The U.S. trading hubs’ average wholesale electricity prices increased in 2022 compared with 2021 on account of extreme weather conditions and the limited supply of coal to replace higher-priced natural gas, according to a Jan. 10 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Extreme weather and manpower shortages in the railroad and coal mine industries…...
Coal accounted for the largest share of electricity generation in 15 U.S. states during 2021, according to a report published on Dec. 7 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The number of states using coal as compared to other energy sources has declined from 32 in 2001, with the U.S. shifting away from coal generation…
Twenty Three percent of the 200,568 megawatts of coal fired power capacity presently operating in the U.S. is expected to retire by the end of 2029, as a result of firm competition from gas and renewable resources, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. A yearly average of 9,450 megawatts of…...
The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board on Oct. 28 implemented regulations that adopt a new air quality standard to severely reduce the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions from coal power stations in the state. The standard, which was adopted in the 2019 Energy Transition Act, pertains to new and currently active power facilities and limits…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Sep. 19 announced a $156 million grant to establish a unique refinery facility for separating rare earth elements and critical minerals from mining wastes and other unconventional sources. Rare earth elements and critical minerals are considered important for clean energy technologies’ manufacturing. The funding, provided by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment…
The U.S. Energy Department on Sep. 13 released a study evaluating the benefits and challenges associated with a coal-to-nuclear, or C2N, transition in the U.S. The transition could increase nuclear capacity to over 350 gigawatts, according to the report. By comparison, the existing nuclear power fleet has a capacity of 95 gigawatts and provides half…...
The U.S. power grid, in the first six months of 2022, added 15 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity, according to an Aug. 3 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation had the largest share with 34 percent, gas had the second largest share, and solar and battery storage made up the rest.…
U.S. refined coal production declined to almost zero during the first quarter of 2022, according to a July 20 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Refined coal consumption in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2022, held a 10 percent share of coal fired electricity generation, significantly lower than then 31 percent share…...
U.S. primary energy consumption, which includes energy from fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear, increased by 4 quadrillion British Thermal Unit (quads) in 2021 as compared to 2020, according to a July 1 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Fossil fuels namely, petroleum, natural gas, and coal, represent approximately 76.6 quads out of the total…...
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate power plant emissions under the Clean Air Act. The 6-3 decision in favour of coal interests in West Virginia v. EPA, is expected to negatively impact the Biden administration’s wider attempts to combat climate change. The court invoked the “major…
PJM Interconnection LLC’s capacity market auction for the 2023-2024 delivery year cleared at $34.13 per megawatt-day (MW-day), which is nearly 32 percent lower compared to the 2021 auction and the lowest in almost a decade. The auction results reflect a low-carbon resource mix, with a growth of more than 5,000 cleared megawatts of carbon-free resources, according to the grid operator, which operates across 13 states and the District of Columbia.