US offshore oil and gas rigs at ‘significant’ risk of cyberattacks, warns government watchdog November 22, 2022 U.S. offshore oil and gas infrastructure faces “significant and increasing” cybersecurity risks that require “urgent” attention, a U.S. government’s watchdog has warned. The Government Accountability Office said in a new report that the…
Biden grants PG&E $1.1 billion to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open
Biden grants PG&E $1.1 billion to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open NOV 21 2022 The Biden administration on Monday said it’s providing Pacific Gas & Electric Co. with a $1.1 billion grant to help the company prevent the closure of Diablo Canyon, California’s last nuclear power plant. Diablo Canyon…
Eversource, UI will cut electric rates for some, but not until 2024
Eversource, UI will cut electric rates for some, but not until 2024 November 21, 2022 The electric bills for roughly 1.5 million power customers in Connecticut are expected to spike dramatically come January, but a long-awaited initiative that would ease monthly energy costs for the state’s lowest-income residents is still…
U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns
U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns Energize Weekly, November 23, 2022 A large swatch of the U.S. electricity grid – in Texas, the Midwest, Southeast and New England – is at risk of being unable to provide adequate power in the face of extreme…
Commuter Tunnel Under the Hudson Won’t Be Finished Until 2035
Commuter Tunnel Under the Hudson Won’t Be Finished Until 2035 Nov. 15, 2022 The long-delayed, $16 billion project to repair the existing Amtrak tunnels under the Hudson River and build a new two-track tunnel is about to move forward under the control of the Gateway Development Commission, which became the…
Equinor Leads the Way in Adoption of Low-emission Offshore Drilling Rigs, Westwood Says
Equinor Leads the Way in Adoption of Low-emission Offshore Drilling Rigs, Westwood Says November 15, 2022 The availability of emission-lowering upgrades for offshore rigs has been on the rise, but adoption of these new technologies is slow outside of Norway and the US Gulf of Mexico due to limited regulatory…
NET Power Natural Gas Generating Plant Captures Its Own Emissions
NET Power Natural Gas Generating Plant Captures Its Own Emissions Nov. 14, 2022 NET Power, based in Durham, North Carolina, has developed a new way to make electricity by burning natural gas that it says is cheaper than conventional gas generation. That’s good news, sort of, but the real benefit…
As Europe Quits Russian Gas, Half of France’s Nuclear Plants Are Off-Line
As Europe Quits Russian Gas, Half of France’s Nuclear Plants Are Off-Line Nov. 15, 2022 An army of engineers has fanned out through nuclear power plants across France in recent months, inspecting reactors for signs of wear and tear. Hundreds of expert welders have been recruited to repair problems found…
Big Utilities See Inflation Reduction Act Helping Reduce Customers’ Energy Bills
Big Utilities See Inflation Reduction Act Helping Reduce Customers’ Energy Bills November 14, 2022 Utility giants planning to spend billions of dollars to move away from fossil fuels see the Inflation Reduction Act helping to reduce the cost of that transition as its customers grapple with high energy bills. Executives…
Spurred by high commodity prices, energy production revenues on federal lands surge
Spurred by high commodity prices, energy production revenues on federal lands surge Energize Weekly, November 16, 2022 Energy production on federal lands and offshore areas in 2022 generated $22 billion for the federal and state governments – the highest in revenues since 2008 and second highest in 39 years, according…
ConocoPhillips records big profits, expects to start work at $8 billion Alaska oil project early next year
ConocoPhillips records big profits, expects to start work at $8 billion Alaska oil project early next year 11/7/22 ConocoPhillips reported making huge profits in the latest quarter amid growing criticism that oil companies are benefiting as gas prices soar, and as President Joe Biden threatens to pursue a windfall profits…
ComEd to file multi-year grid plan, rate plan
ComEd to file multi-year grid plan, rate plan November 07, 2022 ComEd, a Chicago-based energy company, will file a multi-year grid plan along with a four-year rate plan in line with the requirements of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The plan will align closely with the state of…
DTE looks to close Monroe Power Plant in 2028, ahead of earlier planned date of 2040
DTE looks to close Monroe Power Plant in 2028, ahead of earlier planned date of 2040 Nov. 7, 2022 DTE Energy unveiled a new 20-year plan that includes increasing solar and wind energy while reducing reliance on coal, which translates into closing the Monroe Power Plant by 2028. According to…
