FERC chair on grid: ‘The old way doesn’t work’ 05/20/2022 The growing threat of power outages fueled by extreme weather calls for new approaches to grid oversight, the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said yesterday, adding that utilities and grid operators should “think differently.” Read more
‘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
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Lessons for Technologists
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Lessons for Technologists May 23, 2022 While technologists have always understood the damage that ransomware could do to an organization’s infrastructure and data, the May 2021 attack that targeted Colonial Pipeline IT infrastructure changed the game for good. 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…
MIT report says energy storage is crucial to stall climate change
MIT report says energy storage is crucial to stall climate change May 16, 2022 A major report from the MIT Energy Initiative finds the development and deployment of new ways to store renewable energy will be crucial to transitioning to clean energy and averting the worst effects of climate change.…
Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs
Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs May 12, 2022 The nation’s transmission network, plagued by outages and increasingly severe weather, needs a trillion-dollar overhaul to handle the Biden administration’s promised clean-energy revolution. No one is taking charge of that problem. Read more
Duke Energy to resubmit plan to close Gallagher coal station basins
Duke Energy to resubmit plan to close Gallagher coal station basins May 12, 2022 Duke Energy had been working on plans to close its Gallagher Station years before it officially announced the decision in 2021. The station was a two-unit, coal-fired generating facility that opened in 1958, according to Duke…
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…
Tampa Electric, Duke Energy seek approval for storm-project money
Tampa Electric, Duke Energy seek approval for storm-project money May 4, 2022 As this year’s hurricane season gets ready to start June 1, major utilities have filed proposals that could lead to customers paying hundreds of millions of dollars in 2023 to help bolster electric systems against storms. Florida Power…
ERCOT monitoring aftermath of fire at power plant in Fort Bend County, officials say
ERCOT monitoring aftermath of fire at power plant in Fort Bend County, officials say May 9, 2022 Nearly 100 firefighters from over 20 different fire departments worked to put out a fire at a power plant that started in Fort Bend County Sunday, officials said. Firefighters responded to reports of…
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…
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening May 02, 2022 We Energies proposed a new rate plan to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) last week, potentially raising customers’ rates for electricity, natural gas and steam next year to pay for a large-scale clean…
SEPA report makes recommendations to improve transmission development
SEPA report makes recommendations to improve transmission development April 22, 2022 In a new report, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) calls for greater coordination, collaboration, and partnerships among transmission utilities and developers to achieve the nation’s transmission development goals. Read more
TVA teams up with Ontario Power to pursue small modular reactors
TVA teams up with Ontario Power to pursue small modular reactors April 20, 2022 The biggest public power utilities in the United States and Canada are joining to help explore how to develop and build smaller nuclear reactors they say will be needed to meet the growing demand for carbon-free…
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…
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements 18 Apr, 2022 With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate authority over the nation’s power sector in legal limbo, the Biden administration unveiled a plan in March for addressing interstate smog pollution that is projected to drive…
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…
National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050
National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050 April 18, 2022 Utility giant National Grid (NG.L) is planning to eliminate fossil fuels from its heating systems in New York state and Massachusetts by 2050, primarily by expanding the use of electric heat pumps and sourcing more renewable natural gas (RNG),…
Concerns continue over Dominion’s Possum Point plans
Concerns continue over Dominion’s Possum Point plans Apr 11, 2022 Prince William residents raised concerns over contamination, earthquake safety, truck traffic and more at a public information session on Dominion Energy’s plan to construct a new coal ash landfill at its Possum Point Power Station. Read more
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires April 11, 2022 Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility, has agreed to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for two major wildfires sparked by its aging Northern California power lines and submit to five years of…
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…
‘The lights will not go out’ – Energy experts do not foresee EVs overloading US electrical grid
‘The lights will not go out’ – Energy experts do not foresee EVs overloading US electrical grid Apr. 5th 2022 According to research teams and engineers at multiple US energy laboratories, the acceleration of EV adoption will not reach any sort of “tipping” point in which charging EVs will overwhelm…
Public Service Commission approves natural gas-fired power plant near Wausau that was opposed by consumer and environmental groups
Public Service Commission approves natural gas-fired power plant near Wausau that was opposed by consumer and environmental groups March 31, 2022 The Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a controversial $171 million gas power plant near Wausau from Milwaukee and Green Bay utilities. The new facility, proposed by We Energies…
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…
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…
