Duke Energy, which earlier this year was hit with $102 million in federal penalties related to the massive Dan River coal ash spill, made its final payments last week with two $5 million contributions to environmental remediation programs.
The money went to a Texas-based firm, Resource Environmental Solutions, to fund remediation in Virginia and the Carolinas.
The payments settle Duke’s guilty pleas to nine misdemeanor violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The pleas came as a grand jury was considering criminal charges against the company relating to its handling of coal ash at 14 North Carolina plants. Duke agreed to pay $68 million in fines and $34 million in restitution.
More: Charlotte Business Journal
Xcel to Offer Green-Only ‘Renewable Connect’ Plan
Xcel Energy is proposing the option of 100% renewable electricity for its Minnesota customers. The “Renewable Connect” program would be offered to all customers, but it is primarily aimed at business and corporate customers seeking to achieve sustainability goals.
The plan, submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission, would offer a package of wind and solar energy at a premium price, but Xcel said it would not take a profit from it. The company said the plan would provide long-term pricing certainty and allow customers to claim environmental awareness, something many companies value.
“Businesses are more careful about how they source everything, including energy,” said Bill Blazar, a vice president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “It is almost like a kosher seal on a chicken — they are looking for that something to offer to their customers who want it. They are responding to the market.”
More: Star Tribune
‘Mighty Marysville’ Plant in Michigan Demolished
The Marysville Power Plant, a coal-fired generator that stood for 93 years in eastern Michigan on the banks of the St. Clair River, was demolished in a controlled implosion on Nov. 7.
In its heyday, the plant employed about 250 people and produced 1,386 MW. Operations ceased in 2001. Owner DTE Energy sold the 30-acre site to a developer, who plans to convert the waterfront property into a multi-use facility including retail shops, housing, a marina and bike trails.
More: Port Huron Times Herald
DTE Energy to Recycle Gypsum at Port of Monroe
DTE Energy announced plans Nov. 6 to partner with southeastern Michigan’s Port of Monroe to market and transport gypsum produced from the emissions-control system at its Monroe Power Plant.
Under the collaboration, gypsum will be shipped from the Lake Erie port to clients in Canada and the Midwest. The Port of Monroe says it will build a 24,000-square-foot storage building. DTE, which recycled more than 350,000 tons of gypsum last year, said the arrangement will enable the utility to recycle 100% of its gypsum going forward.
Synthetic gypsum is produced from flue gas desulfurization systems, or “scrubbers,” which use lime or limestone as reagents. The byproduct is nearly identical to mined gypsum and can be used in manufacturing cement and drywall.
More: Associated Press
TXU Solar Partnership Offers High-Efficiency Home Panels
Texas retailer TXU Energy last week introduced a program it calls “TXU Solar from SunPower,” providing high-efficiency solar panels that the manufacturer says produce 70% more energy than conventional panels.
The program comes with a simple online and mobile monitoring system so homeowners can track their electricity production. SunPower said its panels, which have an expected lifespan of 40 years, will enable residential consumers to produce more of their own electricity than competing rooftop systems.
The new offer is being launched in North Texas. To be eligible, consumers must own a single-family home with a south-to-southwestern exposure.
More: SunPower
Basin Electric: SPP Membership Helps Prepare Co-op for Future
Basin Electric Power Cooperative CEO Paul Sukut says joining SPP last month has expanded the North Dakota co-op’s access to power.
Sukut, speaking during Basin’s annual meeting earlier this month in Bismarck, said the cooperative’s membership in the regional grid allows it to purchase more power to supply growing demand. He said Basin is trying to keep up with the market while still maintaining its cooperative values.
“I can’t recall a time in the last 30 years we have had this much at stake,” he said, alluding to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.
More: The Bismarck Tribune
AEP Closes Sale of River Ops to ACL
American Electric Power has closed the sale of its commercial barge operation to American Commercial Lines for $550 million. AEP bought the river operation in 2001, but the company decided earlier this year to divest the asset and redeploy the capital to its regulated operations. The sale netted about $400 million after taxes, debt retirement and fees.
AEP will retain ownership of a fleet of 12 tow boats and 429 barges to deliver coal to its coal-fired power plants, but ACL will dispatch and operate the fleet through 2016. AEP River Operations, now the property of ACL, has its own fleet of about 56 towboats and 2,300 barges that deliver 45 million tons of commodities on inland waterways, including 10 million tons of coal.
More: American Electric Power
Talen Energy’s Susquehanna Nuke Plant Scrams
Unit 1 at Talen Energy’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant automatically shut down Thursday after a malfunction that is being investigated.
Talen Energy assumed control and partial ownership of the plant earlier this year when it was spun off from PPL. Allegheny Electric Cooperative also owns a share of the plant.
Talen said the unit’s safety features worked as designed and that there was no release of radiation. Unit 2 remained in operation, according to the company.
More: StreetInsider