Electrical Generation

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    Chicken/Egg Problem of Getting Cheap Marcellus Gas to NE Markets

    One of the big stories over the winter months was the spike in price for natural gas around places like Boston and New York City (see The Wild Ride for NatGas Prices in the Northeast). At one point the price of natural gas sold near Boston briefly rocketed to over $120 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf). The price for the Algonquin Citygate (Boston) normally runs from $4-$11 or so. No problem. We live in a (somewhat) free, capitalistic economy, right? If there’s demand like that in the northeast, and there’s all this supply from the Marcellus right on the doorstep of these markets, it’s Marcellus to the rescue, right? Wrong.

    Drillers certainly would love to supply more natural gas to the northeast, but lack of pipelines stands in the way. Complicating matters–a lot of the demand in the northeast comes from electric generating plants, and their demand fluctuates throughout the year based on electric loads. Because of strict regulations, electric plants won’t lock themselves into long-term contracts that may result in a higher prices because they would not be able to pass on the higher prices to consumers. It’s a quick way to go bankrupt. Pipeline companies will not build the new pipelines needed to get the gas from the Marcellus to northeast markets without long-term commitments. Electric generating plants won’t commit long-term. Chicken and egg…
    Read More “Chicken/Egg Problem of Getting Cheap Marcellus Gas to NE Markets”

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    Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Coming to Marshall County, WV

    A brand new 549 megawatt electrical generating plant, powered by Marcellus Shale, is planned for Moundsville (Marshall County), WV. Officially announced yesterday, the plant will begin construction in 2015 and take 30 months to build. Along the way it will provide 400 labor union jobs and when complete, will provide 25-30 high paying permanent jobs. The plant, dubbed Moundsville Power LLC, will be built at a former chemical plant site, next door to the Williams fractionation plant–using Marcellus Shale gas processed at the Williams plant. It will use GE combined cycle technology to power it and it will produce enough electricity to power 549,000 homes.

    Moundsville Power is actually headquartered in Buffalo, NY. Below we have the official announcement, information about the unusual arrangement to get it built (the county will own the assets), encouraging reaction from local political officials, and the names of the principals (and the address) for Moundsville Power…
    Read More “Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Coming to Marshall County, WV”

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    Clean Energy Plans NatGas Electric Generation Plant in Lordstown

    Clean Energy Future, a company based in Boston, MA, had a “first date” night Monday in Lordstown (Trumbull County), OH. Clean Energy proposes to build an $800 million electric generation plant on 57 acres on Salt Springs road in Lordstown. The plant will be fired by natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus. Clean Energy was there to talk with town residents and to ask the village board to rezone the area so they can build. About 150 people attended date night to size up Clean Energy and their plan.

    If the board decides to approve the project, construction would begin in December 2015. However, the plant won’t be completed and online until 2018. Yeah, it takes a long time to build these complex plants–which are made all the more necessary and urgent because of President Obama’s war on coal and the EPA’s strict new rules on burning coal. Here’s how the first date went in Lordstown on Monday:
    Read More “Clean Energy Plans NatGas Electric Generation Plant in Lordstown”

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    Maryland PSC Approves NatGas-Fired Electric General Plant

    Somehow, some way, the only state even more dysfunctional than New York when it comes to the issue of natural gas drilling, the State of Maryland, has just approved a new natural gas-fired electric generating plant in Cecil County, MD. And it only took them 11 months to approve it. Wonders never cease!

    The Maryland Public Service Commission on Tuesday gave final approval to the 1,000-megawatt Wildcat Point Generation Facility. Let the wailing, gnashing of teeth and (most importantly) useless protests by global-warming-nutter-anti-drillers begin! Details about the new plant to be built…
    Read More “Maryland PSC Approves NatGas-Fired Electric General Plant”

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    Plugging in to Panda Power’s Electric Generation Supply Chain

    As we reported in December, Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm located in Dallas, TX, purchased the rights to build two electric generating plants–one in Bradford County, PA and the other in Lycoming County, PA (see Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant). Construction on the Bradford County plant, dubbed Panda Liberty, is under way now. Panda is spending northward of $1.3 billion to build the two plants–an incredible amount of money that’s being pumped into the northeastern Pennsylvania economy.

    MDN spotted an article that mentions Panda and their projects, including the two PA electric plants. The reason that we bring it to you is that it provides background on the vendors Panda is using to build the plants. Which may be of interest to companies that would like to plug into the supply chain and see if they can drum up some business from these two projects…
    Read More “Plugging in to Panda Power’s Electric Generation Supply Chain”

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    Rural PA County Hopes NatGas Electric Plant Attracts Businesses

    Here’s a new twist: Economic development leaders in Bradford County, PA are hoping a local natural gas-fired electrical generating plant now being built will be a magnet that attracts petrochemical businesses to the area. We’ve known for some time (since last year) that Moxie Liberty, which later sold the rights to Panda Liberty, would build a new electrical generating plant near Wyalusing (Bradford County), PA (see Moxie Liberty Sells PA Electric Plant Project to Panda Power). The Panda Liberty plant is now under construction with large cranes and more than 100 workers in and around the site.