California issued wildfire safety certifications to utilities despite ‘serious deficiencies’: audit
California issued wildfire safety certifications to utilities despite ‘serious deficiencies’: audit March 28, 2022 California’s Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety awarded the state’s utilities wildfire-related safety certifications for 2020 despite “serious deficiencies” in their fire mitigation plans, according to a report from the state’s auditor. Read more
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
Coal plant owners seek to shut 3.2 GW in PJM in face of economic, regulatory and market pressures
Coal plant owners seek to shut 3.2 GW in PJM in face of economic, regulatory and market pressures March 22, 2022 Power plant owners started the process of potentially retiring 3,228 MW of coal-fired generation in the PJM Interconnection’s footprint this month, according to the grid operator’s generator deactivation list. Another 1,024…
The SEC wants companies to disclose how climate change is affecting them
The SEC wants companies to disclose how climate change is affecting them March 21, 2022 Every year, public companies in the U.S. are required to provide investors and regulators with detailed data about their financial performance and the risks they face. Soon, they may also have to disclose information about…
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…
Nuclear regulators to reconsider environmental impact of Point Beach license extension
Nuclear regulators to reconsider environmental impact of Point Beach license extension Mar 10, 2022 Federal regulators are taking a fresh look at plans to keep Wisconsin’s only remaining nuclear power plant operating through mid-century. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended its review of NextEra Energy’s application to extend the operating licenses for…
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…
SEC plans to force public companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions
SEC plans to force public companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions March 15, 2022 The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to require all publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and the climate risks their businesses face, part of the Biden administration’s broader push to force the private…
NYC’s First Net Zero Community Brings Housing to Storm-Ravaged Neighborhood
NYC’s First Net Zero Community Brings Housing to Storm-Ravaged Neighborhood March 4, 2022 Along 116 acres of vacant oceanfront land, development has begun on what could become New York City’s first and largest community to reach a goal of net zero carbon emissions. Read more
Wind Turbine Collapses In Cheyenne, Company Investigating Cause
Wind Turbine Collapses In Cheyenne, Company Investigating Cause March 4, 2022 An energy company is investigating what caused one of its wind turbines near Cheyenne to collapse recently. Duke Energy spokeswoman Valerie Patterson told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that the collapse of the turbine west of Cheyenne was reported…
Entergy completes $100 million improvement project in north Louisiana
Entergy completes $100 million improvement project in north Louisiana 03/07/2022 Entergy Louisiana recently completed a $100 million project across Ouachita Parish that positioned the region for economic growth and increased the resilience and reliability of the electric system in north Louisiana. Read more
End of an Era: State’s Oldest Coal Power Plant Shifts Gears
End of an Era: State’s Oldest Coal Power Plant Shifts Gears March 5, 2022 On Thursday, Feb. 22, 2022, when the clock struck 9:41 p.m., it marked “the end of an era” for Heskett Station, as workers there described it. It was the last time North Dakota’s oldest coal-fired power plant…
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…
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant February 26, 2022 Federal officials have reversed a decision to allow a South Florida nuclear power plant to continue running for another 30 years by ordering a new review of potential environmental risks, including those posed by climate change. Read more
Global methane emissions seriously under reported, IEA analysis finds
Global methane emissions seriously under reported, IEA analysis finds Energize Weekly, March 2, 2022 Global energy sector methane emissions are an estimated 70 percent higher than the figures reported by countries to the United Nations, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Nations report emissions to the United Nations Framework…
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Completes Testing of Hydrogen Blending in Continued Move Toward Lower Carbon Energy Sources
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Completes Testing of Hydrogen Blending in Continued Move Toward Lower Carbon Energy Sources Feb 22, 2022 Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) announced today that it successfully blended hydrogen with natural gas to power the Company’s Eight Flags Energy Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in Nassau County, Florida. Read…
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies Feb. 18, 2022 Cyber insurance rates are rising because of geopolitics, ransomware, a growing threat to operational technology, and continued fallout from last year’s Colonial Pipeline attack, say experts. Read more
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…
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport pledges net-zero by 2050
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport pledges net-zero by 2050 February 14, 2022 Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in the US has unveiled its first carbon policy, incorporating various green measures to reduce emissions. The airport has committed to reaching the City of Atlanta’s 100% Clean and Renewable Energy by 2035 objective and the ACI…
DOE Establishes $6 Billion Program to Preserve America’s Clean Nuclear Energy Infrastructure
DOE Establishes $6 Billion Program to Preserve America’s Clean Nuclear Energy Infrastructure FEBRUARY 11, 2022 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a Notice of Intent (NOI) and Request for Information (RFI) on the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit Program. The nuclear credit program supports the continued operation…
