Experts eye ways to mitigate physical assaults on US power grid 11 Aug, 2023 Industry experts offered a range of ideas for how power system planners can help bolster physical grid security during an Aug. 10 technical conference hosted by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff. The gathering, held jointly with…
Public meeting held to address proposal to close four coal plants in Western Kentucky
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…
Hawaiian Electric shares plummet 40% after Maui wildfires lawsuit
Hawaiian Electric shares plummet 40% after Maui wildfires lawsuit August 15, 2023 Shares of Hawaiian Electric have plummeted nearly 40% since trading opened Monday over concerns that the utility company could be held liable for damage wrought by the Maui wildfires. A class-action lawsuit filed against Hawaiian Electric on Saturday…
A surge in carbon capture and storage projects brings promise, mergers and challenges
A surge in carbon capture and storage projects brings promise, mergers and challenges Energize Weekly, August 16, 2023 Initiatives in the carbon capture market are surging with new projects, acquisitions, and a swell in government funding, but the sector could face challenges in permitting, capital costs and adequate subsidies, according…
North America Drops Multiple Rigs
North America Drops Multiple Rigs August 07, 2023 North America has gone back to losing rigs week on week, according to Baker Hughes’ latest rotary rig count, which was released on August 4. The region dropped 10 rigs week on week, taking its total count to 847, comprising 659 U.S.…
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…
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…
Strategists Project 9.3MM Barrel USA Crude Inventory Drop
Strategists Project 9.3MM Barrel USA Crude Inventory Drop August 01, 2023 Macquarie strategists projected that U.S. crude inventories will be down 9.3 million barrels for the week ending July 28 in a new report sent to Rigzone on Monday. “This follows a 0.6 million barrel draw for the week ending…
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…
US to Spend $700 Million for Oil and Gas Sector to Cut Methane Emissions
US to Spend $700 Million for Oil and Gas Sector to Cut Methane Emissions 7/24/2023 The U.S. government will provide up to $700 million in funding to monitor and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, setting aside half of the amount for grants to states, two agencies…
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…
US shale oil/natgas output set to fall for first time since December – EIA
US shale oil/natgas output set to fall for first time since December – EIA July 17, 2023 U.S. shale oil and natural gas production will fall in August for the first time since December, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its monthly Drilling Productivity Report on Monday. Crude…
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…
U.S. energy sector employment rebounds after pandemic led by the oil and gas sector
U.S. energy sector employment rebounds after pandemic led by the oil and gas sector Energize Weekly, July 19, 2023 Energy sector jobs in the U.S. rebounded from the pandemic by 2022, outpacing national job growth. While clean energy jobs grew fastest overall, the lion’s share of new jobs was in…
Tap Water Study Detects PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Across The U.S.
Tap Water Study Detects PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Across The U.S. July 5, 2023 At least 45% of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of the chemicals known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological…
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…
Biden administration announces $650 million to plug orphaned gas and oil wells
Biden administration announces $650 million to plug orphaned gas and oil wells 07/10/23 The Interior Department announced Monday more than $650 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to plug abandoned oil and gas wells. The $660 million in funding, available to 27 states, will go toward the plugging of so-called…
Probe Into 2022 Attack on Kern County PG&E Facility Hits Dead End
Probe Into 2022 Attack on Kern County PG&E Facility Hits Dead End Jul 10 Investigators have hit a dead end in their investigation of a July 2022 incident in which gunfire caused nearly $6 million in damage to a PG&E substation near Bakersfield. It’s one of a string of unsolved…
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…
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…
North America Sees Rig Loss Regression
North America Sees Rig Loss Regression July 03, 2023 North America went back to losing rigs week on week, Baker Hughes’ latest rotary rig count, which was released on June 30, revealed. According to the count, North America dropped 10 rigs week on week, with the U.S. losing eight week…
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…
Suncor Energy cyberattack likely to cost company millions of dollars, expert says
Suncor Energy cyberattack likely to cost company millions of dollars, expert says Jun 26, 2023 A cybersecurity expert says a systems breach at Suncor Energy Inc. will likely cost the company millions of dollars before the issue is resolved. The cyberattack affected many of Suncor’s Petro-Canada sites across the country…
Penelec Boosts Service Reliability with Summer Preparations in Pennsylvania
Penelec Boosts Service Reliability with Summer Preparations in Pennsylvania June 26, 2023 Penelec, a FirstEnergy subsidiary, is enhancing service reliability by inspecting and maintaining equipment across its 31-county northern and central Pennsylvania service area for the upcoming hot summer months. Crews are completing inspections of the local energy delivery system…
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…
EPA seeks to address contamination before it harms Des Moines area drinking water
EPA seeks to address contamination before it harms Des Moines area drinking water June 19, 2023 A contaminated groundwater plume in Des Moines could soon receive federal resources to clean it up. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting Tuesday at Weeks Middle School in Des Moines…
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…
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…
States Suing PFAS Manufacturers Over Contamination, ‘Campaign To Knowingly Deceive The Public’
States Suing PFAS Manufacturers Over Contamination, ‘Campaign To Knowingly Deceive The Public’ June 7, 2023 Attorneys general representing a range of states are now suing the manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) over the harm that these chemicals have caused their residents and environments, including the health effects that…
More US natural gas producers join lower-emission gas trading hub
More US natural gas producers join lower-emission gas trading hub 13 June 2023 Two US natural gas producers have joined certified natural gas trading platform CG Hub, adding 1 billion cubic feet per day of liquidity through the service. Seneca Resources and Northeast Natural Energy joined the first commodities trading…
JCP&L, looking to reduce outages, to spend $34M to trim trees in 9 counties
JCP&L, looking to reduce outages, to spend $34M to trim trees in 9 counties June 9, 2023 Jersey Central Power & Light announced Thursday that it is investing approximately $34 million in 2023 to trim trees along more than 3,400 miles of power lines across its central and northern New…
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…
Without access to water lines, Texas colonias residents are pulling water from the desert air
Without access to water lines, Texas colonias residents are pulling water from the desert air JUNE 5, 2023 Hueco Tanks, developed under the name Hueco Mountain Estates, is among the dozens of colonias — unincorporated communities mostly in border counties — in Texas where low-income, Latino residents still are not…
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…
Supreme Court rejects challenge to California offshore fracking ban
Supreme Court rejects challenge to California offshore fracking ban June 5, 2023 The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge brought by the oil industry to court orders that ban fracking in federal waters off the California coast, in a setback to oil companies who argued the…
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…
Austin to enter mutual aid agreement with neighboring utility companies after February freeze
Austin to enter mutual aid agreement with neighboring utility companies after February freeze June 2, 2023 A little over three months after an ice storm left tens of thousands of Austin Energy customers without electricity, some for as long as two weeks, the Austin City Council on Thursday ratified a…
