Electrical Generation

  • | | | | | |

    Penn State Study: NatGas Power Plants Pose No Radon Risk

    A bright and enterprising graduate student at Penn State University cooked up an interesting research project for her graduate thesis. With all this talk about “fracked gas” having boatloads of radon in it, would using such radon-laden gas as the source fuel for a gas-fired electric plant pose a risk to those who live near it? In particular, could the gas-fired plants on Penn State’s own campus be posing a danger to students, faculty and staff that live and work on campus? Alison Stidworthy, a former graduate student in the Department of Meteorology at Penn State (and now employed as a site manager for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection), led the research effort, which was the topic of her master’s degree thesis (copy below). What did Alison find? High levels of radon do not leak from the plants and pose no health issues to those living and working nearby. Which makes perfect sense. How do you get rid of radon in your basement when it’s present? You vent it to the outside, where it quickly dissipates and becomes inert. Alison, along with several of her professors, recently published her work as a study in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association...
    Read More “Penn State Study: NatGas Power Plants Pose No Radon Risk”

  • | | | |

    Clean Energy Future Blasts Plan to Re-Regulate OH Powergen

    A few weeks ago MDN highlighted a developing issue in Ohio that potentially impacts Utica/Marcellus shale in the region (see OH Power Cos. Try to Stop Gas-Fired Plants with “Re-Regulation”). Three large utility companies–FirstEnergy, American Electric Power, and Dayton Power and Light–are behind an effort to re-regulate the electric power generation industry in Ohio. The electricity industry is a complicated industry, with some some power producers operating as “regulated” and some operating as “unregulated.” Regulated power producers have their rates, and rate of profit, set by government regulators–which limits profits but also guarantees profits. Unregulated power producers, on the other hand, do not have the safety net of the government forcing ratepayers to pony up–they operate in the free market, taking all of the risks, and reaping the rewards if those risks prove worthwhile. Many (most?) of the new natural gas-fired electric plants getting built, like those we have focused on in Ohio, are of the unregulated kind. If Ohio rolls back the clock 18 years to re-regulate, it would likely spell the end of billions of dollars of investments in unregulated/shale-powered electric plants. A disaster. And that’s just what Bill Siderewicz, president of Clean Energy Future (investing $4.5 billion in five new shale-fired electric plants in Ohio) said on a conference call yesterday…
    Read More “Clean Energy Future Blasts Plan to Re-Regulate OH Powergen”

  • | |

    Lack of NatGas in New England Pushed CO2 Emissions UP in 2015

    For whatever insane reason, some in New England, including the two U.S. Senators from Massachusetts (see today’s companion story) irrationally hate natural gas because it is a “fossil fuel.” These demented folks believe that by burning natural gas, more carbon dioxide (CO2) is pumped into the atmosphere and that increasing amounts of CO2 are causing the earth to warm up, catastrophically. At least that’s what they say they believe. The problem with their theory (libs always have problems because their theories never work out in reality), is that CO2 levels have decreased across the U.S.–because of the increased use of natural gas. Except for New England. Because New England is not using as much natural gas as other regions, making them rely on oil-fired electric plants, New England’s CO2 levels went UP in 2015! They not only pay more for electricity and energy than any other region of the United States, they’re using dirtier energy–all while claiming they love the environment and don’t want “dirty” natural gas. What idiots…
    Read More “Lack of NatGas in New England Pushed CO2 Emissions UP in 2015”

  • | | | | | |

    Dominion Updates for Cove Point, AC Pipeline, Greensville Power

    Midstream and utility giant Dominion issued their fourth quarter and full year 2016 update yesterday. Just to give you an idea of the depth and breadth of the company, Dominion has ~26,000 megawatts of power generation, 14,400 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and some 6,500 miles of electric-transmission lines. They are “a producer and transporter of energy.” Among the key projects we keep an eye one: the Cove Point, Maryland LNG export facility (under construction), the Greensville Power Station (under construction), and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (soon to be under construction). The numbers are looking good. Revenue for Dominion in 4Q16 was $457 million, up $100 from 4Q15. Full year revenues were $2.1 billion, up from $1.9 billion in 2015. Below we have yesterday’s update, along with select portions of a conference call by Dominion’s muckety mucks and their comments about projects like Cove Point and Atlantic Coast Pipeline…
    Read More “Dominion Updates for Cove Point, AC Pipeline, Greensville Power”

