U.S. carbon markets demonstrated robust participation in recent auctions including Washington’s two consecutive auctions that sold out of carbon permits and raised over $850 million under the state’s cap-and-invest program launched this year. However, carbon-trading programs continue to face opposition in some jurisdictions over concerns of higher ratepayer bills.
During the first half of 2023, developers added 16.8 gigawatts of new electricity generating capacity to the U.S. electricity grid, according to an Aug. 8 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Solar power represented the largest share of the new power generating capacity at 35 percent. Natural gas-fired generating capacity represented 34 percent and…...
The Illinois Commerce Commission on Aug. 3 opened an inquiry into Ameren Illinois Company’s cost-benefit analysis of its continued membership in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) versus joining PJM Interconnection, which manages the grid in the northern part of the state. The study, released last month, concluded that MISO Zone 4 utilities joining PJM…...
The completion of a new reactor at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle is viewed as a significant milestone for the U.S. nuclear industry despite massive cost overruns and years of delays. The lessons learned are expected to inform best practices…Read the full report …...
The completion of a new reactor at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle is viewed as a significant milestone for the U.S. nuclear industry despite massive cost overruns and years of delays. The lessons learned are expected to inform best practices for new projects even as a host of advanced technologies ranging from small modular reactors to microreactors are being developed. The development comes at a time when focus on decarbonization and energy security has elevated the importance of nuclear power as a critical technology to achieve national and state goals.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on July 31 announced three final Wind Energy Areas with a total area of around 356,550 acres, situated offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. These areas underwent meticulous development, with extensive engagement and feedback from states, Tribes, local residents, ocean users, federal government partners, and the broader public. Aligned with…...
A new 1,114-megawatt reactor at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power plant has begun commercial operation, joining two existing reactors at the plant, which is jointly owned by Georgia Power and three other utility companies. This is the first new reactor to start up in the U.S. since the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar 2 was commissioned…...
The U.S. Energy Department on July 31 announced a significant initiative, making available up to $453.5 million from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund to accelerate the adoption of residential rooftop solar PV and battery storage systems throughout the region. The funding is part of a $1 billion effort focused on the island’s most vulnerable…...
LNG feed gas – natural gas deliveries by pipelines to U.S. liquefied natural gas export facilities – averaged 12.8 billion cubic feet per day during the first half of this year, up 0.5bcf/d or 4 percent compared to the same period in 2022 and 1 bcf/d or 8 percent higher than the annual average in…...
Low-carbon fuel programs are gaining prominence as an important avenue to help decarbonize the transportation sector, which accounts for a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Recent actions range from biofuel mandates…Read the full report …...