PNM customers continue to pay for San Juan coal plant that’s no longer operating
PNM customers continue to pay for San Juan coal plant that’s no longer operating Nov 7, 2022 In the two months since the San Juan Generating Station shut down in New Mexico, the region’s customers have been paying the same rate for a facility that’s no longer giving them energy.…
Clean power installations hampered by supply and trade issues cool in Q3 of 2022
Clean power installations hampered by supply and trade issues cool in Q3 of 2022 Energize Weekly, November 9, 2022 Wind, solar and storage installations for the third quarter of 2022 were the lowest in three years as developers struggled with supply chain and trade restrictions, according to a market report…
EPA determines water in Jackson, Mississippi, is safe to drink two months after treatment plant failure
EPA determines water in Jackson, Mississippi, is safe to drink two months after treatment plant failure October 31, 2022 The Environmental Protection Agency has determined water from both treatment plants in Jackson, Mississippi, is safe to drink, an agency spokesperson said in a statement. The announcement comes just over two…
Eversource CEO fears New England might not have enough natural gas if winter is bitter
Eversource CEO fears New England might not have enough natural gas if winter is bitter Oct 29, 2022 The top executive of one of the top energy suppliers in New England fears the region may not have enough power if a severe cold spell hits this winter. Eversource Energy CEO…
Puerto Rico’s Fragile Grid to Get Boost from Networked Batteries
Puerto Rico’s Fragile Grid to Get Boost from Networked Batteries November 1, 2022 Sunrun Inc was selected to develop a 17-megawatt electricity generation project in Puerto Rico that harnesses excess battery power from its residential solar customers. The California-based company will begin enrolling households into what is known as a…
PG&E formally moves to extend life of Diablo Canyon, the last nuclear plant in California
PG&E formally moves to extend life of Diablo Canyon, the last nuclear plant in California NOVEMBER 01, 2022 PG&E Corp. formally asked federal regulators Monday to extend the life of Diablo Canyon, the last operating nuclear plant in California, as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to improve reliability of…
Xcel to exit coal nationwide by 2030
Xcel to exit coal nationwide by 2030 October 31, 2022 Xcel Energy plans to stop using coal nationwide by the end of 2030 after announcing Monday that it will speed up retirement of coal-fired units at its Tolk Generating Station in Texas. Xcel said it now plans to retire the…
American Electric Power hit with second subpoena tied to nuclear bailout bill
American Electric Power hit with second subpoena tied to nuclear bailout bill Oct. 28, 2022 American Electric Power has been hit with a second subpoena from federal regulators looking for information tied to the power company’s involvement in the scandal-ridden House Bill 6 legislation enacted three years ago to bail…
War in Ukraine is speeding a global energy transition, hobbling Russian exports, IEA says
War in Ukraine is speeding a global energy transition, hobbling Russian exports, IEA says Energize Weekly, November 2, 2022 Global fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are slowing with oil, coal and natural gas either peaking or reaching a plateau by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).…
Jackson Wastewater Hauler Pleads Guilty To Clean Water Act Violation
Jackson Wastewater Hauler Pleads Guilty To Clean Water Act Violation October 18, 2022 An employee of Partridge-Sibley Industrial Services, Inc., a wastewater hauling business based in Jackson, Mississippi, pled guilty today for his part in illegally discharging industrial waste into the Jackson sewer system, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca…
Southern California Edison to spend $50M in pole drone inspection services
Southern California Edison to spend $50M in pole drone inspection services Oct. 20th 2022 Southern California Edison says it plans to spend an estimated $50 million in drone inspection services over the next three years to ensure that nearly 160,000 of its electricity poles are adequately maintained. The news comes…
Inside EPA’s climate strategy for power plants
Inside EPA’s climate strategy for power plants 10/24/2022 EPA’s game plan to comprehensively attack pollution from the coal-fired power industry began to take shape almost immediately following President Joe Biden’s inauguration, recently released records show. In early February 2021, senior EPA appointees briefed White House officials on a strategy that…
FirstEnergy cuts off its ‘dark money’ spigot in Ohio, disclosures show
