American Electric Power has three transmission proposals before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, including one project aimed at meeting demand from the shale oil and gas industry.
The 19-mile Biers Run-Circleville 138-kV line, which is slated for completion in 2017, would cost $97 million. The transmission portion would cost $22 million. It serves southern Columbus, Chillicothe and Circleville.
Another 138-kV project, the Biers Run-Hopetown-Delano line, will run for 12 miles across Ross County and cost an estimated $17 million.
The $5.2 million Sparrow 138-kV loop is proposed to support the expansion of a natural gas processing facility north of Cadiz. The facility’s operator, MarkWest Utica EMG, asked for the 2-mile line. As a result of an expedited request before PUCO, AEP is expected to complete construction in June.
More: Columbus Business First
NRG Building 360-MW Plant Near Houston; More to Come
NRG Energy says it will build a 360-MW natural gas-fired peaking plant near Bacliff, southeast of Houston, on the site of the former PH Robinson Power Plant.
The plant will contain six GE 7E fast-start combustion turbines relocated from an existing plant in New Albany, Miss. The turbines require no water for cooling, an important attribute in water-starved Texas. The project is scheduled for completion late next year.
NRG says it is also nearly ready to file for permits for two other natural gas-fired plants in the Houston area, both 850-MW combined-cycle plants. It didn’t provide further detail on those projects.
More: BusinessWire
Babcock & Wilcox Spinning Off Generation, Nuclear Ops Companies
Babcock & Wilcox is spinning off its power generation unit into a separate company from its government and nuclear operations.
The power generation business, which will operate under the Babcock & Wilcox name, will provide fossil and renewable generation equipment for projects. The company’s government and nuclear operations business will become BWX Technologies. It will supply nuclear components and fuel to government facilities and provide technical, management and on-site services to both government and commercial facilities.
More: EnergyCentral
SoCal Edison Announces Largest Energy Storage Project in US
Southern California Edison is entering into agreements with five companies to procure 261 MW of energy storage, more than five times the minimum required by state regulators.
SCE has applied to the California Public Utilities Commission for approval to go ahead with the plan to meet a state mandate for energy storage, which requires investor-owned utilities to have a total of 1.325 GW of energy storage by 2020.
“The fact that SCE far exceeded the minimum amount of energy storage they were ordered to purchase after comparing multiple solutions head to head demonstrates that energy storage can be competitive with other preferred resources on both performance and value, and that it’s now an integral part of the utility planning tool kit in California,” said Janice Lin, executive director of the California Energy Storage Alliance.
SCE chose the five companies after reviewing more than 1,800 proposals: NRG will provide 0.5 MW; Ice Energy Holdings 25.6 MW; Advanced Microgrid Solutions 50 MW; Stem 85 MW; and AES Energy Storage 100 MW.
Three other California investor-owned utilities will announce their energy storage purchases by Dec. 1, expected to be another 200 MW.
More: EnergyCenter, Gigaom
Sunoco Planning $2.5B Pipeline to Quadruple Shale Gas Capacity
Sunoco Logistics, the company repurposing a fuel pipeline to carry Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids to its terminal in Marcus Hook, Pa., announced a $2.5 billion expansion project that would quadruple capacity by the end of 2016.
The Mariner East 2 project, which would follow the path of the original Mariner East pipeline from western Pennsylvania to the Delaware River, would transport propane, butane and ethane from the shale gas fields. The 16-inch pipeline is expected to carry 275,000 barrels of natural gas liquids per day to the Marcus Hook port, compared to the first pipeline’s daily capacity of 70,000 barrels.
The Philadelphia company is rebuilding its closed Marcus Hook oil refinery to store, process and ship gas liquids. The company said it is exploring the possibility of building a manufacturing facility in Marcus Hook to process propane into propylene for petrochemical customers.
More: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Southern Maryland Electric Coop. Named Utility of Year by Solar Group
The Solar Electric Power Association has named Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative the Electric Cooperative Utility of the Year.
The co-op won the award for its commitment to using locally generated solar power to meet its renewable targets. SMECO developed a 5.5-MW solar project on a tobacco farm and is building a 10-MW solar plant. The output will go toward meeting the renewable mandates through 2018.
“SMECO leveraged one of the advantages offered by solar — as well as being true to its co-op mission to bring value to the community it serves — when it chose to build solar within the co-op service area rather than purchase renewable credits from a distant resource,” said Julia Hamm, president and CEO of SEPA. “The co-op also gained valuable hands-on experience with a new resource, inspiring a commitment to continue to expand its investment in solar.”
More: BayNet
Fishermen’s Energy Plans to Go Back to NJ BPU in December
Fishermen’s Energy of Cape May, N.J., says it will return to the state Board of Public Utilities once again to seek approval for its proposed 25-MW offshore wind project three miles off Atlantic City.
The BPU previously rejected the $188 million as too costly for ratepayers. But the Obama administration awarded it a $47 million Department of Energy grant, and Fishermen’s CEO Paul Gallagher said his company will give the state agency another go.
“I’ve been living with this for four years and I can’t speculate as to what motivates the BPU,” he said.
Some believe that Gov. Chris Christie has soured on offshore wind and is now focused on appealing to conservative supporters outside New Jersey for a 2016 presidential run. Environment New Jersey Director Doug O’Malley said there is “nothing holding back New Jersey now other than Gov. Christie’s intransigence and, sadly, even though offshore wind has bipartisan support in the state, the governor has his eyes on a different prize right now.”
More: NJBiz
Westinghouse CEO Sees Bright Future for Nuclear in US
Westinghouse Electric CEO Danny Roderick says the company’s nuclear business is doing very well in the United Kingdom, China and other countries — international markets make up 60% of the company’s business. But he also foresees domestic growth from new U.S. nuclear facilities, where Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactors are already being used at sites under construction in Georgia and South Carolina. “We still see new plants are going to be built in Florida; we see new plants that are going to come up in the Carolinas,” Roderick told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Those are all progressing right now.”
In the last year, Westinghouse has taken heart from an announcement that Georgia intends on building more than the Vogtle project that is now under construction. Florida Power and NextEra Energy have announced they’re going to start work on the Turkey Point project in South Florida. Duke has continued discussion about building another unit in the Carolinas. And a proposal for a plant using an earthquake-hardened version of the AP1000 is being discussed in Utah.
“So what you’re seeing is, the regulated market actually does give a valuation to 24/7 power and recognizes the need for long-term investments of infrastructure like a nuclear power plant,” he said.
More: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Alliant Energy to Build 650-MW Plant in Wisconsin
Alliant Energy announced it will expand its Riverside Energy Center in Beloit, Wis., by building a 650-MW combustion turbine combined-cycle plant. The company said it will file for approval with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission early next year and begin construction in 2016. The gas-fueled plant, which will cost between $725 million and $775 million, is expected to go into operation in early 2019.
“Having access to reliable, flexible, around-the-clock power that a combined-cycle energy center offers will be a direct benefit to our customers,” said John Larsen, president of Alliant’s utility WPL. “As part of our long-term planning, the Riverside Energy Center will also be evaluated for the integration of solar energy as we continue to expand our renewables portfolio.”
More: PennEnergy