The federal government’s Tennessee Valley Authority will replace one of its large and elderly coal-fired power plants with a new combined-cycle natural gas generator, rejecting pleas from environmentalists for a replacement with renewables. The nation’s largest public utility, TVA is moving away from coal, once its dominant source of power, in order to reduce carbon … More TVA: New Gas to Replace Old Coal Plant
In many of the discussions at all levels, one word seems to come up ubiquitously: “electrification.” The answer to a warming world, by many who are concerned, — from technical and policy experts, to rabid activists, to casual observers — is to convert the majority of sources of energy that come from oil, gas, coal … More Archive, Oct. 24: Hass Examines Electrification
The German cabinet, following the lead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has approved continued operation of the country’s final three operating nuclear power plants, in the face of continuing problems in receiving Russian natural gas. The three units can continue running until 15 April 2023 at the latest, demonstrating that Germany has not jettisoned its long-term … More Archive, Oct. 24: Germany Keeps Nukes Working
The International Atomic Energy Agency, responding to U.S. concerns, has barred Russia from attending this week’s fifth IAEA International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century, to be held in Washington, D.C. this week. Bloomberg reported last week, “The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Thursday that executives from Rosatom Corp. and Russia’s industry … More Archive, Oct. 26: IAEA Bans Russia from Meeting
The long-time troubled Texas electric utility regulatory scheme, featuring the state’s unique, isolated transmission grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, is widely understood as dysfunctional, leading to brownouts, blackouts, and other state-wide disruptions. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s recent winter reliability outlook found that the state could face the same blackout problems … More Archive, Oct. 27: Elec. Consumers: Don’t Californicate the Lone Star State
Driven in part by the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the consequent disruption of energy markets, a view of the supply and demand for oil and gas that predicted that the world would run out of the finite resources in the ground – a.k.a. “peak oil” – may have been turned on its … More Archive, Oct. 28: The Peak Oil 180?
A major offshore wind project planned for Massachusetts is in trouble and may fail. AVANGRID, developed of the proposed 1,200-MW Commonwealth Wind project has asked state regulators for a month’s delay in reviewing the power purchase agreements for the project. The developer, a subsidiary of Spanish utility Iberdrola, said, “A one-month suspension in the proceeding … More Archive: Oct. 28: Big Mass. Offshore Wind Project in Jeopardy
California giant combination utility, San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric, has asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to resume its review of a request to extend the license of the two-unit, Diablo Canyon nuke, located on the coast near San Luis Obispo. NuclearNewswire noted that PG&E had originally filed a license extension request in 2009, … More Archive, Oct. 29: Closures of Nuclear Plants Passé, Life Extension Au Courant?
The FBI is investigating what was a possible terrorist attack against a prominent state-wide environmental and political organization, the Santa Fe, N.M.-based Conservation Voters of New Mexico. The group is affiliated with the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV). Last week (Oct. 26), CVNM received what Gene Karpinski, LCV president, described in an email to … More Archive, Nov. 1: New Mexico Green Group Targeted by Terrorists?
The common designation is COP27, which opens Sunday (Nov. 6) in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The meeting will end Nov. 18. The formal designation is the “27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.” Most expectations for the outcome of the meeting are low. Many … More Archive, Nov. 2: COP 27 Meets with Low Climate Expectations