    Local economic development leaders are hoping the Panda Liberty plant, which will use locally mined Marcellus gas, will catch the attention of petrochemical manufacturers of waxes, lubricants and other products that use natural gas as an ingredient. Already inquiries from such “downstream” businesses have been coming in–a very good sign indeed…
    Read More “Rural PA County Hopes NatGas Electric Plant Attracts Businesses”

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    NatGas Replaces Coal to Generate Electricity in Steamtown USA

    Coal has been a fixture in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area for generations. It is so much a part of the fabric of the community that there is a National Park smack in the middle of downtown Scranton called Steamtown National Historic Site. Railroad engines used to run on coal back in the day–so it figures Scranton was a major nexus for trains–the city was really the coal capital of the northeast. So when natural gas displaced coal at a 50 year-old coal-powered electrical generating plant south of Wilkes-Barre a few years ago, that was interesting and noteworthy. The Hunlock plant was converted to run on natural gas by installing two new turbines. The waste heat from the new turbines now powers the old/original turbine once powered by heat from burning coal. It’s called “combined cycle” electric generation and it’s happening across the United States.

    The Obama EPA has demonized coal to the point that electric generating plants are switching (by necessity) to natural gas in large numbers. Hey, *something* has to create electricity–a very small scintilla of electricity comes from so-called alternative sources like wind and solar. Fossil fuels will, for generations to come, bear most of the burden when it comes to creating the electricity that powers your smart phone, lights, and your (*cough*) electric car. That’s the stark reality. The following article is an intriguing look at how utilities convert aging coal-fired electric plants into less-polluting, more efficient natgas-fired plants–in this case plants that run on Marcellus Shale gas…
    Read More “NatGas Replaces Coal to Generate Electricity in Steamtown USA”

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    New SW Ohio Electric Generating Plant to be Powered by Natgas

    Middletown, OH, located on the border of Butler and Warren counties in southwestern Ohio, is about to get a new $500 million natural gas-fired electric generating plant. That is, they will if NTE Energy’s plan is approved. The new plant will generate enough electricity to supply 400,000 homes. Although the story we found about the plant doesn’t say where the gas will come from, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be fueled by Utica and Marcellus Shale gas…
    Read More “New SW Ohio Electric Generating Plant to be Powered by Natgas”

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    Blue State Blues: 6 New England States Want New Natgas Pipeline

    Wonders never cease. The governors of six New England states (5 Democrat governors, 1 Republican governor) have sent a letter, or more properly the heads of their state utility commissions have sent a letter, to ISO New England (the regional cooperative transmission organization), requesting that a new natural gas pipeline be built to get more Marcellus Shale gas into New England. Oh, and they want to charge electric customers to get it built. Why? Not enough pipeline capacity now. Electric generating plants are using more and more natural gas to produce electricity. Not enough supply of natural gas in New England means those generators are paying nosebleed rates to produce electricity, and consequently electric rate payers are paying out the nose to cover the cost. Eventually those rate payers will toss their overlords out of office is something isn’t done–so by golly they’re doing something.

    Even the fossil-fuel hating, tree hugging anti-frackers in New England have hit the brick wall of reality: so-called renewable sources of electricity can’t and won’t (for the foreseeable future) provide enough electricity to meet our needs. The remarkable request letter (embedded below) doesn’t specify how or where the pipeline should go, just that they need it and they need it in place by winter of 2017. Of course, that doesn’t stop some of the nuttier anti-drilling organizations from opposing the idea…
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    Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant

    In August, MDN told you that Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm located in Dallas, TX had purchased the right from Moxie Energy to build the first new electric generating plant that will run exclusively on Marcellus Shale gas, to be built in Bradford County, PA (see Moxie Liberty Sells PA Electric Plant Project to Panda Power). Construction started on the “Panda Liberty” project in August of this year and it expected to take about 30 months to complete.

    Panda announced last Friday they have purchased a second set of permits from Moxie Energy for a second electric generating plant that will run on Marcellus Shale gas–this one in Lycoming County, PA (southwest of Bradford County, but close by to the first project). This new, second project will be called Panda Patriot, adopting the Patriot name Moxie was using for the project. Here are the particulars from Panda:
    Read More “Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant”

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    Energy Industry Leaders Gather at Platts Forum in NYC

    One week ago, MDN editor Jim Willis attended the Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum in New York City. The Forum, an annual event that attracts the titans of the worldwide energy industry, was held at the swanky Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Although Jim has been traveling to NYC for years and prides himself on his ability to navigate Manhattan on the subway, every now and again he botches it–like this time. So he ended up walking an extra 6-7 city blocks after getting off at the wrong stop (doh!). But that’s OK. It was a brisk day and the walk did him good.

