policy

  • UK Leans Heavily on Nuclear in Bold New Energy Strategy

    A long-awaited energy strategy published by the UK government on April 6 lays out bold commitments that tackle Great Britain’s multi-pronged challenges, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions while

  • ACES Delta’s Giant Utah Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage Project Gets $504M Conditional DOE Loan Guarantee

    The Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project, a much-watched project under development in Delta, Utah, that is shaping up to be the largest renewable hydrogen energy hub in the U.S., has garnered a conditional commitment for a $504.4 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) federal loan guarantee program. The conditional loan guarantee commitment […]

  • DOE Poised to Issue Guidance Document for Civil Nuclear Credit Program

    The Department of Energy (DOE) will next week kick off its much-watched $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program to bolster the existing U.S. nuclear fleet by issuing a guidance document that will set down criteria for a combined certification and a sealed bid auction process. The agency said in an April 6 update the […]

  • Former FERC Commissioner Says ‘Market Design Problem’ Was a Leading Cause of February 2021 Texas Power Crisis

    In February 2021, a severe cold weather event, known as Winter Storm Uri, caused numerous power outages, derates, or failures to start at electric generating plants scattered across Texas and the south-central U.S. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the power supply for about 90% of the load in Texas, ordered a […]

  • Disorderly Transitions: Eight Enduring Global Power Sector Trends

    While 2021 unfolded with some relief from the chaotic global pandemic that jolted the world in 2020, the year may be remembered for its extraordinary series of energy crises. After a cold snap prompted mass

  • The Urgency of Protecting the Electric Grid from Cyberattacks

    The clock is ticking to protect the electric grid from cyberattacks. Adversarial nations, terrorists, and criminal groups have been refining their techniques since before Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence, warned of America’s vulnerability to major electric grid attacks in January 2019. This followed an earlier report from Lloyd’s that a successful, coordinated intrusion could cost $1 trillion. […]

  • Is America Ready to Take a ‘Baby Step’ Toward Carbon Pricing?

    Most people recognize that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas (GHG), and while not everyone agrees, a majority of climate scientists believe increasing concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere are causing climate change on Earth. Carbon pricing is a market-based strategy for reducing CO2 emissions. The goal of carbon pricing schemes is to place […]

  • FERC-NARUC Task Force Will Tackle Transmission Issues

    Two groups concerned with issues regarding the regulation and production of U.S. electricity have announced formation of a joint federal-state task force on power transmission, an effort to better identify the costs and benefits associated with electric power projects, and support the buildout of renewable energy resources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an independent […]

  • America’s New Energy to Decarbonize Could Fuel Global Breakthroughs

    The new U.S. administration’s policies could prove to be pivotal in the global fight to tackle climate breakdown. President Joe Biden signed a host of executive orders on “Climate Day” at the end of

  • Bipartisan Action, Not Litigation, Is Key to Solving Climate Change

    If we plan on making real progress on beating back climate change, we’re going to have to work together. That means working across not just international borders, but party lines, aggressively pursuing realistic solutions that will make a difference. Democrats like me have always worked hard to not only be leaders on responsible environmental stewardship, […]

  • Is It Safe to Invest in Mexican Energy Projects?

    In late 2013, Mexico embarked on a path to transform its energy markets. Then-President Enrique Peña-Nieto oversaw constitutional reforms that ended state-run monopolies, and opened Mexico’s power market to competition and investment from foreign and private companies. By most accounts, the policies were highly effective in spurring investments in renewable energy and efficient natural gas-fired […]

  • Policy Support for Carbon Capture Critical to Clean Energy Future

    Analysis by both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and International Energy Agency shows that achieving a zero-carbon energy system by 2050 will require large-scale deployment of carbon capture

  • Under Competitive Pressure, Nuclear Industry Doing All It Can, NEI Head Says

    The nation’s paramount nuclear power trade group has launched a wide-ranging strategy to help generators stay profitable in tight markets, the head of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) told Wall Street analysts on April 12. In an address broadcast on Facebook, Maria Korsnick, NEI president and CEO, said that nuclear plants that operate in competitive […]

  • Batteries, renewable and gas power stations stand to benefit from Ireland energy policy overhaul 

    Competitive Irish electricity market to go live in May 2018 Retirement of old coal, peat, and gas power stations opens up opportunity for 1.7GW of new cleaner, high-efficiency gas plants Battery storage and demand-side management projects could capture a share of €60M/year revenues Policy uncertainties remain due to Brexit and lack of detail on decarbonisation […]

  • Reports: Electric Vehicles Are Poised to Reshape Global Power Consumption 

    The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)—both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)—is expected to transform global electricity consumption through 2040, three

  • India Approves National Offshore Wind Energy Policy

    A new policy approved by India’s cabinet will simplify its foray into offshore wind power, says a key stakeholder.  The National Offshore Wind Energy Policy approved by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Union Cabinet on Sept. 9 designates the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) as the nodal ministry for use of offshore areas […]

  • 10 Energy Takeaways from the U.S.-Africa Summit

    The Aug. 4–6 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit shed light on the power plights faced by sub-Saharan African countries, but it also highlighted their massive power potential and the array of solutions under consideration to resolve Africa’s energy crisis. Here are a number of key insights gleaned from discussions at the summit—the first a U.S. president has […]

  • When Policy and Construction Timelines Diverge

    Have you ever been surprised to have a nice gift rejected? Well, that’s what happened to the POWER team this summer. This spring, we chose an interesting and diverse set of plants from around the world to