POWERnews

A blaze engulfing the coal-fired Ferrybridge C power station in the UK’s West Yorkshire region is a “serious incident” that required 15 fire crews to quell it, plant owner SSE said on Thursday. The fire that broke out at about 2 p.m. and impacted Units 3 and 4 at the power station activated emergency response […]

The past week saw a flurry of Congressional hearings probing how the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed carbon pollution rules will affect grid reliability and the economy.  On Reliability  The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday summoned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) four sitting commissioners and future chair Norman Bay to testify on […]

According to a report released this week by Mycle Schneider Consulting—a Paris-based independent consultant—nuclear power’s share of global commercial primary energy production declined to only 4.4%, a level not seen since 1984. In the report, “The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014,” Mycle Schneider suggests that “the nuclear industry is in decline.” One piece of […]

The 135-MW Quinto Solar Project, a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant under construction in California’s Central Valley, officially broke ground on July 29. San Jose–based SunPower Corp. is building the plant in Los Banos, and will sell power from the facility to Southern California Edison under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The project is due for […]

Interest in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) carbon pollution standards for existing power plants—the “Clean Power Plan,” proposed under the authority of the Clean Air Act Section 111(d)—was so high that the agency had to add double the days and double the rooms at all four locations this week. At all locations, power industry speakers […]

Per a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will no longer require Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) or Title V permits for large sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Office of Air and Radiation head Janet McCabe told the agency’s 10 regional administrators in a July 24 memo.  The memo outlines […]

In an effort to reduce air pollution from the Navajo Generating Station (NGS)—a coal-fired power plant located near Page, Ariz.—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule on July 28 that will result in the permanent shutdown of one of NGS’s three units. The EPA had issued an initial proposal in February 2013 but invited […]

Duke Energy Progress announced on July 28 that it was buying out the interests owned by North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA) in two nuclear plants and two coal plants in North Carolina for $1.2 billion. The sale between Duke Energy Progress, Duke Energy’s Carolina subsidiary, and NCEMPA represents all of NCEMPA’s generation assets. […]

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) June 2–proposed carbon rule for existing power plants favors nuclear, renewable, and natural gas combined cycle sources, but it also grants coal-heavy states wide flexibility to meet carbon goals with continued coal use, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told lawmakers at a Senate oversight hearing on Wednesday.  Six Democrats and six […]

Forced outages at Entergy’s two Indian Point nuclear units proposed by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to protect fish are “unnecessary” and a “terrible idea,” a company official testified at a public hearing on Tuesday.  The DEC has proposed Entergy shutter the two units for at least 42 outage days every summer […]

A standard to enhance physical security at critical power system facilities submitted by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) will need modifications before it can be approved, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said last week.  FERC ordered NERC on March 7 to develop and submitnew reliability standards requiring owners and operators of the […]

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 […]

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 […]

On June 30, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its “Quarterly Coal Report” covering the first quarter of 2014. The report includes data on coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coal. U.S. coke production, consumption, stocks, imports, and exports are also provided in the EIA report. Of particular note […]

Over the past week, the Department of Energy (DOE) made available $4 billion in additional loan guarantees for U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency projects as it slashed application fees by more than a third for its $8 billion Advanced Fossil Energy Projects Loan Guarantee Solicitation.  The agency on July 3 issued a loan solicitation to […]

The White House on Wednesday threatened to veto a proposed $34 billion House bill setting FY 2015 spending for the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers, saying it “significantly underfunds” investments to develop clean energy technologies.  The 2015 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. […]

Fourteen members of the World Trade Organization (WTO)—including the U.S., China, the European Union (EU), and Japan—on Tuesday launched negotiations to eliminate tariffs or custom duties on wind turbines, solar products, and other environmental goods.  The first phase of negotiations between the 14 WTO members, which make up 86% of the global environmental goods trade, […]

A report released July 10 finds alarming gaps in the security of the world’s critical infrastructure. The study—sponsored by Unisys and conducted by Michigan-based security research firm Ponemon Institute—was based on an Internet survey of 599 respondents from 13 countries in the oil and gas, utilities, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries conducted in April and […]

Nevada utility NV Energy’s net metering program does not significantly impact homeowners without rooftop solar, according to a study prepared for the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (NPUC) this month.  The study was conducted by San Francisco–based Energy and Environmental Economics (E3) at the request of the NPUC after the passage of a Nevada law last […]

Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) reached a settlement on July 7 related to the Sept. 8, 2011 blackout that left more than 5 million people in the Southwest without power. As a result of the agreement, APS will pay a $3.25 […]

After bottoming out at 822 billion cubic feet (Bcf) the week ending Mar. 28—the lowest level since April 2003—U.S. inventories of natural gas in underground storage have risen sharply this summer, though levels remain below recent averages, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. Following a severe winter in which the country burned through a […]

The battle over Sunflower Electric Cooperative’s plans to build an 895-MW coal-fired power plant in Holcomb, Kan., returned to court on Friday. The Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit challenging a new air pollution permit recently issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to Sunflower to build its proposed Holcomb […]

The much-delayed Cape Wind offshore wind project could be the latest recipient of a federal loan guarantee from the Department of Energy (DOE). The agency on Tuesday announced the first step toward issuing a $150 million loan guarantee with a conditional commitment to Cape Wind Associates. The guarantee will support construction of the 360-MW offshore […]