FirstEnergy cuts off its ‘dark money’ spigot in Ohio, disclosures show Oct. 24, 2022 Akron-based utility FirstEnergy has stopped using “dark money” in Ohio after agreeing to disclose future contributions, temporarily abandoning a controversial political spending tactic that was a critical cog in the largest bribery scandal in state history.…
Global carbon capture capacity set to grow sixfold by 2030, BloombergNEF says
Global carbon capture capacity set to grow sixfold by 2030, BloombergNEF says Energize Weekly, October 26, 2022 Global carbon capture capacity, with more than $3 billion invested in the technology this year, is set to increase sixfold from current levels by 2030, according to an analysis by energy research firm…
Scientists Say PFAS Contamination Should Be Presumed At Over 57,000 U.S. Sites
Scientists Say PFAS Contamination Should Be Presumed At Over 57,000 U.S. Sites October 12, 2022 Tens of thousands of locations across the United States may be contaminated by PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), according to a study published today in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. According to the research team,…
$1B Cybersecurity Grant Program Still Coming Into Focus
$1B Cybersecurity Grant Program Still Coming Into Focus OCTOBER 16, 2022 State and local governments are preparing to use $1 billion from the federal infrastructure law to improve cybersecurity. It marks the most significant federal support yet for protecting the computer networks and data of smaller governments. But many crucial…
Oil Prices Dip on Report Biden Preparing New Sales From Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Oil Prices Dip on Report Biden Preparing New Sales From Strategic Petroleum Reserve 10/18/22 Global oil prices moved lower Tuesday amid reports that President Joe Biden is planning to unveil another release of crude from the nation’s emergency reserves in an effort to reduce energy costs heading into the mid-term…
Louisiana project highlights unknowns of carbon capture
Louisiana project highlights unknowns of carbon capture October 17, 2022 A carbon capture project proposed for a central Louisiana power plant has been dubbed “Project Diamond Vault” by its owner, Louisiana utility Cleco. The utility says the project will have “precious value” to the company, customers and state. Yet less…
Xcel Energy-Colorado positioned to lead clean energy transition, new president says
Xcel Energy-Colorado positioned to lead clean energy transition, new president says October 16, 2022 Robert Kenney took over as President of Xcel Energy-Colorado as the utility sought approval from state regulators for rate increases, a new clean energy plan and a proposal to reduce emissions from its natural gas system.…
A colder winter and higher energy prices will boost winter heating costs, EIA says
A colder winter and higher energy prices will boost winter heating costs, EIA says Energize Weekly, October 19, 2022 American households will pay more for natural gas, electricity, heating oil and propane to heat their homes, spurred by increased energy prices and the forecast of a colder winter, according to…
French Refinery Strike Opens Door for More US Exports to Asia
French Refinery Strike Opens Door for More US Exports to Asia October 10, 2022 Asian refiners snapped up at least 12 million barrels of US crude oil in the past two weeks as a strike in France dims demand from one of Europe’s largest buyers. Refiners, mostly from South Korea,…
Ontario’s electricity sector will need more natural gas generation: report
Ontario’s electricity sector will need more natural gas generation: report October 11, 2022 Ontario plans to secure more natural gas generation in order to fuel an expected surge in demand for electricity, the energy minister said Friday, the latest announcement in what critics describe as a scramble in the face…
As electric vehicles shrink gas tax revenue, more states may tax mileage
As electric vehicles shrink gas tax revenue, more states may tax mileage OCTOBER 11, 2022 The increasing popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles is shrinking revenue from gas taxes, prompting more states to consider charging fees based on miles driven to help pay for roads and bridges. This year at…
Unsafe Lead Contamination Found In Chicago Drinking Water
Unsafe Lead Contamination Found In Chicago Drinking Water September 28, 2022 Recent tests for thousands of consumers in Chicago found that 5% of them were being served with drinking water that contained exceedingly high levels of lead contamination. “One in 20 tap water tests performed for thousands of Chicago residents…
Xcel Energy’s ability to meet next summer’s electricity demand hangs on two Pueblo solar projects
