Big Rivers Laying Off 165
Big Rivers Electric Corp. said it will lay off 165 workers when it idles two generating plants in response to loss of the two Century Aluminum smelter customers. It expects to idle the 417-MW Wilson plant in February and the 443-MW Coleman plant by June. The company has said the customer departure makes 65% of its generating base redundant and means a $360 million annual revenue loss.
More: Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer
MARYLAND
NRG to Shut 5 Coal Plants in 2017
NRG Energy told PJM it plans to retire five coal-fired generators at two sites in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in 2017 due to low natural gas prices and potential environmental costs. Dickerson units 1-3 and Chalk Point units 1 and 2, with a combined capacity of 1,200 MW, were the subject of a water-pollution suit by state regulators.
The closure would leave the state with only five coal-fired generators, according to the Sierra Club. NRG said it will continue operating gas- and oil-fired units at the two sites.
More: The Baltimore Sun
Exelon to Retire 74 MW Unit
Exelon plans to retire the natural gas-fired Unit 4 at its Riverside Generating Station in Baltimore County, citing the 74 MW unit’s age, maintenance costs and falling revenue. The move comes as Exelon plans to build two 60 MW gas units in Harford County, part of its commitment to add clean generation in Maryland.
More: The Baltimore Sun
Fort Detrick in Solar Deal
The Army has hired Ameresco to install 18.6 MW of solar power at Fort Detrick. An environmental assessment will be performed before a final contract can be signed. The fort is one of five Army “NetZero” pilot sites to seeking to create as much energy as they consume.
More: Frederick News-Post
NEW JERSEY
Panel Nixes Pipeline Deal
The Pinelands Commission unexpectedly rejected a deal South Jersey Gas had reached with the Board of Public Utilities to lay a gas pipeline through the Pinelands to repower Rockland Capital’s BL England plant. The conversion of the 447 MW coal and oil plant was widely supported as a way adding supply to replace part of the capacity that will be lost with anticipated closing of the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in 2019.
But commissioners said they were not satisfied with environmental protections and that the company’s offer of $8 million for land preservation made it look as if they were being paid off. Assertions that the pipe would have little impact on the Pinelands are “ridiculous,” said one commissioner.
More: Asbury Park Press
Senator Slams Offshore Wind Delays
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said the Christie administration has moved too slowly on offshore wind development, costing the state at least 1,000 jobs. Sweeney spoke as Environment New Jersey released a report promoting the benefits of offshore wind development. One of the obstacles to moving ahead on development goals, Sweeney said, is the lack of progress on regulations for wind energy credit sales. The Board of Public Utilities has not said when the regulations will be ready.
More: nj.com
NORTH CAROLINA
Duke Ash Kills Fish, Study Says
Duke Energy is disputing a study commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center that says selenium from Duke’s coal ash ponds is killing fish in Sutton Lake in Wilmington. The utility retired its coal plant there last month. The law center has joined a state suit seeking removal of the ash.
More: Charlotte Observer
Residents Oppose Solar Farm
A 36-acre solar farm will put a big dent in property values – and already has done so — residents say as Strata Solar tries to get Lincoln County approval for the facility.
More: The Charlotte Observer
Duke Unit Building Solar Facilities
Duke Energy Renewables is building three solar projects totaling 30 MW in the eastern part of the state. SunEnergy1 will design and build the projects.
More: Duke
Base has Concerns about Wind Farm
A 40-turbine wind farm proposed for Carteret County will endanger military pilots and jeopardize activity at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, speakers at a community forum said. The wind farm, together with a solar array, is proposed by Torch Renewable, which would sell the output to Duke Energy Progress.
More: The Daily News
OHIO
City Backs Lake Erie Wind
Euclid City Council joined other local governments in announcing its support for Lake Erie Energy Development Corp.’s offshore wind project. LEEDCo’s Icebreaker project, a six-turbine, 18 MW pilot, is targeting a 2017 date for beginning operations.
More: The News-Herald
Vote on EE Bill Delayed Again
Action on a bill that has roiled Ohio energy interests for weeks was postponed again as green energy advocates pushed back against the measure to reduce the state’s efficiency and renewable energy mandates. Sponsor Sen. William Seitz says he will continue pursuing ways to reduce the state’s “envirosocialist” requirements.
More: Akron Beacon Journal; The Plain Dealer
PENNSYLVANIA
PUC Oks PPL Line Upgrade
PPL Electric Utilities’ plan to upgrade a 24-mile line in the Pocono plateau won Public Utility Commission approval. The $33 million project will replace the existing 69 kV line with a double-circuit 138 kV line. The plan drew no local opposition.
More: Pocono Record
Holtwood Upgrade Doubles Capacity
PPL finished the upgrade of its Holtwood hydropower station on the Susquehanna River, with its 125-MW addition more than doubling the facility’s capacity to 230 MW. The company expects to qualify for federal stimulus funds, which it said were a critical factor in deciding to upgrade the century-old site. The dam features the largest fish lift in the country.
More: The Morning Call
Coal Ash Disposal Plan Controversial
Fifteen Beaver County residents have sued FirstEnergy for damages over contaminants from the utility’s 1,900-acre Little Blue Run coal ash disposal site. The suit follows a similar one filed by West Virginia residents. Meanwhile, environmental groups and the state Department of Environmental Protection disagree about the opportunity to comment on FirstEnergy’s proposal to barge the ash from Little Blue Run to another site. Environmentalists say a permit could effectively be issued before they have a chance to see the final plan.
More: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Consol Looks to Calif. GHG Market
Consol Energy’s Enlow Fork mine in Washington County could monetize methane capture by participating in California’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade market. The California Air Resources Board is to vote early next year on a proposed program to award credits for mine methane projects. Because greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming, projects anywhere in the U.S. can qualify under California’s system.
More: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
VIRGINIA
Report Touts Wind Potential
Virginia could be “the Silicon Valley of wind development” in the East, the chairman of the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority said upon release of a report detailing potential benefits. The report was released as Dominion continued work on a 12 MW demonstration project.
More: Daily Press; Virginian-Pilot; Environment Virginia
SCC Approves James River Project
Despite opposition from big institutions and historic preservation interests, the State Corporation Commission approved an 8-mile, 500-kV power line Dominion plans to build across the James River near historic sites. The Surry-Skiffes Creek Project is essential to reliability, the SCC said.
More: The Washington Post
Canon Roof to Get Solar
Dominion Virginia Power will install the commonwealth’s largest rooftop solar project on Canon Virginia’s manufacturing facility in Gloucester. The 500 kW project is part of the utility’s Solar Partnership Program.
More: Dominion
