Latest
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Nuclear
Decision to Close SONGS Nuclear Reactors Could Come by Late 2013
Edison International said that without a restart of Unit 2 at its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), it could decide by the end of the year to retire both units at the California nuclear plant. The units with a combined generating capacity of 2,350 MW have been offline since early 2012, the result of unexpected erosion and tube leaks in their steam generators. Costs tied to the shutdown now total around $553 million, including $109 million spent on inspections and repairs and $444 million for replacement power.
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Coal
Power Sector Is Critically Vulnerable to Drought, Hearing Panel Testifies
Drought is a serious vulnerability for the power sector, witnesses testified at a full committee hearing held last week in the Senate to assess the impacts of drought on the power and water sectors. Members of the panel invited by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources offered a number of possible solutions for federal agencies and power companies that could mitigate adverse effects from drought.
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Nuclear
NRC Bars STP Units 3 & 4 COL on Foreign Control Claim
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) ruled that a partnership between NRG Energy and Japan’s Toshiba Corp. to build two new ABWR reactors at the South Texas Project (STP) outside Bay City, Texas, through the holding company Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA) continues to be dominated by foreign control. Until NINA can come up with a different corporate ownership structure, the NRC said it could not approve the project’s combined construction and operation license (COL).
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Legal & Regulatory
The CIP Merry-Go-Round: Say So Long to Version 4, Hello to Version 5?
With the ink barely dry on Version 4 of NERC’s critical infrastructure protection (CIP) standards, a new iteration is on the way, bringing with it some major changes in the way the standards will work.
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Legal & Regulatory
What Is Holding Back Offshore Wind?
The potential of offshore wind generation in the U.S. is being held back by a regulatory no-man’s-land.
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Business
Flavor of the Decade: What Energy Utilities Can Learn from Verizon
The experience of telecommunications giant Verizon shows why taglines that promise clear, relevant benefits to customers can be invaluable, as long as the company follows through.
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Commentary
Utility Mergers: Who Has a Vision?
Is bigger better for the energy business? Says a veteran energy lawyer, it depends more on why and how a utility choose to grow. Unfortunately, few regulators are thinking much about it.
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Commentary
Partnering With the Right People
Finding the right people to work with is critical to success, but getting there is no accident.
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Commentary
Workplace Drama: Courageous Course Correction
It’s never fun to realize you’re wrong. But effective leaders know when to admit it and take their lumps.
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Commentary
Let’s Dump the ‘Tipping Point’ Metaphor into the Waste Tip
Climate rhetoric has become increasing obsessed with "tipping points." But this sloppy metaphor risks taking good science over the cliff.