The French utility EDF said on Thursday that its board had approved a plan to build the first nuclear power plant in Britain in a generation.
The project for the state-controlled utility has long been contentious. Critics have slammed it as an expensive and risky route to securing emission-free electricity.
But the project — at a cost of 18 billion pounds, or about $23.6 billion — could well be seen as a vote of confidence in Britain’s future, barely a month after the country voted to leave the European Union. It would provide a welcome contrast to poor economic news in the form of plunging consumer confidence, a weaker currency and fears of recession.
The new British government of Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement Thursday evening, however, that it would “consider carefully” the project and make a decision in early autumn, casting doubt on the power station’s prospects. continued…
first published week of: 08/01/2016
Georgia Power announced today that it has completed the issuance of $325 million aggregate principal amount of Green Bonds, becoming the first retail electric utility in the United States to offer this type of security to support investment in sustainable generation. Offering the new Green Bonds is the latest way the company is supporting renewable development in Georgia including solar, wind and biomass.
"Georgia Power is a leader in responsible renewable development thanks to a shared commitment and collaboration with the Public Service Commission and renewable developers," said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. "The issuance of these bonds will help us bring more renewable energy to the state while ensuring reliability and keeping our rates low for customers."
Offering Green Bonds allows Georgia Power to access a broader investment base for renewable projects and is expected to help keep financing costs lower for customers. Georgia Power intends to allocate the net proceeds of the offering primarily to renewable energy generation projects with any remaining net proceeds allocated to electric vehicle charging infrastructure or payments under power purchase agreements served by solar power or wind power generation facilities.
Renewable energy serving Georgia electric customers today as part of a diverse, balanced generation mix includes solar, wind and biomass. Georgia Power's innovative solar programs, such as the Advanced Solar Initiative and new solar projects at five Georgia military bases, are adding thousands of solar panels to the state's energy landscape with all of the company's renewable energy being procured at costs designed to prevent upward pressure on customer rates. As part of the 2016 Integrated Resource Plan, filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in January, the company has proposed an additional 525 megawatts of renewable generation for customers, as well as new initiatives to study the potential for new future wind generation in the state.
first published week of: 03/14/2016
Georgia Power is considering a new nuclear facility and has gone ahead and purchased land in Stewart County, the utility told the Public Service Commission
The fact Georgia Power is considering new nuclear energy isn't new, but the utility's decision to move ahead with the purchase of land indicates just how serious the proposal may be.
WABE reports from the PSC proceeding considering the utility's 20-year plan. “We’re looking at Stewart County because as we know, nuclear is going to be an important part of our future, especially as a zero-carbon-emitting clean technology,” Alison Chiock, Georgia Power's director of resource policy and planning, told regulators. “There's a lot of benefits at that base load that reliable generation brings and so we want to make sure nuclear continues to be an option."
Questioned why the utility went ahead with the land purchase, wihout informing regulators, Chiock said it is not unusual for Georgia Power to purchase sites for future generation. The utility is the largest landowner in Georgia. continued…
first published week of: 04/25/2016
Georgia Power says it is speeding up its closures of toxic ash ponds near its coal-fired power plants in the state. This is an ash lagoon at Plant McDonough near Smyrna in a 2011 photo. Bob Andres bandres@ajc.com
Georgia Power is accelerating its closure of toxic coal ash ponds, a move welcomed by environmental groups who fear arsenic, lead and other heavy metals can leach into groundwater and poison homeowners’ wells.
The action, announced Monday by the Atlanta-based utility, brings Georgia more in line with neighboring states that have already closed coal ash ponds or ordered them cleaned up.
“This is good news for the people of Georgia,” said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a nonprofit that has pressured Georgia Power for years to close waste lagoons. “It is a significant move and it does appear to be comprehensive.”
Georgia Power said its 29 ash ponds statewide will no longer receive coal ash within three years, as opposed to a much lengthier timeline previously announced. continued…
first published week of: 07/11/2016
A year in, the utility has received 10,000 inquiries but has only closed five deals. Why might that be?
Last July, Georgia Power launched a rooftop solar consultation service and a separate solar installation business. Together, the new offerings were designed to benefit the utility, consumers and other solar companies all at the same time.
The Georgia Power solar program allows customers to learn more about going solar by completing a simple online survey. If customers choose to move forward with the process, they can sign up for a consultation with the utility’s solar specialists. From there, customers have the option of installing solar with Georgia Power’s unregulated arm, Georgia Power Energy Services, or selecting from a list of certified solar installers.
The program represents an opportunity to transform the way customers purchase distributed energy resources and reform the relationship between utilities and solar companies. The online platform allows installers to leverage the utility’s brand and access to customers to grow their businesses, while the utility remains in the middle as a trusted service provider. There’s also the potential for a new revenue stream via the utility’s unregulated business.
