FOSSIL FUELS

Bankrupt Agera Faces Sanctions Amid Failure to Pay $2.2 Million for RPS Compliance

Bankrupt Agera Faces Sanctions Amid Failure to Pay $2.2 Million for RPS Compliance

The New Hampshire Public Utility Commission issued a second order on Oct. 2 demanding that retail power supplier Agera Energy LLC make alternative compliance payments totalling over $2.2 million to satisfy compliance with the state’s 2018 renewable portfolio standards. Agera, which filed for bankruptcy with a federal bankruptcy court in New York on Oct. 4th,…...

U.S. to Become Net Gas Exporter by Pipeline in 2019 Amid Jump in Shipments to Mexico

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – U.S. to Become Net Gas Exporter by Pipeline in 2019 Amid Jump in Shipments to Mexico

The U.S. is poised to become a net exporter of natural gas by pipeline for the year for the first time ever following a 24 percent jump in shipments to Mexico in 2018 and a build out of new cross-border links set to expand the capacity for flows heading to the southern neighbor.

Coal, Nuclear-Heavy States Are Rushing to Renewables as Retirements Pile Up

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Coal, Nuclear-Heavy States Are Rushing to Renewables as Retirements Pile Up

Regions across the U.S. that have long served as strongholds for conventional, non-renewable generating capacity — from Georgia and Michigan to Tennessee — are now starting to accelerate the phase out of the legacy assets in favor of sourcing power from wind and solar, showing just how far-reaching the shift to renewables is spreading.

Court Reinstates Obama’s Arctic Drilling Ban, Draws Criticism from Alaska Governor

Court Reinstates Obama’s Arctic Drilling Ban, Draws Criticism from Alaska Governor

The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska on March 29 overturned President Donald Trump’s executive order issued in 2017 to undo a ban on oil and gas drilling in most of the Arctic Ocean. The court ruled that only Congress has the authority to revoke the ban imposed by former President Obama in…...

U.S. Added Over 31 Gigawatts of Electric Generating Capacity in 2018, Largest in 15 Years

U.S. Added Over 31 Gigawatts of Electric Generating Capacity in 2018, Largest in 15 Years: EIA

The U.S. added 31.3 gigawatts of generating capacity in 2018, the largest since the 2003 capacity addition of 48.8 gigawatts, according to a March 11 report from the Energy Information Administration. Natural gas accounted for 62 percent of utility-scale additions, while wind and solar photovoltaic represented 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Coal accounted for…...

Venture Global Wins U.S. Energy Department Approval to Export LNG

Venture Global Wins U.S. Energy Department Approval to Export LNG

The U.S. Energy Department authorized Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LLC to export liquefied natural gas equivalent to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day from its proposed export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana to non-free trade agreement countries for a term of 20 years, according to a March 5 order. With this project, the agency has…...

FERC Approves Venture Global LNG’s Louisiana Export Terminal, Takes New Approach to Consider Emissions

FERC Approves Venture Global LNG’s Louisiana Export Terminal, Takes New Approach to Consider Emissions

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 21 cleared Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LLC’s proposed liquefied natural gas export project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and TransCameron Pipeline LLC’s associated natural gas pipeline. Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur voted for the project commending the commission’s new approach to calculate the direct greenhouse emissions of the project. Commissioner Richard…...

Battery Installation to Provide Black Start Service at Gas-Powered Plant

California Approves Battery Installation to Provide Black Start Service at Gas-Powered Plant

The California Energy Commission on Feb. 20 approved the installation of a battery storage system to the Russell City Energy Center, a 600-megawatt natural-gas fired power plant, to provide black start capability. The project consists of installing 6 to 10 megawatts of lithium-ion batteries, which would be used to start the gas turbines, in order…...

TVA Votes to Close Two Aging Coal Power Plants Due to Unfavorable Economics

TVA Votes to Close Two Aging Coal Power Plants Due to Unfavorable Economics

The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors on Feb. 14 approved the retirement of Paradise Unit 3 by 2020 and the Bull Run Fossil Plant by 2023, in order to better balance its generation system with changing demands. The vote reflects TVA’s commitment to replace less-efficient coal-fired plants with cleaner resources, despite President Donald Trump’s…...

SCE&G’s 15-Year Resource Plan Proposes Solar, Gas-Fired Generation Additions

SCE&G’s 15-Year Resource Plan Proposes Solar, Gas-Fired Generation Additions

South Carolina Electric & Gas Company proposed two resource plans based on the least cost options from 19 scenarios that were modeled for its 2019 integrated resource plan filed with the South Carolina Public Service Commission on Feb. 8. The plans, which detail resource needs from 2019 through 2033, reflect a shortage in base capacity…...

Con Ed's Gas Supply Crunch Highlights Perils of Infrastructure Blockade

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Con Ed’s Gas Supply Crunch Highlights Perils of Infrastructure Blockade

New York regulators have authorized a unit of Consolidated Edison Inc. to immediately implement a portfolio of demand-side solutions, in a bid to ease natural gas demand in the utility’s supply-constrained areas. The regulators said that the need to address surging gas consumption has taken special urgency following the utility’s announcement in January that it will stop enrolling new gas customers in the Westchester County region from March 15, in order to maintain reliability for existing customers and offer service to critical facilities.

oil and gas lease sale

Federal Oil, Gas Auctions Fetch $1.1 Billion in 2018, Nearly Triple Previous Record

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management state offices generated more than $1.1 billion of revenue from oil and gas lease sales during 2018, nearly thrice the previous record of $408 million set a decade ago, according to a Feb. 6 press release. The agency’s New Mexico office held 2018’s biggest lease sale in September, earning…...