Xcel Energy’s ability to meet next summer’s electricity demand hangs on two Pueblo solar projects Oct 4, 2022 Xcel Energy is moving to close a gap in electricity supplies that, for the moment, leaves the region short on electric generation and reserves for the summers of 2023 and 2024. In…
Oil-eating microbes excrete the world’s cheapest “clean” hydrogen
Oil-eating microbes excrete the world’s cheapest “clean” hydrogen October 03, 2022 Texan company Cemvita is promising clean hydrogen at less than US$1/kg, after testing a fascinating new technique in the lab and the field. The idea is to pump specially developed microbes into depleted oil wells, where they’ll eat oil…
Holtec, Nuclear Regulatory Commission keep focus on dismantling Palisades
Holtec, Nuclear Regulatory Commission keep focus on dismantling Palisades Oct 2, 2022 Despite efforts to resume the operation of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert Township, it appears its decommissioning will begin in earnest. Holtec International, which bought the plant from Entergy Inc., has been given the green light…
PG&E Lays Out Plan to Sell Stake in Generation Capacity
PG&E Lays Out Plan to Sell Stake in Generation Capacity Sept. 29, 2022 PG&E Corp. executives have sketched out a plan to house the company’s non-nuclear generation assets in a new subsidiary, stakes in which could be sold to fund future safety and reliability investments. Representatives of the company’s Pacific…
AEP, Liberty reach amended agreement
AEP, Liberty reach amended agreement September 30, 2022 American Electric Power has signed an amended agreement on the sale of its Kentucky operations to Liberty, according to a press release. AEP expects to close the sale in January 2023 after approval of the transaction from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,…
Threat of recession and drop in oil demand and prices worry Permian producers
Threat of recession and drop in oil demand and prices worry Permian producers Energize Weekly, October 5, 2022 Even as oil production rebounds in the Permian Basin, industry executives are worried about a drop in demand due to a recession and remain dogged by rising costs and supply chain problems,…
Las Vegas Bets On A Range Of Conservation Measures In Face Of Megadrought
Las Vegas Bets On A Range Of Conservation Measures In Face Of Megadrought September 21, 2022 Banking on its continued position as an oasis among the desert, Las Vegas is placing its bets on ambitious water conservation measures as regional drought conditions and consumption demand grow. According to recent coverage…
Goldman Sachs Drops Oil Price Forecast
Goldman Sachs Drops Oil Price Forecast Sep 27, 2022 Goldman Sachs cut its oil price forecast on Tuesday on the deteriorating global economic outlook—although it remained bullish on oil. Goldman said it remained bullish, anticipating that oil prices would likely rise from the current levels given the state of the…
NYPA, GE Successfully Pilot Hydrogen Retrofit at Aeroderivative Gas Turbine
NYPA, GE Successfully Pilot Hydrogen Retrofit at Aeroderivative Gas Turbine September 26, 2022 A pioneering GE aeroderivative gas turbine project to demonstrate hydrogen combustion as part of a retrofit at an existing U.S. natural gas power plant has successfully utilized blends of 5% to 44% hydrogen with natural gas—some of…
Argonne National Laboratory and Constellation look at producing hydrogen at NPPs
Argonne National Laboratory and Constellation look at producing hydrogen at NPPs 27 September 2022 Constellation Energy Corporation and the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have announced a long-term agreement to evaluate trends in the US energy system and develop technologies for more efficient, carbon-free power generation. One…
Rhode Island Communities Announce Launch of First-Ever Electricity Aggregation Programs
Rhode Island Communities Announce Launch of First-Ever Electricity Aggregation Programs September 22, 2022 Six Rhode Island cities and towns have joined together to launch aggregation programs that leverage community-wide buying power to provide their residents and businesses with new options for electricity supply. These Community Electricity Aggregation (CEA) programs will…
Global coal-fired generation spikes in 2021, even as wind and solar reach new highs
Global coal-fired generation spikes in 2021, even as wind and solar reach new highs Energize Weekly, September 28, 2022 The world recorded an unprecedent spike in coal-fired generation in 2021 – even as wind and solar generation also reached record levels, according to a report by Bloomberg NEF and Bloomberg…
Biden to Release 10MM Oil Barrels Ahead of EU-Russian Ban
Biden to Release 10MM Oil Barrels Ahead of EU-Russian Ban September 20, 2022 The Department of Energy will offer additional US reserve crude for sale ahead of plans by the European Union to ban most Russian oil in December. The agency will offer 10 million barrels of low-sulfur crude for…
