GEH SMR Technologies Canada, SIMSA to cooperate on small modular reactor deployment in Saskatchewan 27th May 2022 GEH SMR Technologies Canada Ltd and the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Supplier’s Association (SIMSA) have agreed to cooperate to support the potential deployment of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) in Saskatchewan. Through…
Duke Energy Wants to Quit Coal Early, But Regulators Say No
Duke Energy Wants to Quit Coal Early, But Regulators Say No May 26, 2022 Duke Energy Corp. planned to close its last six coal power plants in the Carolinas by 2030 to accelerate the company’s carbon-cutting goals. South Carolina regulators said no—ordering the US utility to keep the plants open…
NYSEG and RG&E Announce “Reliable Energy New York” Plans
NYSEG and RG&E Announce “Reliable Energy New York” Plans May 26, 2022 Today, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), announced the companies have filed proposed changes to delivery rates with the New York State Public Service Commission…
G7 decide to “predominantly” decarbonise grid by 2035, but drop 2030 coal exit date
G7 decide to “predominantly” decarbonise grid by 2035, but drop 2030 coal exit date 29 May 2022 The environment, climate and energy ministers of the Group of Seven western industrialised states (G7) have agreed to largely decarbonise their electricity sectors within 13 years. Following their meeting in Berlin, the ministers…
‘Conservative decision’ leads to Palisades nuclear plant early shutdown
‘Conservative decision’ leads to Palisades nuclear plant early shutdown May 23, 2022 Palisades Power Plant shut down its reactor Friday, ending five decades of operation and likely ending Michigan officials’ attempt to find another operator for the west Michigan nuclear facility. Read more
Gas generation down across US West this spring as renewable capacity grows
Gas generation down across US West this spring as renewable capacity grows 23 May 2022 Recent growth in renewable generating capacity across the Western US is putting downward pressure on gas-fired power burns this spring in a trend that’s only likely to accelerate in the years ahead. Read more
West and Midwest U.S. face summer electricity shortfalls due to heat, drought, and fire
West and Midwest U.S. face summer electricity shortfalls due to heat, drought, and fire Energize Weekly, May 25, 2022 The West and Midwest U.S. risk severe electricity shortfalls this summer due to high temperatures, drought, severe storms and wildfire – all driven by a changing climate, according to the North…
Hydropower is 53% of the renewable energy supply in the West. Drought is slowing down production.
Hydropower is 53% of the renewable energy supply in the West. Drought is slowing down production. May 17, 2022 A large provider of Colorado energy says sagging hydropower production on the Colorado River system, which has raised concern over the long-term reliability of the power source in the West, has…
Nuclear plant owner Talen Energy Supply files for bankruptcy
Nuclear plant owner Talen Energy Supply files for bankruptcy May 11, 2022 Talen Energy Supply, the owner of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Salem Twp., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Woodlands, Texas-based company, a unit of Talen Energy Corp. which runs 18 power generation facilities, filed for…
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change May 6, 2022 California power regulators are warning of power shortages and possible blackouts this summer as the state’s electrical grid faces increasing strain from drought and extreme heat. “We know reliability is going to…
Georgia nuclear plant’s cost now forecast to top $30 billion
Georgia nuclear plant’s cost now forecast to top $30 billion May 8, 2022 nuclear power plant being built in Georgia is now projected to cost its owners more than $30 billion. A financial report from one of the owners on Friday clearly pushed the cost of Plant Vogtle near Augusta…
U.S. and European EV sales climb but more chargers will be needed to sustain growth
U.S. and European EV sales climb but more chargers will be needed to sustain growth Energize Weekly, May 11, 2022 Electric vehicle (EV) sales in both the U.S. and Europe are posting strong gains, but to reach the market penetration governments are targeting – the Biden administration goal is 50…
Colorado remains uninterested as others turn to nuclear power
Colorado remains uninterested as others turn to nuclear power May 2, 2022 Powering homes by splitting atoms is not part of Gov. Jared Polis’ Greenhouse Gas Roadmap plan for 100% carbon-free energy by 2040, with Colorado appearing uninterested in following other states that are moving to nuclear to supplement wind…
Power demand to grow in Tennessee Valley as economy electrifies, TVA CEO says
Power demand to grow in Tennessee Valley as economy electrifies, TVA CEO says April 28, 2022 Tennessee will soon become the No. 1 state for electric vehicle production as part of a power shift that could nearly double electricity demand in the Tennessee Valley over the next three decades, the…
Renewable generation making major inroads on the grid in Texas and California
Renewable generation making major inroads on the grid in Texas and California Energize Weekly, May 4, 2022 The steady increase in renewable energy generation – primarily wind and solar – is beginning to show signs of dramatically impacting electric grids around the country as it claims a larger and larger…
The US has more clean energy projects planned than the grid can handle
The US has more clean energy projects planned than the grid can handle 20 April 2022 The proposed wind, solar and battery projects seeking interconnection to U.S. transmission grids today are enough to bring the country to 80 percent carbon-free electricity by 2030. But based on historical trends, less than…
Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Apr 22, 2022 After more than 2 years in legal and legislative battles, Pennsylvania is poised to become the twelfth state to join the carbon-cutting effort known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A Commonwealth Court failed to block the state’s publishing of…
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025 April 22, 2022 After agreeing to a settlement with key stakeholders, Consumers Energy announced this week that, as part of its Clean Energy Plan, it will cease using coal as a fuel source for electric generation…
Biden administration unveils $6 billion program to keep nuclear power plants from closing
Biden administration unveils $6 billion program to keep nuclear power plants from closing Energize Weekly, April 27, 2022 The federal government has launched a $6 billion program to support the operation and prevent the closure of any of the nation’s nuclear reactors – seen by the Biden administration as a…
Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators
Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators APR 17, 2022 Thirty-nine years ago, due to record-breaking snowfall in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell rose substantially, catching river managers off-guard. By late June, the reservoir was nearly overflowing, forcing operators—for the first time ever—to rely…
U.S. Is Set to Launch a $6 Billion Effort to Save Nuclear Plants
U.S. Is Set to Launch a $6 Billion Effort to Save Nuclear Plants Apr 18, 2022 The Energy Department is expected to provide details as soon as Monday on a $6 billion program aimed at keeping uneconomical nuclear plants in service, providing a lifeline to an industry that’s seen a…
U.S. nuclear electricity generation continues to decline as more reactors retire
U.S. nuclear electricity generation continues to decline as more reactors retire APRIL 8, 2022 In 2021, for the second consecutive year, U.S. nuclear electricity generation declined. Output from U.S. nuclear power plants totaled 778 million megawatthours in 2021, or 1.5% less than the previous year. Nuclear’s share of U.S. electricity…
Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says
Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says 04/12/2022 The world’s wealthiest countries are rapidly boosting spending on clean energy, but lower-income nations are struggling to do the same, with higher food and fuel prices bearing down on their already limited finances. The widening gap could challenge the…
Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021
Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021 Energize Weekly, April 13, 2022 Even in the face of supply-chain problems, energy storage installations set a record in the U.S., and the forecasts have domestic and global capacity growing twentyfold by 2030, according to industry analyses.…
Surging electric bills threaten Calif. climate goals
Surging electric bills threaten Calif. climate goals 04/05/2022 Millions of Californians pay among the highest prices in the nation for electricity, a potential threat to the state’s plans to electrify cars and homes as it battles climate change. Surging electricity prices of the three biggest utilities in the Golden State…
UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way
UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way April 4, 2022 The world is careening toward levels of global warming that will have irreversible impacts, a new landmark report says, but we already have the solutions — the only…
Misinformation is derailing renewable energy projects across the United States
Misinformation is derailing renewable energy projects across the United States MAR, 28 2022 On a winter night in early 2016, Jeremy Kitson gathered in his buddy’s large shed with some neighbors to plan their fight against a proposed wind farm in rural Van Wert County, Ohio. The project would be…
Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation
Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation Mar 27, 2022 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission tabled a request by Xcel Energy to once again shorten the operating life of the Comanche power station’s Unit 3 near Pueblo, the last of three generating…
House bill would streamline approval of small nuclear reactors in Alaska
House bill would streamline approval of small nuclear reactors in Alaska March 21, 2022 A bill moving through the Alaska Legislature would streamline the state’s approval process for small nuclear reactors, which have been touted as cleaner, more cost-effective sources of energy for Alaska. Read more
Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry
Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry Energize Weekly, March 23, 2022 Facing supply chain problems and rising prices, the U.S. solar industry delayed about a third of its utility-scale capacity in the fourth quarter of 2021, and installations are projected to be down in…
Judge wants more research on plan to shut down J.H. Campbell Power Plant
Judge wants more research on plan to shut down J.H. Campbell Power Plant Mar 11, 2022 A Michigan judge is recommending Consumers Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission do more research before signing off on the utility company’s plan to completely shut down the J.H. Campbell Power Plant in…
Kauai Quit Using Oil To Produce Most Of Its Electricity Years Ago. That’s Paying Off Now
Kauai Quit Using Oil To Produce Most Of Its Electricity Years Ago. That’s Paying Off Now March 15, 2022 In 2008, Kauai’s electric utility set an aggressive goal to power half the island with renewable energy. The plan was so ambitious that no one knew exactly how it could be…
NorthWestern Energy commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050
NorthWestern Energy commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 March 07, 2022 NorthWestern Energy last week became the latest energy company to announce a net zero carbon emissions goal, pledging to neutral out its emissions production by 2050, though cautioning it would need policy and regulatory support to achieve…
What the Russia crisis means for U.S. electricity mix
What the Russia crisis means for U.S. electricity mix 03/01/2022 Gasoline prices have spiked in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the effects of the conflict are also spilling into the U.S. electricity sector, with implications for greenhouse gas emissions and energy policy. Although the crisis isn’t expected…
Pueblo County drops support for nuclear power after facing backlash from residents
Pueblo County drops support for nuclear power after facing backlash from residents February 22, 2022 Pueblo County officials say they are pulling back their support for replacing the state’s largest coal-fired power plant with a nuclear reactor following a public outcry from residents. The decision is a quiet reversal by…
Clean power faced headwinds in 2021 and the pace of installations faltered
Clean power faced headwinds in 2021 and the pace of installations faltered Energize Weekly, February 23, 2022 Clean power installations – wind, solar and battery storage – were down slightly in 2021 as the various sectors face challenges ranging from tariffs to expiring tax credits to regulatory uncertainty, according to…
New clean generation technology is needed for the West to achieve 100 percent clean electricity
New clean generation technology is needed for the West to achieve 100 percent clean electricity Energize Weekly, February 16, 2022 The West could run on 90 percent clean electricity by 2040 with existing renewable generation and storage, but to get to 100 percent, new, clean generation filling the same baseload…
After a record-breaking 2021, Global EV sales are set for another surge in 2022
After a record-breaking 2021, global EV sales are set for another surge in 2022 Energize Weekly, February 9, 2022 After a record-breaking 2021, global electric passenger vehicle (EV) sales are poised to surge again in 2022, reaching 10.5 million, a nearly 60 percent annual increase, according to new analyses of…
Can A Smarter Grid Jolt The U.S. Economy And Circumvent Climate Change?
