EPA backtracks on fish-protecting requirements in long-delayed Merrimack coal plant permit

The permit has not been updated since 1992, and environmentalists say the agency's proposal is "a complete 180" from the permit proposed in 2011, which would have required the plant to install cooling towers.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 28, 2020

24 Congressional Democrats urge FERC to reject net metering overhaul

The proposal is an affront to states' rights as well as a threat to distributed energy compensation policies, senators and representatives wrote.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 28, 2020

Alliant coal plant could cost Wisconsin customers $257M by 2030, report says

One analyst notes the report does not take into account potential customer recovery of stranded costs, but the group says building out a new clean energy portfolio would still be cheaper than operating existing coal by 2026.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 27, 2020

Murkowski, Collins, Tillis urge Treasury to extend aid to solar industry

The Republican senators asked Secretary Steven Mnuchin to extend safe harbor requirements for the "start of construction" on renewables projects, and modify the "physical work test" rule to ensure eligibility for tax credits.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 26, 2020

Alliant Energy to retire 380 MW coal-fired unit said to have lost millions with uneconomic scheduling

The unit lost $8.3 million in net energy market revenues in 2016 alone, as well as millions more in subsequent years, according to a report last fall by the Sierra Club.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 26, 2020

Got to have a code: Co-ops, The Wire's Omar Little, and the struggle to exit G&T providers

HBO's The Wire and rural electric cooperatives are rarely mentioned in the same breath, but both prestige dystopian television show characters and cooperatives purport to live by a code, the authors write.

By Raymond L. Gifford and Matthew S. Larson • May 22, 2020

State-federal tension 'at an all time high' between MOPR, net metering attack, says head Maryland regulator

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Neil Chatterjee, meanwhile, urged states to give the MOPR time.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 22, 2020

FERC approves PJM reserve overhaul with $2B price tag, critics say move ignores overcapacity

"We are starting to see evidence that the future of PJM as we know it is at stake ... no matter how many times the chairman denies it,” Commissioner Richard Glick said in his dissent.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 21, 2020

Developer plans to build hydrogen plant that runs on waste in Southern California

The plant will process 40,000 tons of waste every year to produce up to 3.8 million kilograms of hydrogen, according to SGH2 Energy.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 21, 2020

Exelon, PSEG urge New Jersey to adopt FRR alternative to PJM, as competitive providers push for CASPR

Utilities and competitive suppliers have expressed concern that FERC's Minimum Offer Price Rule would harm coastal states' nascent offshore wind industry, but have competing proposals over how to save it.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 21, 2020

As utilities tackle immediate COVID-19 impacts, analysts stress need to focus beyond the pandemic

Power systems across the country need new approaches for today's shifting loads, but focusing on recovery and tomorrow’s resources can be even better, analysts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 20, 2020

D.C. Circuit gives new life to Maryland drive to tighten pollution limits for upwind coal plants

The Tuesday ruling could not only help Maryland, but other states seeking remedies to meet federal ozone standards as well.

By Larry Pearl • May 20, 2020

Colorado ALJ clears way for Tri-State exit fee determinations

Some Tri-State Generation and Transmission members want to exit its service in search of a cleaner and cheaper generation mix, but new analysis from Rocky Mountain Institute indicates the utility is already transitioning away from coal.

By Robert Walton • May 20, 2020

PJM, retail suppliers scrambling to appease MOPR concerns amid state threats to exit capacity market

Critical stakeholders are signaling they may be willing to negotiate as Maryland, New Jersey and others are looking for a way out of the capacity market.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 20, 2020

PJM MOPR could cost market consumers up to $2.6B annually, report finds

While stakeholders widely agree that the next auction will likely not lead to cost increases, a recent report finds long-term impacts could cost up to $24 billion over the next nine years.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 19, 2020

Shrinking fossil fuel demand could hit California's cap-and-trade auction, experts say

A report from the California Energy Commission found gasoline, jet fuel and diesel production in the state dropped nearly 48%, 68.3% and 33.2%, respectively, from mid-March to the end of April.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 18, 2020

Maryland lawmakers struggle to mitigate MOPR harm to offshore wind with shortened legislative session

Eighteen legislators filed joint comments with FERC on Friday and over 60 are calling on state regulators to provide developers with a contingency auction for offshore wind.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 18, 2020

DOE targets operational advanced reactors as soon as 2025, launches $230M program

With a growing number of traditional nuclear power plants closing, advocates are looking to a new generation of reactors to propel the industry and help meet ambitious carbon reduction goals.

By Larry Pearl • May 15, 2020

Texas coal generator may restart to meet projected record summer demand

Despite the load impacts of COVID-19, the grid operator for most of Texas expects record electricity demand this summer driven by heat.   

By Robert Walton • May 15, 2020

Markets over regulation: Driving lower emissions generation through a carbon tax

Taxing carbon emissions would increase the price discrepancy between natural gas and coal and appropriately build into the prices the cost of CO2 emissions on the economy and our society, the authors write.

By Deborah A. Carroll, Kelly A. Stevens and John W. Rowe • May 15, 2020

Ditching PJM capacity market could cost New Jersey $386M through 2022, market monitor finds

New Jersey regulators opened a docket to investigate how the state could reach its 100% clean energy goals under the constraints of new rules in the PJM market.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 15, 2020

Walmart blasts Virginia regulator's report on pricing, biomass in Dominion's proposed 100% renewable energy tariff

Tension is mounting in Virginia's regulatory proceeding that would block Dominion customers from leaving its service for clean energy and charge a premium for 100% renewable energy.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • May 14, 2020

Colorado Tri-State ruling could provide co-op exit template amid rising tensions with G&T providers

Tri-State is struggling to respond to member demands for renewable energy. The conflict could have implications that drive an energy transition — or tear the electric cooperative system apart.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 13, 2020

Duke CEO decries 'assault' on natural gas as shareholders, others target company's resource plans

Shareholders grilled the utility on its long-term investment plans, questioning why the company is lagging behind others in its renewable energy buildouts.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 13, 2020

Renewables poised to outstrip coal generation in 2020 as COVID-19 accelerates transition: EIA

Coal consumption is expected to decrease nearly a quarter to 453 million short tons this year due to shrinking power consumption and natural gas prices.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 13, 2020