POWERnews

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) have been seen by many in the coal-fired power industry as potentially more expensive and onerous than its Clean Power Plan, which addresses greenhouse gases. On Nov. 25, the Supreme Court agreed to review a consolidated case that could potentially prevent the MATS […]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday finalized changes to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), applying to periods of startup and shutdown at new and existing coal- and oil-fired power plants nationwide.  As published in the Federal Register on Nov. 19, the final action on the EPA’s reconsideration of the startup and shutdown […]

China on Wednesday issued a key energy strategy that sets obligatory 2020 targets for renewables and nuclear power use and urges increased natural gas consumption—but which also caps coal consumption.  The State Council’s Energy Development Strategy Action Plan covers the period between 2014 and 2020. It caps annual energy primary consumption at 4.8 billion metric […]

State renewable energy standards (RPSs) may be threatened by the expiration of federal tax credits, according to research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBL). Lab scientist Galen Barbose, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners (NARUC) in San Francisco, presented the results of a joint study between LBL and […]

Power system demands are changing to put a premium on flexible grid operations, and gas-fired power is the best choice for increasing flexibility. Such was the sense of a panel presentation to utility regulators at the 126th annual meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) in San Francisco this week. “The electric […]

The U.S. Census Bureau released data on Nov. 18 showing that revenues for electric power generation industries that use renewable energy resources grew 49% from 2007 to 2012, while fossil fuel electric power generation industry revenues decreased 6.7% during the same time period. Fossil fuel revenues continued to dwarf renewable totals, bringing in $79.7 billion […]

The Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan could result in the retirement of between 3.3 GW and 8.7 GW of coal-fired capacity in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid and jeopardize electric reliability for the state that is already power strapped, the independent system operator (ISO) says in a new analysis.  The Environmental Protection Agency’s […]

After an array of New England’s largest utilities announced rate increases this fall, blaming seasonal natural gas shortages, the region is once again facing short-term gas price spikes as growing demand coupled with supply constraints roil the power market. National Grid, which supplies customers in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, announced on Nov. 1 […]

Panda Power Funds awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for a 778-MW combined cycle power plant to a turnkey consortium of Bechtel and Siemens Energy Inc. The Panda Stonewall generating station will be located in Loudoun County, Va., on a 101-acre site about four miles southeast of Leesburg. It is the sixth order awarded […]

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) informed the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on Nov. 10 that it intends to bring suit under the Clean Water Act to stop the release of coal ash pollutants it says are leaking from the TVA’s Gallatin coal ash ponds into the Cumberland River. Gallatin Fossil Plant is a four-unit […]