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Speaking at the Energy Innovation Symposium in Washington D.C. on July 23, Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning said that he would love “to announce another nuclear plant” later this year. But Fanning made it clear during his keynote address to attendees at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s American Energy Innovation Council–sponsored event that he favors an […]

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) on July 21 formally requested permission from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with NRG Energy for up to 633 MW from the proposed Carlsbad Energy Center. The move is what SDG&E and NRG hope is the last chapter in a […]

The California Energy Commission (CEC) issued a solicitation for proposals earlier this month to fund projects that will demonstrate the feasibility of renewable energy and storage–powered microgrids. A total of $26.5 million in funding is available for three groups of potential projects: low-carbon-based microgrids for critical facilities, high-penetration renewable-based microgrids, and advanced smart and bidirectional […]

When GenOn Energy (now part of NRG Energy) announced in March 2012 that it would retire the 1950s-era coal-fired Shawville Generating Station in western Pennsylvania—blaming the impending Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)—the reaction was swift and bitter. “Pragmatic energy policies should not guillotine coal from the nation’s energy grid,” then-state Rep. Bud George, who […]

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on Tuesday unveiled five pillars on which U.S. energy policy should be built and discussed how the nation should tackle climate risks and grid threats.  The lawmaker told attendees at the Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2014 Energy Conference that the nation’s new era […]

Uncertainties about leadership at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) were resolved on Tuesday, as the U.S. Senate voted separately to confirm Norman Bay as chair and Cheryl LaFleur to a second term at the regulatory body.  The Senate approved Bay’s nomination by a 52–45 vote, despite claims by Republicans and some Democrats who say […]

Constellation Energy Nuclear Group (CENG)—a joint venture between Exelon Corp. and EDF Group—filed a petition on July 11 with the New York State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) in an effort to keep the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, N.Y., operating. Ginna—a 581-MW single-unit pressurized water reactor located along the south shore of Lake […]

Optimism about U.S. energy security, which is rooted in the abundant supply of fossil fuels alone, is misplaced, Maria van der Hoeven, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) told attendees at an energy conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday.  The U.S. has seen a dramatic reversal in its energy fortunes over the past seven […]

The Department of Energy (DOE), NRG Energy Inc., and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp. announced on July 15 that construction has begun on the first commercial-scale post-combustion carbon capture retrofit project on an existing coal-fired power plant in the U.S. The Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project is expected to capture 90% of the […]

Gov. Matthew Mead is taking an active role in developing an integrated test center to be constructed at a coal-fired power plant in Wyoming to research commercial uses for carbon. As the top coal-producing state in the U.S.—producing more than three times the amount of coal as second-place West Virginia in the first half of […]