  • | | | | | |

    York County, PA Electric Plant Begins Using NatGas as Fuel

    Brunner Island Power Plant – click for larger image

    We first reported in August 2015 on plans for a mammoth coal-fired electric plant in York County, PA (straddling Lancaster County) would invest $100 million to begin using Marcellus Shale gas to help power the plant (see Lancaster Coal Burning Electric Plant Adding Marcellus NatGas). The Brunner Island facility, as it’s called, has been in environmentalists sights for years, with complaints about emissions from the plant. Brunner Island has a relatively new owner–Talen Energy (of Allentown, PA). Beginning to use natgas at the Brunner Island facility is an experiment for Talen–they intend to continue using coal as well (for now). Good news: Brunner Island has begun using natgas, ahead of schedule…
    Read More “York County, PA Electric Plant Begins Using NatGas as Fuel”

  • | | |

    AEP Completes Sale of 2 OH, 1 IN NatGas-Fired Electric Plants

    MDN reported in September that American Electric Power is selling four electric generating plants to a newly formed joint venture of Blackstone and ArcLight Capital Partners (see AEP Sells 2 Ohio NatGas-Fired Electric Plants to Blackstone JV. Three of the plants are natural gas-fired–two of them in Ohio and one in Indiana. One of the plants is coal-fired, located in Ohio. Total sale price for all four: $2.17 billion. As we’ve also reported, the sale of these “unregulated” power generating plants is part of AEP’s strategy to become 100% regulated–and then try to lock out competition from unregulated, shale-fed plants (see OH Power Cos. Try to Stop Gas-Fired Plants with “Re-Regulation”). Sleazy. At any rate, AEP reported on Monday the sale is now completed…
    Read More “AEP Completes Sale of 2 OH, 1 IN NatGas-Fired Electric Plants”

  • | |

    EIA: NatGas-Fired Electric Plants Adding 36.6 GW Next 2 Yrs

    As MDN has covered (shouted) for several years now: natural gas-fired electric plants are a really big deal. The conversion from using coal (and some other forms) to natgas to generate electricity is happening at an increasing rate. And those electric generating plants use A LOT of natgas–meaning new markets for drillers. Just yesterday we gave you a list of 409 such projects across the Fruited Plain (see List of Gas Plants, Pipelines Targeted by Sierra Club). Many of those projects are in the Marcellus/Utica region–or adjacent to our region, using M-U gas to power them. Here’s one more bit of evidence that natgas-fired plants are a big deal. According to our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the electricity industry is planning to increase natgas-fired generating capacity by 11.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2017 and 25.4 GW in 2018 (for a total of 36.6 GW) based on information reported to EIA. That’s enough to power something like 26 million homes! If all these plants come online as planned, annual net additions in natural gas capacity would be at their highest levels since 2005. On a combined basis, these 2017–18 additions would increase natural gas capacity by 8% from the capacity existing at the end of 2016…
    Read More “EIA: NatGas-Fired Electric Plants Adding 36.6 GW Next 2 Yrs”

  • | | | |

    List of Gas Plants, Pipelines Targeted by Sierra Club

    The nutjobs at the Sierra Club have done us the favor in identifying their next targets: 409 natural gas-fired electric plants and 83 pipeline projects either under construction or planned. We have both full lists below. (Handy lists for those who want to sell something to the builders of those projects!) Global warming nuttery has metastasized into full-blown insanity at the Sierra Club. Even though natural gas produces far less carbon and harmful emissions than other fossil fuels, the Sierra Club is focusing all of their money, time and resources to defeating anything to do with fossil fuels. If they got their way, they would stop an additional 31 gigawatts of electricity from coming online from gas-fired plants (many of them in the Marcellus/Utica region). They would also stop many M-U pipeline projects. Essentially, they want to force all of us back into the Stone Ages–without the benefit of plastics or the use of fossil fuels. Yes, it IS insanity. Below are not only the two lists (gas power plants projects and pipeline projects), but also a copy of the Sierra Club’s latest foray into Joseph Goebbels propaganda–a report called “The Gas Rush: Locking America into Another Fossil Fuel for Decades.” Real bizzaro stuff…
    Read More “List of Gas Plants, Pipelines Targeted by Sierra Club”

