Monthly Archives: October 2022

Thanks to the following for publishing my new op-ed piece warning about the potential costly energy crunch the U.S. could face this winter:

• Waco Tribune Herald
• Bakersfield Californian
• Johnstown Tribune Democrat
• Logansport Pharos Tribune

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that a new federal program could help establish microgrids in rural West Virginia communities that have struggled with reliability issues.

Coal:

• E&E Energywire reports the Russian invasion of Ukraine may have sparked the “first truly global energy crisis,” but it won’t stave off the decline of fossil fuels or create a need to tap new oil and gas fields, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

Mining:

• Mining.com reports Freeport-McMoRan Inc. is in talks about buying an Arizona copper smelter from Grupo Mexico SAB as the US mining giant seeks to increase its domestic processing capacity, according to people familiar with the matter.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports countries putting restrictions on the global minerals trade — as the U.S. did recently with a key electric vehicle tax credit — threatens the speed of the energy transition, the International Energy Agency said in a report Thursday.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that FERC approved MISO reliability contract to keep Ameren Missouri’s Rush Island coal plant operating. The 1,195-MW power plant is necessary to maintain grid reliability, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Monday in a decision approving a “system support resource,” or SSR, agreement for the generating station. The plant had been slated for retirement on September 1, 2022, but Ameren Missouri now expects to keep it running until mid-2025 to support grid reliability.
• E&E News reports that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a first-of-its-kind effort Wednesday to grapple with the significant transmission challenges of building large offshore wind farms. The regulators approved spending $1 billion Wednesday to upgrade the state’s electricity grid for offshore wind, a move being called transformational for the industry.

Railway:

• Argus reports a third labor union has rejected a proposed new contract with major US railroads, increasing the potential for a strike as soon as the end of the year.

Renewables:

• Hot Air asks, “What has all that investment in renewables actually bought us?” Answer: Lots of grift.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Austin American-Statesman report that Federal regulators find Texas’ grid is nearly as vulnerable to collapse as it was last year when a winter storm caused widespread outages; state officials say the report is inaccurate and that they’ve made improvements.
• Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that a northern Michigan municipal utility considers offering customers a demand response program that would help reduce power use during peak times.

Minerals:

• Casper Star Tribune reports a nascent arm of the Wyoming mining industry stands to benefit from incentives baked into recent federal law.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Associated Press reports that a judge declined a request by developers of a $1 billion power line to resume construction, keeping the project on hold until a judge’s decision next year on the constitutionality of a referendum that halted the project. The project, which would supply enough Canadian hydropower for 1 million homes in New England, received regulatory approvals but voters rejected the project in a referendum after construction had begun.

Minerals:

• Reuters reports Washington’s growing financial support for companies that produce metals used in electric vehicles will likely prove fruitless unless the federal government streamlines the mine permitting process, investors, executives and consultants told Reuters.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, in September were slightly above year-earlier levels as one of the region’s terminals handled more coal.

World News:

• E&E News PM reports the Biden administration on Monday took aim at Nicaragua’s mining industry, a reaction to the Central American country’s anti-democratic practices and support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Protocol reports that long-duration batteries could free the grid from fossil fuels. Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo explains the promise of iron-air batteries and why the grid needs multiple types of storage to be truly decarbonized and resilient.
• Utility Dive reports large renewable energy developers take issue with parts of federal regulators’ plan to reform the grid interconnection process.
• Utility Dive reports that MISO intends to exclude Invenergy’s 5-GW Grain Belt Express Line from its upcoming transmission process.

Energy:

• Politico Pro reports U.S. electric utilities are inviting catastrophe by shutting down coal plants ahead of schedule and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and battery storage, the CEO of a large Midwest generation cooperative said.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• HuffPost reports that Puerto Rico’s power grid is in crisis, facing lingering outages from Hurricane Fiona, unrepaired damage from a 2017 hurricane, and a private company that has hiked rates seven times since taking over last year.
• In a news release, the Department of Energy announced that it is seeking input on its $250 million program to help rural, municipal and small electric utilities beef up cybersecurity.
• Radio Iowa reports that a transmission executive says cost is the primary barrier to underground power lines, which can be five to 10 times more expensive than overhead lines.

Minerals:

• Las Vegas Sun reports the Biden administration on Wednesday awarded $2.8 billion in grants to boost domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles in 12 states.
• High Country News reports the Jervois venture in Idaho signals an uptick in hardrock mining across the West.

FERC:

• E&E Energywire reports the FERC chair raised concerns about high energy costs with winter approaching.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that developers are fighting a FEMA proposal to toughen construction standards for wind and solar projects to improve reliability in extreme weather, saying the new rules will kill projects.

Minerals:

• Associated Press, Fortune and KOAM report the Biden administration on Wednesday awarded $2.8 billion in grants to boost domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles in 12 states.
• Politico Pro reports the Biden administration on Wednesday announced $2.8 billion in grant awards to support domestic electric vehicle battery production and a new initiative to secure a “reliable and sustainable supply” of EV minerals.
• Charleston Gazette-Mail reports positive results in efforts to obtain rare earth elements from coal mining waste.

Coal:

• OilPrice.com reports BlackRock will not stop investing in oil, natural gas, or coal, the world’s largest asset manager told a UK parliamentary committee in written responses to an inquiry on the role of the financial sector in the UK’s net-zero transition.

Sustainability:

• The Washington Post reports the difficulty electric carmakers face building supply chains free of human rights and environmental violations came into focus earlier this year, when U.S. investigators completed their probe of a massive mining tragedy in Brazil.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Fox 2 reports that Ameren completed a $215 million, St. Louis-area grid infrastructure project ahead of schedule that the utility says will improve reliability.
• Utility Dive reports that increased transmission prevented about 2 million customers from Boston to Washington, D.C., from losing power during a simulated Polar Vortex in February 2035, saving $1 billion, according to modeling conducted by GE Energy for the environmental group.