Can A Smarter Grid Jolt The U.S. Economy And Circumvent Climate Change? Feb 1, 2022 The electric grid is evolving and adapting to the 21st Century market place. America’s brain trust is developing bells and whistles to increase reliability and to maintain affordability — in the context of bolstering the…
Cleantech investments soar to a record $755 billion in 2021, BNEF says
Cleantech investments soar to a record $755 billion in 2021, BNEF says Energize Weekly, February 2, 2022 A record $755 billion was invested in energy-transition technologies in 2021 – a 27 percent increase over 2020, according to energy consultant BloombergNEF (BNEF). In addition, climate-tech companies raised $165 billion in equity…
Tri-State reaches agreement with more than two dozen parties on resource plan
Tri-State reaches agreement with more than two dozen parties on resource plan January 20, 2022 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a wholesale power provider serving rural utilities in Colorado and three other states, has reached a settlement with several parties on a plan aimed at cutting costs for ratepayers and…
A rise in U.S. renewable generation to reduce fossil-fuel electricity in coming years
A rise in U.S. renewable generation to reduce fossil-fuel electricity in coming years Energize Weekly, January 26, 2022 Generation from renewable energy sources, primarily wind and solar, will reduce fossil-fuel generation over the next two years in the U.S., even as the country’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are set to…
The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future
The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future January 18, 2022 As climate change pushes states in the U.S. to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels, many are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind and other renewable power sources might not…
In plan to state regulators, Idaho Power phases out coal by 2028
In plan to state regulators, Idaho Power phases out coal by 2028 January 8, 2022 Idaho Power has submitted a 20-year plan to state regulators that phases out coal-fired power plants by 2028 as part of its effort to provide only clean energy by 2045, the company said Tuesday. Read…
Western and Midwestern grids may face supply shortfalls as early as this summer, NERC says
Western and Midwestern grids may face supply shortfalls as early as this summer, NERC says Energize Weekly, January 12, 2022 The Midwest and Western grids could face shortfalls in electricity supply and generating capacity as early as this summer as baseload plants retire and weather-related disruptions become more common, according…
ERCOT says generation, transmission ready for winter following on-site inspections
ERCOT says generation, transmission ready for winter following on-site inspections 30 Dec 2021 Generation and transmission facilities in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas market are ready for winter, ERCOT said Dec. 30 after inspecting more than 300 generation units and 22 transmission facilities representing 85% of the megawatt hours…
Exelon separation moves forward, with New York Public Service Commission approval
Exelon separation moves forward, with New York Public Service Commission approval December 20, 2021 Exelon Corp. announces that the New York State Public Service Commission has approved a unanimous settlement agreement that allows Exelon to move forward with its plan to separate into two companies in the first quarter of 2022. Read…
Renewable and coal-fired power generation surge in 2021 led by India and China
Renewable and coal-fired power generation surge in 2021 led by India and China Energize Weekly, December 22, 2021 The global profile for electricity generation in 2021 is a tale of surging old and new power as both renewable energy and coal-fired generation are set to reach record highs, according to…
Operator warns New England power system at ‘heightened risk’ heading into winter
Operator warns New England power system at ‘heightened risk’ heading into winter Dec 11, 2021 New England’s electric grid operator warned Monday that power outages are possible if an extended cold snap this winter grips the region and fuel supplies are pinched as demand spikes. ISO-New England said natural gas…
Cincinnati, Columbus settle civil claims related to FirstEnergy bailout
Cincinnati, Columbus settle civil claims related to FirstEnergy bailout December 14, 2021 The cities of Cincinnati and Columbus have dismissed their state court claims against FirstEnergy and Energy Harbor for the companies’ actions relating to House Bill 6, the nuclear and coal bailout law at the heart of a $60…