  • | | |

    Japanese Company Building NatGas Power Plant in (Yes) New York

    Somehow, someway, a new natural gas-fired electric plant is in the process of getting built–in anti-fracking New York State (see Orange County, NY Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant OK’d by Judge). Unfortunately it seems that part of the reason it slipped through and got an approval involved a corrupt (and very close) aide to NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo (see NY NatGas-Fired Electric Plant an Inside Job for Corrupt Cuomo Aide). We have news: a second natgas-fired electric plant is now planned in neighboring Dutchess County, NY. The 1,100 megawatt plant is majority owned by JERA Co., Inc., a Japanese company. We have the details below…
    Read More “Japanese Company Building NatGas Power Plant in (Yes) New York”

  • | | | | |

    Marcellus Gas Saves 438 Jobs at PA Paper Manufacturer

    Domtar Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes pulp, paper, and personal care products from facilities in Elk and Clearfield counties in North Central Pennsylvania. PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s office excitedly announced yesterday that the company has decided to stay in PA and not move, making “significant infrastructure and equipment upgrades at its facilities.” The decision means that 438 jobs will stay in the Keystone State rather than move elsewhere–good for Pennsylvania. Which is all mildly interesting. However, the primary reason they’re sticking around is what caught our eye: the operation is converting from burning coal for energy to burning clean, cheap Marcellus Shale gas. The PA Commonwealth Financing Authority is kicking in $1 million from the Pipeline Investment Program (PIPE) grant fund to pay for a three-mile natural gas pipeline to Domtar’s Elk County paper mill facility…
    Read More “Marcellus Gas Saves 438 Jobs at PA Paper Manufacturer”

  • | | |

    Large Crowd Turns Out For/Against 22-Mile Pipeline in NJ Scrub Pines

    On Monday the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, which oversees a stand of scrub pines in South Jersey, held a public hearing to listen to comments on a plan to build a 22-mile pipeline through the scrub pines, burying it alongside the road so as to not disturb any spindly trees. The pipeline will supply clean-burning natural gas to a power plant currently fed by coal, cleaning up the air and lowering CO2 emissions. But dunderheads in the area are still opposed–largely incited by radical environmental groups like the NJ Sierra Club and the odious Food & Water Watch, who spread lies about the project. So many people turned up for the meeting, it maxed out the meeting room of 260 and some had to wait outside in the rain (which didn’t sit well with the pampered snowflakes). Predictably many who showed up wanted to go on record as opposed to the project. Isn’t that always the case? It’s easy to motivate people to attend a meeting when they’re against something–much harder to attract people who support something. At any rate, the surprising thing about yesterday’s meeting were the many people who turned out to support the pipeline. Also predictable, at least one anti (from the odious Food & Water Watch) couldn’t contain herself and had to be ejected for disrupting the meeting…
    Read More “Large Crowd Turns Out For/Against 22-Mile Pipeline in NJ Scrub Pines”

  • | | | | | | | |

    Millennium Pipeline Sues Cuomo’s Corrupt DEC Over Expansion Delay

    MDN has previously reported on a $900 million natural gas-fired electric generating plant coming to Orange County, NY (see Orange County, NY Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant OK’d by Judge). The CPV (Competitive Power Ventures) Valley Energy Center project is being opposed by local anti-drilling ninny nannies, including Hollywood star James Cromwell. No matter. It’s already under construction. Unfortunately the very worthy project is marred by corruption inside the Cuomo Administration (see NY NatGas-Fired Electric Plant an Inside Job for Corrupt Cuomo Aide). However, construction continues and the plant will get built. The problem now is getting a 7.8 mile pipeline, an off-shoot pipeline from the mighty Millennium Pipeline, built to the plant to supply the natural gas it will need to run. In November the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the short pipeline (see FERC Approves Pipeline to Orange County, NY NatGas Power Plant). However, as with the Constitution Pipeline, the Cuomo Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is intentionally blocking this pipeline using delays–no doubt at Cuomo’s direction. Millennium is not, like Williams did with the Constitution, sitting on its hands waiting for the DEC. The Millennium is aggressively pushing the DEC to grant the necessary water crossing permits and has just sued the DEC to make it happen…
    Read More “Millennium Pipeline Sues Cuomo’s Corrupt DEC Over Expansion Delay”