    Rather than get on the ungodly 3:10 am bus from Binghamton to NYC, Jim elected to ride the 6:10 am bus, which was late arriving at the Port Authority due to traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel. So he missed the first session and joined the second session shortly after it had begun. But wow, what a session it was! Below Jim shares his notes from the session “Switching, Ditching and Bridging Fuels,” his notes and impressions from the lunch keynote address by DOE Sec. Ernest Moniz, and his notes from the afternoon session titled, “Midstream Gathers Momentum”. Jim got to hear some of the biggest names in energy. It was all a bit heady for a “small time” natural gas blogger with an attitude…
    Read More “Energy Industry Leaders Gather at Platts Forum in NYC”

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    New Marcellus Gas-Fired Electric Plant Proposed for Greene County

    Another new natural gas-fired electric generating plant may be on the way in PA courtesy of cheap, abundant Marcellus Shale gas. Bayles Energy LLC, a subsidiary of IMG Midstream, has proposed building a 20-megawatt plant in Greene Township in (yes) Greene County, PA. The new plant would generate enough electricity to serve 13,000 homes on the area.

    More details…
    Read More “New Marcellus Gas-Fired Electric Plant Proposed for Greene County”

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    Dunkirk, NY Electric Plant Saved – Converting from Coal to NatGas

    Looks like the good residents in Dunkirk, NY (near Buffalo) have dodged a major tax bullet. Last week MDN told you about hypocritical anti-drillers who oppose converting coal-powered electric plants in both Ithaca and Dunkirk into being powered by natural gas–simply because they don’t like fossil fuels (see Anti-Drillers Oppose Converting 2 NY Electric Plants to NatGas). As we pointed out, the plants in Dunkirk and Ithaca provide something like 40% of the tax revenue for the local towns and schools where they are located. Closing either plant would devastate that community and force some residents to leave after taxes skyrocket. The Dunkirk plant has been saved.

    In a strange twist of fate, Gov. Andrew “the fracking ditherer” Cuomo slogged through three feet of snow in Dunkirk to crow that a deal has been reached to keep the plant open and convert it from burning coal to burning natural gas. Oh, the plant will burn natural gas fracked in other states and pipelined to NY. Ironic, no? Here’s the story…
    Read More “Dunkirk, NY Electric Plant Saved – Converting from Coal to NatGas”

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    Anti-Drillers Oppose Converting 2 NY Electric Plants to NatGas

    This is the tale of two electrical generating power plants. Both are located in New York State–on opposite sides of the state. One is in Tompkins County (near Ithaca, NY), the other in Chautauqua County (Dunkirk, near Buffalo, NY). Both are powered by coal and both will either need to convert to natural gas or close down.

    Something else both have in common: anti-drilling nutters want them closed rather than converted  from burning coal to burning natural gas–even though closure means school and property taxes in both areas will go through the roof–higher than the nosebleed rates they already are. In both cases the power plants are the single largest taxpayer in their respective municipalities. Makes no difference to the nutters because most of them don’t live there and could care less. An update for both the Cayuga Power Plant and the Dunkirk Power Plant…
    Read More “Anti-Drillers Oppose Converting 2 NY Electric Plants to NatGas”

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    New Electric Power Plant in Lancaster Powered by Marcellus Gas

    Even though there’s no Marcellus Shale under Lancaster County, PA, the county is about to benefit from the Marcellus Shale. A new electrical generating power plant is planned for Lancaster County that will be powered by cheap Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania–meaning lower electricity prices for the 390,000 homes it will power. It also means a new 9-mile natural gas pipeline will be built, and a 7-mile water pipeline.

    Lots of jobs in building the plant and the pipelines, some landowners will benefit from having the pipeline cross their property, and everyone in the region gets lower cost electricity. It’s a win/win/win situation–thanks to the Marcellus…
    Read More “New Electric Power Plant in Lancaster Powered by Marcellus Gas”

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    P&G’s Only Energy Self-Sufficient Plant is Powered by Marcellus

    Consumer goods behemoth Procter & Gamble (P&G) has 150 manufacturing plants worldwide that make things like Pampers diapers, Charmin toilet paper and Bounty paper towels. Only one of those 150 P&G manufacturing plants is 100% energy self-sufficient–providing all of its own massive energy needs without the need to tap into the local utility grid. Can you guess where it’s located? The 100% energy self-sufficient P&G plant is in Mehoopany (Wyoming County), PA, near Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The P&G plant in Mehoopany is powered exclusively by Marcellus Shale gas drilled right on P&G’s own property! In fact, P&G is producing so much electricity by using Marcellus gas that they sell electricity back to the local utility grid–enough electricity to power 20,000 homes! What a tremendously proud, feel-good moment this is.

    Northeast PA is showing the world how shale gas is making the U.S. energy independent. Bye bye tinpot dictators in the Middle East who hate our guts! Bye bye messy wars to keep oil flowing. Hello home-grown energy, home-grown jobs and home-grown economic prosperity. Here’s the P&G feel-good story that will keep you smiling while you eat turkey tomorrow…
    Read More “P&G’s Only Energy Self-Sufficient Plant is Powered by Marcellus”