Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S. Energize Weekly, July 12, 2023 Electric vehicle (EV) sales are projected to almost triple between 2022 and 2026, reaching nearly 27 million vehicles as the technology pushes beyond automobiles to trucks and buses, according to…
US government sets sight on Great Lakes for offshore wind
US government sets sight on Great Lakes for offshore wind 06/30/2023 While efforts to expand offshore wind in the U.S. are currently focused primarily on the coastal regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, another body of water is once again coming into focus: the five Great Lakes…
How old coal plants could help fuel a renewable boom
How old coal plants could help fuel a renewable boom 06/30/2023 When Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant closes Saturday, it will leave behind more than towering smokestacks and mounds of coal waste. The Homer City Generating Station has a valuable asset: a connection to both the nation’s largest regional power grid…
Palisades nuclear plant gets $150 million in Michigan budget
Palisades nuclear plant gets $150 million in Michigan budget Jul. 03, 2023 Michigan lawmakers included $150 million toward the effort to restart the Palisades nuclear plant as part of a record $81.7 billion state budget passed last week. State officials contributed the millions in taxpayer dollars toward Holtec International’s effort…
City eyes recent land purchase for power plant
City eyes recent land purchase for power plant June 28, 2023 In April, the City of Mesa finalized a deal to purchase 9 acres of vacant land at the northeast corner of University and Stapley drives from the U.S. Government for $2.6 million. In the quitclaim deed transferring the property…
Colorado and Wyoming, at odds over energy policy, find common ground on carbon capture
Colorado and Wyoming, at odds over energy policy, find common ground on carbon capture Energize Weekly, July 5, 2023 When it comes to energy policy, there isn’t a lot that Wyoming and Colorado see eye to eye on, but the two neighbors have common ground on capturing carbon dioxide from…
Northern Maine power line project moves forward, slowly
Northern Maine power line project moves forward, slowly June 26, 2023 Plans for a major renewable energy project that would connect Aroostook County to New England’s electric power grid are inching forward. Last week, legislators and Gov. Janet Mills signed off on a bill for construction of a high-voltage transmission…
EnergySolutions sets its sights on nuclear new build
EnergySolutions sets its sights on nuclear new build Jun 22, 2023 Utah-based decommissioning company EnergySolutions has entered the early phases of exploring the possible use of former nuclear sites acquired by the company, such as the closed Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin, as potential locations for future new nuclear…
TVA preparing to start up new gas-powered turbines at former Alabama coal plant
TVA preparing to start up new gas-powered turbines at former Alabama coal plant June 21, 2023 Seven years after the last of the coal-fired generators were shut down at the Colbert Fossil Plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority is preparing to start up three new natural gas combustion turbines at the…
West Virginia bets on hydrogen in gamble to save coal plant
West Virginia bets on hydrogen in gamble to save coal plant 06/25/2023 A little-known company that enjoys the backing of West Virginia’s top political leaders is in talks to turn one of the state’s largest coal plants into a clean energy behemoth. Omnis Global Technologies, a California-based firm, says it…
U.S. solar industry sets record in the first quarter of 2023 but faces a host of challenges
U.S. solar industry sets record in the first quarter of 2023 but faces a host of challenges Energize Weekly, June 28, 2023 After a record-setting first quarter in 2023, the U.S. solar industry is poised for rapid growth while facing a spate of challenges including system underperformance, labor shortages and…
Canadian Solar to build first solar PV manufacturing facility in the US
Canadian Solar to build first solar PV manufacturing facility in the US June 16, 2023 Ontario-based Canadian Solar will build its first production facility in the US, a PV module manufacturing plant with the capacity to produce 5GW of solar modules a year. Canadian Solar will invest US$250 million into…
FERC finalizes new rules to improve reliability in extreme weather conditions
FERC finalizes new rules to improve reliability in extreme weather conditions June 20, 2023 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finalized two new rules last week that are designed to help improve reliability of the bulk power system against threats of extreme weather. The first rule directs the North American…
