FERC Approves Vistra Plan to Buy Gas-Fired Power Plants from Lotus
Gas-fired power plants in the Marcellus/Utica region (and beyond) continue to change hands at a rapid pace. In May, Vistra Corp. announced a deal to acquire seven natural gas-fired power plants, totaling approximately 2,600 MW of capacity, from Lotus Infrastructure Partners (see 1,320 MW Fairless Power Station in Bucks County, PA Sold to Vistra). The acquisition includes five combined-cycle gas turbine facilities and two combustion turbine facilities located across PJM, New England, New York, and California. The deal just received an important approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Read More “FERC Approves Vistra Plan to Buy Gas-Fired Power Plants from Lotus”
Here’s a court case that slipped under our radar. Antero Resources Corporation challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of a two-tier fuel rate structure imposed by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP) following an expansion project. Antero had contracted with TGP to secure firm transportation capacity by funding the construction of new compressor stations, which are energy-intensive and require substantial fuel to operate. The tariff approved by FERC stipulated that Antero would always be charged the highest marginal fuel rate, as if its gas were the last and most expensive to transport through the pipeline. In contrast, other shippers paid an average fuel rate, leading to Antero paying two to three times the fuel rate of other shippers on the same pipeline segment. 
The State of Maryland opened the door on Tuesday to a program that could, theoretically, fast-track energy projects through the state’s regulatory process in hopes of boosting the amount of power generated in the state. For the next 30 days, the Public Service Commission (PSC) will accept applications for large-scale power projects, also known as “dispatchable” generation, which can provide energy quickly during periods of peak demand. The problem is that this effort is merely window dressing. It’s a pretense. No major new natural gas power plants will be built in the state. 
In January 2023, Ohio House Bill (HB) 507 became law with the signature of Gov. Mike DeWine (see 
On July 3, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an order to EQT asking the company to produce records as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the release of up to an estimated 940,000 gallons of wastewater at the Brova shale gas well pad in North Bethlehem Township, Washington County, and similar failures at six other EQT well pads. The issue revolves around the use of “dump lines” at well pads. EQT states that the DEP’s request for reviewing physical paperwork is onerous, and the agency lacks the authority to regulate dump lines anyway. The DEP wants to ensure that another dump line issue (spilling of wastewater) doesn’t happen. 
In April, Knighthead Capital Management, Homer City Redevelopment (HCR), and Kiewit Power Constructors Co. announced a plan to convert the former Homer City Generating Station, previously the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania (Indiana County, 50 miles east of Pittsburgh) into a more than 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus, designed to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (see 
The Eddystone Generating Station is a power plant owned by Constellation Energy Corporation, located in Eddystone, PA (near Philadelphia, in Delaware County). Units 3 and 4, each with 380 MW of generation capacity, can run on either natural gas or oil. The Eddystone Units were initially scheduled for retirement on May 31, 2025; however, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) intervened and ordered both units to remain online and active due to emergency energy conditions in the PJM grid. The original order kept both units online and active an extra 90 days, until August 28. DOE Secretary Chris Wright sent a new order to Constellation extending the operation of the two units for an additional 90 days, until November 26 (see 
Last week, we told you that, although she has not publicly admitted it, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has approved the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project (see 
Last week, we brought you several posts about a “summit” (a blaming and bullying session) convened by one of the biggest bullies on the political scene today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, to complain about high electricity prices in the PJM Interconnection grid (see 
In yet another sign that Williams’ Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project is a done deal and moving forward, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) granted the project permission to “disturb” (harass) 15 varieties of whales, seals, porpoises, and dolphins, as it builds a 24-mile pipeline on the floor of the bay. “Uh, excuse me, Mr. Whale? Could you please swim about a mile over in that direction for the next few days?” Environmentalist wackos are having a cow, or maybe it’s a whale, at the news. 
Last Thursday, MDN informed you about a public hearing scheduled for that day by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV-DEP) for the Adams Fork Energy Project in Mingo County (see 
On September 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Sandstone Development, LLC a permit for an oil and gas wastewater injection well in Lafayette Township, in McKean County. The permit authorizes Sandstone to inject up to 10,500 gallons per day of produced fluids from the McKay 7A conventional well to enhance oil and gas recovery in the McKay Lease area. Injection will occur into the Upper Devonian Kane Sandstone Formation at depths between 2,295 and 2,315 feet. A public hearing on the permit application was conducted in May. 
Yesterday, we told you about comments made by several governors from states covered by the PJM electric grid delivered to a bash PJM summit organized by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (see