POWERnews

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley last week introduced to the state Legislature a blueprint that would partially reregulate the state’s energy markets and reverse a deregulation law that has been widely thought a failure.

Alliant Corp. last week shelved plans to construct its proposed $1.8 billion coal-biomass hybrid power plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, while LS Power “indefinitely postponed” construction of the 1,590-MW White Pine Energy Station near Ely, Nev. Both companies cited a combination of factors—including the economic climate, and environmental, legislative, and regulatory uncertainties—as the reason for their decisions.

Geothermal power projects in the U.S. continue to gain steam, a new report from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) shows. Between August 2008 and March 2009, the number of new projects jumped 25% while overall production potential surged 35%.

In response to last year’s massive coal ash spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) facility in Kingston, Tenn., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week ordered electric utilities with surface impoundments containing coal combustion residuals to review the structural integrity of those units and respond to agency questions about their condition.

Upgrades to the UK power grid to accommodate 45 GW of new power generation by 2020 will require an investment of about £4.7 billion ($6.51 billion), according to a report released last week by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG).

The U.S. has signed an accord with Jordan to help the kingdom construct a modern facility to store radioactive waste for a nuclear plant the country is planning to build by 2015 and additional plants by 2030.

A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) team of regional partners has begun injecting 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into a Michigan geologic formation believed to be capable of storing hundreds of years’ worth of the greenhouse gas. This attempt follows an initial project at that site, which entailed the injection of 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

The Georgia House approved a bill last week that authorizes Georgia Power to collect in advance some of the cost to expand a nuclear power facility at its Plant Vogtle site in Burke County, Ga. Meanwhile, a Kentucky House committee approved a bill to lift a 25-year moratorium on nuclear power plants.

POWER magazine’s parent company, Access Intelligence LLC, on Monday announced the purchase of two conference-based tradeshow events from Technology Systems Corp.: Offshore Communications, a conference dedicated to the business of providing communications services and technology to the ocean industry, and EnergyOcean, focusing on the activities offshore to develop sustainable energy sources for the future of civilization.

Along with a focus on the development of a clean energy economy, President Barack Obama’s proposed $3.55 trillion budget for 2010 factors in a carbon cap-and-trade system to fund investments in clean energy, and it slashes funding for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.