Evergy slashes planned renewable energy additions, proposes more natural gas
Evergy slashes planned renewable energy additions, proposes more natural gas JUNE 16, 2023 Kansas’ largest electric utility has drastically scaled back its plans to add more clean energy over the next decade and will keep open its oldest coal plant for years longer. Two years ago, Evergy announced plans to…
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant Jun 17, 2023 Georgia Power said commercial operation of the new Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has been delayed for at least another month. The utility on June 16 said there’s a problem in the hydrogen system used to cool the…
Tax Incentives To Supercharge U.S. Clean Energy Transition
Tax Incentives To Supercharge U.S. Clean Energy Transition Jun 18, 2023 The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have released guidance on key provisions in the IRA to expand the reach of the clean energy tax credits and help build projects more quickly and affordably.…
Global oil and gas investment rises even as demand slows risking overcapacity in the sector
Global oil and gas investment rises even as demand slows risking overcapacity in the sector Energize Weekly, June 21, 2023 Global demand for oil is set to slow in the next five years even as investment in oil industry infrastructure is projected to grow, risking an overcapacity in production, according…
Nuclear storage talks could mean changes for San Onofre
Nuclear storage talks could mean changes for San Onofre June 9, 2023 U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the process of moving spent nuclear fuel currently stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is moving forward. Granholm visited the decommissioned nuclear power plant on Camp Pendleton on Friday to…
Montana gas power plant can resume construction, judge rules
Montana gas power plant can resume construction, judge rules June 9, 2023 NorthWestern Energy will resume construction of a natural gas power plant along Montana’s Yellowstone River following a two-month delay, a company spokesperson said Friday, after a state judge revived a pollution permit for the project despite lingering concerns…
Duke Energy to sell utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8 billion
Duke Energy to sell utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8 billion June 12, 2023 Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today announced it has reached an agreement to sell its unregulated utility scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield Renewable (“Brookfield”), one of the world’s largest owners and operators of renewable…
Local opposition to wind and solar development growing across the country, survey finds
Local opposition to wind and solar development growing across the country, survey finds Energize Weekly, June 14, 2023 The number of local regulations on renewable energy projects, which could hamper, delay or block development, is on the rise in the U.S., according to a report by the Columbia University Sabin…
Xcel power plants in Texas, New Mexico could get solar power in 2026
Xcel power plants in Texas, New Mexico could get solar power in 2026 June 6, 2023 A plan to add solar generating facilities to two Xcel Energy natural gas power plants in Texas and New Mexico is going forward, according to an Xcel news release on Monday. The plan will…
Protest Against 2nd Proposed Woodbridge Natural Gas Power Plant
Protest Against 2nd Proposed Woodbridge Natural Gas Power Plant Jun 6, 2023 This past Saturday morning, June 3, some people held a rally to protest the second proposed natural gas power plant in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge. Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), a national energy company, seeks to build the…
Constellation Energy in Deal to Buy NRG’s Stake in South Texas Nuclear Project
Constellation Energy in Deal to Buy NRG’s Stake in South Texas Nuclear Project June 4, 2023 Constellation Energy is acquiring NRG Energy’s 44 percent stake in the 2,645-megawatt South Texas Project nuclear plant in Texas. The transaction is valued at $1.75 billion, with an effective purchase price of $1.4 billion…
Storage battery installations surge in first quarter of 2023 led by Texas and California
Storage battery installations surge in first quarter of 2023 led by Texas and California Energize Weekly, June 7, 2023 Total battery storage installations in the U.S. are surging with first quarter 2023 capacity up 52 percent to 10.8 gigawatts (GW) with another 3.2 GW slated for the second quarter, according…
Eversource working its way out of wind farm development ventures
Eversource working its way out of wind farm development ventures 5/30/23 Eversource has announced plans to sell its 50 percent stake in offshore wind lease areas totaling 175,000 square miles off the coast of Massachusetts for $625 million to its wind partner, Danish energy giant Orsted. Last May, Eversource CEO…
California unlikely to run short of electricity this summer thanks to winter storms, new power sources
California unlikely to run short of electricity this summer thanks to winter storms, new power sources May 25, 2023 California regulators say the state is unlikely to experience electricity shortages this summer after securing new power sources and a wet winter that filled the state’s reservoirs enough to restart hydroelectric…
Duke Energy working to clean up Gallagher coal ash site, will follow any new regulations
Duke Energy working to clean up Gallagher coal ash site, will follow any new regulations May 24, 2023 Stricter guidelines could be on the horizon for getting rid of hazardous waste at coal ash dumps in Indiana, including Gallagher Station in New Albany. The Indiana Capitol Chronicle reports the Environment…
Kentucky’s largest utility tests new law creating barrier to retire fossil fuel plants
Kentucky’s largest utility tests new law creating barrier to retire fossil fuel plants May 30, 2023 Republican lawmakers in Kentucky, raising concerns that planned and ongoing retirements of coal-fired power plants could affect the reliability and resilience of the electric grid, passed a new law that creates an extra barrier…
Ocean Wind 1 project moves forward; BOEM completes environmental analysis
Ocean Wind 1 project moves forward; BOEM completes environmental analysis May 23, 2023 The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Monday said it completed its environmental analysis of the proposed Ocean Wind 1 wind project off the New Jersey Shore. BOEM said Ocean Wind could power up to a half-million…
Oklo’s Next Two Nuclear Power Plants Planned for Southern Ohio
Oklo’s Next Two Nuclear Power Plants Planned for Southern Ohio May 18, 2023 Advanced nuclear reactor technology firm Oklo will build its second and third commercial 15-MWe Aurora Powerhouse reactors on land owned by the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), a community reuse organization tasked by the Department of Energy…
Hawaiian Electric proposes to repower Waiau Power Plant
Hawaiian Electric proposes to repower Waiau Power Plant 5/18/2023 Hawaiian Electric is proposing to replace six aging fossil fuel-powered generators at its Waiau Power Plant in Pearl City with smaller, more efficient and fuel-flexible units that can provide reliable, firm generation to back up the expanding portfolio of variable resources…
U.S. grid facing blackout risks this summer and next winter, reliability agency warns
U.S. grid facing blackout risks this summer and next winter, reliability agency warns Energize Weekly, May 24, 2023 U.S. power grids are facing a risky summer and an even riskier winter, according to analyses by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), the agency that oversees grid reliability and security.…
How is Colorado doing in shutting down coal power plants?
How is Colorado doing in shutting down coal power plants? May 15, 2023 Colorado clean air advocates had a swift reaction to the Environmental Protection Agency’s sweeping new rules to eliminate greenhouse gas and toxic pollution from electric power plants nationwide: Great idea, we’re already there. By the timeline the…
PG&E has a new way to store radioactive waste at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant
PG&E has a new way to store radioactive waste at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant MAY 12, 2023 PG&E will soon have an additional way it stores casks of new highly radioactive spent fuel from Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Currently, the spent fuel — radioactive waste that remains dangerous…
Three Wisconsin utilities apply for rate hikes in 2024, citing renewable energy construction costs
Three Wisconsin utilities apply for rate hikes in 2024, citing renewable energy construction costs May 15, 2023 Three utilities have submitted proposals to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to increase rates in 2024, and consumer advocates worry about how rate hikes could affect customers. Those utilities are Alliant Energy,…
Legal war brews over EPA power plant rule
Legal war brews over EPA power plant rule 05/12/2023 EPA has rolled out its strongest-ever proposal to slash planet-warming emissions from power plants — but before the agency can tackle one of the nation’s leading sources of climate pollution, the strategy must first survive the courts. Legal observers say that…
Winter rains lift California hydropower outlook, easing regional demand for natural gas