  • | | |

    Meeting Today re NJ Pipeline Slated to Run Through Scrub Pines

    In January 2014, MDN brought you the story that due to incessant nagging from the NJ Sierra Club and the NJ League of [Liberal Democrat] Women Voters the Pinelands Commission, which oversees a stand of scrub pines in South Jersey, nixed a plan for a new natural gas pipeline to bring cheap, clean, abundant Marcellus Shale natural gas to South Jersey for use by residents and to feed an electric plant a local utility wants to convert from burning coal to natgas (see Sierra Club, LWV Chooses Coal over NatGas in South Jersey). In May 2014, NJ Gov. Chris Christie replaced two of the “no” voters on the Pinelands Commission, much to the consternation of the antis (see Marcellus Pipeline May Come to South Jersey After All). In August 2015, the staffers who actually do the work of the Commission decided to act, saying that they had the authority to approve the pipeline without a full Commission vote to do so. A panel of three New Jersey Appellate Division judges in November 2016 rejected that claim and said if you want to build a pipeline through the scrub pines, the full Commission must vote to do so (see Court Setback for NJ Pipeline Slated to Run Through Scrub Pines). The full Commission is now ready to act. Today the Commission is holding a hearing on the project and perhaps as soon as today the Commission will vote–in all likelihood to officially approve it…
    Read More “Meeting Today re NJ Pipeline Slated to Run Through Scrub Pines”

  • | | | | |

    Buyer of FirstEnergy’s PA NatGas Power Plants Revealed

    FirstEnergy, based in Akron, OH, is one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. FirstEnergy owns a variety of regulated and non-regulated power generation plants. In November the company announced it wants to sell six power generating plants in PA, four of them natural gas-fired plants (see FirstEnergy Selling 4 NatGas-Fired Electric Plants in PA). The plants being sold are non-regulated–part of FirstEnergy’s strategy to become a 100% “regulated” utility in the next 18 months. In December FirstEnergy announced they found a buyer willing to pay $885 million for the four natgas plants in PA (see FirstEnergy Finds Buyer for 4 PA NatGas-Fired Power Plants). However, the buyer’s identity remained a secret–until now. LS Power Equity Partners III LP, a New York-based power developer, is the buyer of the four natgas-fired electric plants…
    Read More “Buyer of FirstEnergy’s PA NatGas Power Plants Revealed”

  • | | |

    New CEA Report Warns: No Shale Gas Pipelines, No Electricity

    Anti-pipeline nutters

    Earlier this week the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) released a disturbing report on the U.S. oil and gas pipeline network and its relationship to our growing domestic energy needs. The report, titled “Families, Communities and Finances: The Consequences of Denying Critical Pipeline Infrastructure” (full copy below), finds that if legislators and regulators reject proposals for new pipelines and pipeline expansions, we are in danger of losing one-third (1/3) of our electric generation capacity nationwide. The capacity at risk is 1,450 gigawatts. Put in perspective, we’ll lose the electricity it takes to power California, Florida, New York, Texas, Ohio and all of New England–COMBINED. It is a scary, nightmarish scenario–and if pipeline projects are delayed or canceled, it’s going to happen. No, we won’t necessarily be without electricity. What it means is that electric rates will soar and the people who will suffer the most are the 43 million citizens living on fixed incomes and below the poverty line. It is time to stop diddling around and get pipeline projects approved–before it’s too late…
    Read More “New CEA Report Warns: No Shale Gas Pipelines, No Electricity”

  • | | | |

    OH Power Cos. Try to Stop Gas-Fired Plants with “Re-Regulation”

    As we have pointed out in past articles, the electricity industry is a complicated industry, with some some power producers operating as “regulated” and some operating as “unregulated.” Regulated power producers have their rates, and rate of profit, set by government regulators–which limits profits but also guarantees profits. Unregulated power producers, on the other hand, do not have the safety net of the government forcing ratepayers to pony up–they operate in the free market, taking all of the risks–and reaping the rewards if those risks prove worthwhile. Many (most?) of the new natural gas-fired electric plants getting built, like those we have focused on in Ohio over the past several days (see List of 10 Utica-Powered Electric Plant Projects Coming to Ohio), are of the unregulated kind. Three power companies in Ohio that are regulated want to keep their monopoly on power and shut out these impertinent upstarts–by calling for re-regulation of the power industry. So-called re-regulation would kill proposed new natgas power plants and keep Ohioans locked into higher prices using existing (and in some cases crumbling) plants to generate electricity. Let’s name names for the sleazy companies trying to pull a fast one…
    Read More “OH Power Cos. Try to Stop Gas-Fired Plants with “Re-Regulation””