However, a year in, the Georgia Power program has produced underwhelming results. Since the launch last July, Georgia Power has received roughly 10,000 inquiries through its online platform, which has resulted in nearly 800 detailed customer analyses. But the utility’s unregulated business has only installed five rooftop solar systems to date. Just five. continued…
first published week of: 06/20/2016
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has voted to not approve a merger between Florida-based NextEra and Hawaii’s largest utility, saying the companies didn’t show they would provide adequate benefits to ratepayers or help the state meet its aggressive renewable energy goals.
The regulatory body announced Friday that it voted 2-0 to reject the merger. One commissioner, recently appointed by Gov. David Ige, abstained.
The commission said NextEra and Hawaiian Electric failed to show the merger would be in the public’s interest. They called the companies’ proposed $60 million in benefits to ratepayers — who pay the highest electricity rates in the nation — inadequate and uncertain.
“The proposed $60 million is a conditional guarantee that is not irrevocable,” they wrote in the decision summary. “Accordingly, it does not represent a ‘guaranteed’ benefit to ratepayers.”
In a joint statement, NextEra and Hawaiian Electric said late Friday that they received the order and are currently reviewing it. continued…
first published week of: 07/18/2016
Hawaiian Electric Companies has submitted its Power Supply Improvement Plan Update to the Hawai’i Public Utilities Commission, laying out its direction in getting the state to 100 percent renewable energy over the next 30 years.
In the detailed plan, Hawaiian Electric hopes to have the Big Island reaching 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2040, ten years behind Moloka'i and Lãna'i and five years ahead of the statewide goal of 2045.
To achieve 100 percent renewable energy levels, Hawaiian Electric hopes to utilize a mix of private rooftop solar energy, feed-in-tariff solar energy, utility-scale solar energy, onshore wind energy, offshore wind energy, hydropower, and geothermal energy.
Hawaiian Electric also aims to increase rooftop solar levels by 250 percent from current levels and 370 percent from levels recorded in 2014, which was the last time the utility company submitted a Power Supply Improvement Plan.
Proposed plans by Hawaiian Electric to achieve its 100 percent renewable energy goal include: continued…
first published week of: 04/11/2016
Growing Impacts of Residential Solar on Utility Customer Service
The continued growth of photovoltaic solar rooftop installations in the U.S., PV, has resulted in a series of debates. Concerning reforms to utility ratemaking. Concerning the proper form and extent of subsidies for PV. And concerning fundamental changes to the utility business model.
Regulators and policy advocates of various stripes grapple with these questions. But utilities are faced with the immediate reality of serving customers who have already adopted PV systems.
What does PV mean for utilities' residential customer service operations? From helping customers with supplier selection, through installation and maintenance issues? And with billing?
To begin to address this question, we conducted two sets of surveys of residential electricity customers in the second quarter of 2016. continued…
first published week of: 07/18/2016
The Supreme Court on Tuesday held Maryland officials overstepped their authority when they offered to subsidize construction of a new power plant in the state.
In a unanimous ruling written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the court said Maryland's actions trampled on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's authority to regulate the wholesale electricity market.
The ruling stems from a 2012 decision by Maryland regulators to order construction of a new power plant which produced electricity while utilizing natural gas.
The regulators then offered the winning bidder a financial incentive by requiring utilities to buy electricity from the plant for 20 years at a fixed price.
The Fourth Circuit sided with rival power suppliers who said the incentive interfered with pricing in wholesale markets, which are regulated by the federal government.
Justice Ginsberg agreed. continued…
first published week of: 04/25/2016
A Senate Energy Bill Provides For Power Grid Security Research And Emergency Cyber Powers For The Secretary Of Energy.
One of the recurring nightmare scenarios outlined by security experts—a cyberattack on the country's power grid—has inspired lawmakers in both parties to come to rare agreement. A bipartisan energy bill pending in the Senate would give the U.S. energy secretary emergency powers in the event of such an attack and provide for research into digital energy security.
"The Energy Policy Modernization Act is designed to defend our national energy grid from terrorist cyberattacks," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Senate colleagues Tuesday. "It would help prepare us by authorizing additional cybersecurity research, it would help deter attacks by erecting stronger cybersecurity defenses, and it would help provide for faster and more effective responses when threats do arise.
The bill would allow the president to grant the energy secretary emergency authority in the event of a cyberattack on the electric grid, allowing the secretary to order power companies "to take such actions as the Secretary determines will best avert or mitigate the cybersecurity threat." continued…
first published week of: 02/08/2016