Winter rains lift California hydropower outlook, easing regional demand for natural gas Energize Weekly, May 17, 2023 Heavy rains have filled California reservoirs and boosted the prospect for hydropower – welcomed news to the rest of the West, which saw natural gas prices soar last winter as California utilities scrambled…
Race for ever-larger wind turbines might be unsustainable
Race for ever-larger wind turbines might be unsustainable 8 May, 2023 The offshore wind supply chain is pushing back against the constant pursuit for bigger turbines given the financial difficulties experienced by the major turbine manufacturers and the ripple effects that the race for greater scale could create for other…
Another power line proposed to carry electricity from Quebec through New Hampshire
Another power line proposed to carry electricity from Quebec through New Hampshire 5/4/2023 Five years after Northern Pass was rejected by the state, another proposal is on the books to bring Quebec hydropower through New Hampshire but this time along a different route – passing through Dunbarton instead of Concord…
Hundreds of gas plants could escape EPA climate rules
Hundreds of gas plants could escape EPA climate rules 05/03/2023 About 1,000 natural gas-fired power plants that provide energy at periods of peak demand could be excluded from the toughest standards under EPA’s upcoming carbon rules. These plants are often located in urban areas, raising concern among some environmental advocates…
Westinghouse unveils “game-changing” AP300 small modular reactor
Westinghouse unveils “game-changing” AP300 small modular reactor MAY 8, 2023 Cranberry Township-based Westinghouse Electric Company announced Thursday it had launched a “game-changing” nuclear technology advancement – a new small modular reactor. The AP 300 reactor is a 300-MWe single-loop pressurized water reactor, the company said, based on the scaled design…
Years past deadline, Georgia will submit plan to close loophole in pollution regulations
Years past deadline, Georgia will submit plan to close loophole in pollution regulations May 1, 2023 Under pressure from the federal government, Georgia is rewriting a rule governing industrial air pollution limits to end a loophole that currently exposes communities near coal plants and other facilities to harmful pollutants. Federal…
Feds extend Diablo Canyon Power Plant license through 2030
Feds extend Diablo Canyon Power Plant license through 2030 04/29/2023 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant through 2030 while the agency considers its license renewal application. The plant was set to close in 2025. Newsom said,…
Duke Energy’s Impact Report details progress toward ESG, business goals
Duke Energy’s Impact Report details progress toward ESG, business goals May 01, 2023 Duke Energy released a report that outlines its approach to sustainability and its progress on strategic business priorities and goals. Among the key points in Duke’s Impact Report, the company said its planned investment of $145 billion…
Federal agency opens Gulf of Maine for wind development as state tries to balance interests
Federal agency opens Gulf of Maine for wind development as state tries to balance interests Energize Weekly, May 3, 2023 The Biden administration has opened a 10-million-acre tract in the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind (OSW) development proposals, as the state is trying to balance promoting wind and protecting…
EPA to propose strongest emission limits yet for coal- and gas-fired power plants
EPA to propose strongest emission limits yet for coal- and gas-fired power plants 4.24.2023 The Biden Administration is expected to propose stringent requirements on utilities to reduce carbon emissions from fossil-fired power plants, according to multiple published reports. The proposal would be a transformational approach from the U.S. Environmental Protection…
Support for nuclear energy highest in a decade: Gallup
Support for nuclear energy highest in a decade: Gallup 04/25/23 Americans’ support for nuclear energy is at its highest point in a decade, according to a new Gallup poll. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat favor the use of nuclear energy as a method of providing electricity…
PPL Corp. advanced its commitment to ESG in 2022
PPL Corp. advanced its commitment to ESG in 2022 April 24, 2023 In its 2022 Sustainability Report, PPL Corp. gave an overview of its approach to a clean energy transition while outlining the company’s performance on the environment, social responsibility, and governance (ESG). “PPL is focused on excelling in safety,…
Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids
Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids Energize Weekly, April 26, 2023 A surge in clean energy projects – a 40 percent year-over-year increase in 2022 – is creating a traffic jam in getting onto the U.S. electric grid, according to a Lawrence…