Generation: Page 18
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White House guidance on GHG analysis will ease renewable energy permitting, trade groups say
The interim guidance comes as the infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act are expected to spur clean energy development, which can be slowed by permitting requirements.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 9, 2023 -
EPA proposes tightening fine particulate matter standard, potentially affecting coal power plants
The agency aims to issue final standards in August, but direct effects would be years away.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 6, 2023 -
Nuclear power saw multiple gains in 2022, but economic and other questions remain
The first new commercial nuclear plant in the U.S. in more than 30 years moved closer to operation while the sector is receiving a boost from the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law.
By Larry Pearl • Jan. 3, 2023 -
FirstEnergy agrees to pay $3.9M for failing to tell FERC about energy bill bribery payments
The utility company didn’t tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about $81 million it gave to Ohio officials to pass a bill that offered $1 billion to nuclear plants it owned, according to the agency.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 3, 2023 -
PJM seeks mid-auction capacity market rule change to address anomaly that led to ‘unjust’ price
Some generators warned that changing market rules in the middle of an auction sets a bad precedent.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 22, 2022 -
Entergy: Grand Gulf nuclear plant’s viability threatened by FERC move to advance state, city complaint
Entergy may need to give customers refunds related to the Grand Gulf’s capacity expansion and its alleged poor operating performance under a complaint by utility regulators from Arkansas, Louisiana and New Orleans.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 20, 2022 -
Avangrid asks regulators to dismiss 1.2-GW Commonwealth offshore wind contracts, says it plans to rebid project
Economic conditions have changed since the contracts were signed in April, making the project too expensive to build under the power purchase agreements, Avangrid told Massachusetts regulators Friday.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 19, 2022 -
Deep Dive
‘Proceed with caution’: Key takeaways from California’s first offshore wind energy auction
A recent lease sale on the West Coast drew lower bids than similar East Coast sales, which experts say reflects the uncertainties the offshore wind industry faces in California. But the lower bids could ultimately benefit ratepayers.
By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 19, 2022 -
Most of US electric grid faces risk of resource shortfall through 2027, NERC finds
“We are living in extraordinary times, from an electric industry perspective,” said John Moura, NERC’s director of reliability assessment and performance analysis.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 16, 2022 -
E3 defends Texas market analysis as early comments on reliability proposals turn negative
The E3 report “is too deeply flawed to be trusted to guide reliability and market decisions of this import,” according to independent energy analyst Alison Silverstein.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 14, 2022 -
Alternative Transmission plans $6B, 2.1-GW undersea power line between Puerto Rico, US East Coast
The project would cut the cost of power in Puerto Rico by more than half, provide reliable electricity and help the island meet its clean energy goals, Adam Rousselle, ATI president, said Tuesday.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 14, 2022 -
DOE hails fusion technology breakthrough on path to achieving abundant zero-carbon energy
Researchers say it will be years before fusion ignition will be commercially available, with one observer comparing it to sending an astronaut into orbit before reaching the moon.
By Stephen Singer • Updated Dec. 13, 2022 -
Deep Dive
Transmission as a reliability and affordability strategy drives CAISO and SPP regional market ambitions
Benefits of real-time markets are clear, demand for day-ahead markets is growing and advocates foresee full RTOs coming that could cross seams between East and West interconnections
By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 12, 2022 -
Environmental advocates sue EPA for failure to update NOx standards for new gas plants
The Environmental Protection Agency has 60 days to respond to the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 12, 2022 -
Sponsored by Sungrow
What we are thankful for in 2022
At the end of the year, it’s important to remember the challenges overcome and milestones reached as an industry.
Dec. 12, 2022 -
Manchin calls for Senate vote on permitting reform, warns of billions of dollars stranded without it
Sen. Joe Manchin wants permitting reform — including completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline — included as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. “We're trying everything humanly possible,” he said.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 9, 2022 -
Nuclear SMR developer X-energy to merge with Ares Management-backed SPAC, creating $2B company
X-energy says 67 GW from SMRs will need to be installed by 2040 in the U.S., Canada and U.K. to offset the retirement of coal and other fossil fuel plants and meet expected increases in demand.
By Stephen Singer • Dec. 7, 2022 -
On-peak wholesale power prices this winter expected to be more than 60% higher in some regions, EIA warns
Extreme cold or fuel supply problems could drive prices “significantly higher than forecast,” according to EIA’s December Short Term Energy Outlook.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 7, 2022 -
10 must-read utility sector stories from 2022
Reliability, security and affordability concerns are rising in a U.S. power sector increasingly focused on decarbonization and electrification. Utility Dive has rounded up some of our top stories so far on these and other trends in 2022.
By Larry Pearl • Dec. 5, 2022 -
California requires permits for large natural gas projects to enable environmental and cost scrutiny
A first-ever order holds investor-owned utility pipelines and other projects to the same standard as big electricity proposals.
By Elizabeth McCarthy • Dec. 5, 2022 -
Federal appeals court orders FERC to rework MISO interconnection funding decision
The federal agency failed to adequately respond to concerns transmission owners might discriminate in favor of their own generating plants, the D.C. circuit appeals court said.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 5, 2022 -
PacifiCorp interconnection plan for retiring power plants sparks anti-competitive concerns at FERC
The proposal would “tilt the competitive landscape sharply in PacifiCorp’s favor, allowing it to lock in its dominant position in the generation market,” NewSun Energy said.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 2, 2022 -
NuScale, Shell, others to develop hydrogen production concept with heat from small modular reactor
Research will consider the number of NuScale power modules needed in solid oxide electrolysis cell hydrogen production and the quantity of hydrogen that could be stored for subsequent electricity production.
By Stephen Singer • Dec. 2, 2022 -
FERC approves PJM’s ‘first-ready, first-served’ interconnection reform plan, steps to clear backlog
FERC Commissioner Allison Clements, who said she reluctantly voted in favor of PJM’s plan, called for additional measures to improve the interconnection process.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 1, 2022 -
Senators press DOE’s Granholm to help New England avoid major power disruptions, price spikes this winter
The lawmakers from Connecticut, Maine and Vermont asked DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm to convene stakeholders — including FERC, ISO New England, New England’s governors and utilities — to “mitigate these risks.”
By Stephen Singer • Updated Dec. 1, 2022