…
Canadian Solar to build first solar PV manufacturing facility in the US
Canadian Solar to build first solar PV manufacturing facility in the US June 16, 2023 Ontario-based Canadian Solar will build its first production facility in the US, a PV module manufacturing plant with the capacity to produce 5GW of solar modules a year. Canadian Solar will invest US$250 million into…
FERC finalizes new rules to improve reliability in extreme weather conditions
FERC finalizes new rules to improve reliability in extreme weather conditions June 20, 2023 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finalized two new rules last week that are designed to help improve reliability of the bulk power system against threats of extreme weather. The first rule directs the North American…
Evergy slashes planned renewable energy additions, proposes more natural gas
Evergy slashes planned renewable energy additions, proposes more natural gas JUNE 16, 2023 Kansas’ largest electric utility has drastically scaled back its plans to add more clean energy over the next decade and will keep open its oldest coal plant for years longer. Two years ago, Evergy announced plans to…
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant Jun 17, 2023 Georgia Power said commercial operation of the new Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has been delayed for at least another month. The utility on June 16 said there’s a problem in the hydrogen system used to cool the…
Tax Incentives To Supercharge U.S. Clean Energy Transition
Tax Incentives To Supercharge U.S. Clean Energy Transition Jun 18, 2023 The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have released guidance on key provisions in the IRA to expand the reach of the clean energy tax credits and help build projects more quickly and affordably.…
Global oil and gas investment rises even as demand slows risking overcapacity in the sector
Global oil and gas investment rises even as demand slows risking overcapacity in the sector Energize Weekly, June 21, 2023 Global demand for oil is set to slow in the next five years even as investment in oil industry infrastructure is projected to grow, risking an overcapacity in production, according…
Nuclear storage talks could mean changes for San Onofre
Nuclear storage talks could mean changes for San Onofre June 9, 2023 U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the process of moving spent nuclear fuel currently stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is moving forward. Granholm visited the decommissioned nuclear power plant on Camp Pendleton on Friday to…
Montana gas power plant can resume construction, judge rules
Montana gas power plant can resume construction, judge rules June 9, 2023 NorthWestern Energy will resume construction of a natural gas power plant along Montana’s Yellowstone River following a two-month delay, a company spokesperson said Friday, after a state judge revived a pollution permit for the project despite lingering concerns…
Duke Energy to sell utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8 billion
Duke Energy to sell utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8 billion June 12, 2023 Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today announced it has reached an agreement to sell its unregulated utility scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield Renewable (“Brookfield”), one of the world’s largest owners and operators of renewable…
Local opposition to wind and solar development growing across the country, survey finds
Local opposition to wind and solar development growing across the country, survey finds Energize Weekly, June 14, 2023 The number of local regulations on renewable energy projects, which could hamper, delay or block development, is on the rise in the U.S., according to a report by the Columbia University Sabin…
Xcel power plants in Texas, New Mexico could get solar power in 2026
Xcel power plants in Texas, New Mexico could get solar power in 2026 June 6, 2023 A plan to add solar generating facilities to two Xcel Energy natural gas power plants in Texas and New Mexico is going forward, according to an Xcel news release on Monday. The plan will…
Protest Against 2nd Proposed Woodbridge Natural Gas Power Plant
Protest Against 2nd Proposed Woodbridge Natural Gas Power Plant Jun 6, 2023 This past Saturday morning, June 3, some people held a rally to protest the second proposed natural gas power plant in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge. Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), a national energy company, seeks to build the…
Constellation Energy in Deal to Buy NRG’s Stake in South Texas Nuclear Project
Constellation Energy in Deal to Buy NRG’s Stake in South Texas Nuclear Project June 4, 2023 Constellation Energy is acquiring NRG Energy’s 44 percent stake in the 2,645-megawatt South Texas Project nuclear plant in Texas. The transaction is valued at $1.75 billion, with an effective purchase price of $1.4 billion…
Storage battery installations surge in first quarter of 2023 led by Texas and California
Storage battery installations surge in first quarter of 2023 led by Texas and California Energize Weekly, June 7, 2023 Total battery storage installations in the U.S. are surging with first quarter 2023 capacity up 52 percent to 10.8 gigawatts (GW) with another 3.2 GW slated for the second quarter, according…