Coal:

• Wyoming Public Media reports Wyoming’s coal industry could benefit from a proposed expansion on the use of the one the state’s most abundant fossil fuels with Texas is considering expanding its permitting process for carbon capture technology.
• Financial Times reports that BlackRock and Vanguard tell UK inquiry they will not quit fossil fuel investments.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that major corporations including Tesla, Google and Amazon voice support for federal regulators’ proposed generator interconnection rule reforms.

Coal:

• Argus reports US coal production likely reached its highest level in nearly three years last quarter, but still may have lagged demand.

Mining:

• Bloomberg reports big coal companies push the obligations of cleaning up mines on to taxpayers.

Minerals:

• Guardian reports that lithium mining companies have staked about 17,000 prospecting claims in Nevada, positioning the state to become a major producer of the mineral used in electric vehicle batteries.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Mining:

• High Country News reports there’s a boom in green metal mining and it’s time to loosen mining regulations.
• E&E Greenwire reports with climate change pushing the U.S. toward more rapid adoption of new technologies, many Republicans and Democrats are in rare agreement on one key point: This country needs a lot more mines.
• Axios reports big industries could steer far more money into climate-friendly investments without jeopardizing their financial stability or shareholder rewards, Goldman Sachs analysts say.

Regulations:

• Forbes reports at the same time Biden and company are pushing to ramp up use of renewables and EVs, environmental organizations that are a powerful constituency in Democratic Party politics are working at cross purposes with Biden’s energy goals by seeking to halt the extraction of copper and other key minerals necessary to achieve the renewable and EV goals pursued by progressives.

Happy Friday!!

In the news today…

Minerals:

• KPBS reports the promise of direct lithium extraction from geothermal brine sparks a rush in the Salton Sea region in southern California, but the technology has yet to be proven on a commercial scale.

NEPA:

• E&E Energywire reports a federal appeals court Thursday appeared poised to toss out a National Environmental Policy Act challenge to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approval of a project to develop a novel fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.

Climate:

• Axios reports the Biden administration releases a national security strategy that centers climate risks in policymaking decisions related to foreign affairs and domestic defense.

In the news today…

Grid:

• CBS Detroit reports that DTE Energy is increasing its grid infrastructure spending in part to support electric vehicle adoption and broader electrification, officials say.
• WLPO reports that Ameren submitted a plan to state regulators for a short transmission line in northern Illinois that the utility says would reduce outages and shorten restoration times.

Mining:

• Mining.com reports a tellurium study is just one example for the potential of extracting critical metals from existing mining operations.
• E&E Energywire reports the Department of Energy released details Wednesday on a new $32 million program to deploy technologies for extracting critical minerals from coal and coal byproducts.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal-fired generation in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) fell from year-earlier levels for a fifth consecutive month in September despite higher overall electricity demand and restrained renewable power output.
• Argus reports US coal-fired generation this winter will be lower than a year earlier despite relatively stable overall electricity demand, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast today.

In the news today…

Grid:

• E&E News reports that New England became the first regional energy market to use a virtual power plant this summer, with thousands of home solar and battery storage projects exporting power to the grid.

Mining:

• The Wall Street Journal reports Peabody Energy Corp. is in talks to combine with an Australian rival that could result in a new global giant worth some $6 billion, illustrating how the coal-price surge that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is transforming the sector’s fortunes.

Coal:

• E&E Energywire reports the future of a Montana coal plant remains unclear after a federal magistrate judge struck down two Montana laws designed to punish owners seeking to close the power station.
• Argus reports two Montana laws intended to preserve operations of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in the state are unconstitutional, according to a US magistrate judge.
• Reuters reports the Biden administration is letting eight Texas coal-fired power plants avoid pollution controls by sitting on a request to amend the Lone Star State’s plans for pollution reduction, according to a new lawsuit filed by environmental groups.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Axios reports that more than 4 million Floridians lost power after Hurricane Ian. But not communities like Babcock Ranch, a Southwest Florida development that bills itself as America’s “first solar-powered town.”

Coal:

• Argus reports US thermal coal exports rose from year-earlier levels for the first time in four months in August, led by a gain in bituminous coal shipments to Europe.
• Associated Press reports a U.S. magistrate judge has declared unconstitutional two Montana laws that sought to prevent the closure of a coal-fired power plant by subjecting its out-of-state owners to steep fines if they wouldn’t pay long-term maintenance and operating costs.
• Bismarck Tribune reports North Dakota is investing in carbon capture to keep coal country afloat.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Kansas Reflector reports that Kansas lacks a statewide energy plan that clean energy advocates say is needed to secure federal funding opportunities.
• Star Beacon reports that FirstEnergy subsidiaries complete nearly three years of grid infrastructure improvements in northeastern Ohio.
• NOLA.com reports that Hurricane Ian knocked out power to 2.7 million customers in Florida compared to Hurricane Ida’s 1 million in Louisiana last year, but restoration has moved much more quickly in Florida due to previous grid hardening.
• Utility Dive reports that the Public Utility Commission of Texas is preparing to authorize development of an 80 MW virtual power plant project and could give approval for the initial phase of the pilot at its open meeting on November 3.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that Federal regulators have dismissed a complaint from large energy users that aimed to let customers leaving grid operator MISO’s footprint do so without making owed capacity payments.

Minerals:

• Idaho Mountain Express and Mining.com report the United States’ largest-to-date cobalt mining operation will officially launch Friday at a remote site in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, Australia-based mining and exploration company Jervois Global announced in a press release Oct. 1.

Mining:

• Argus reports a federal court has ordered the US Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to reconsider the environmental affects of Westmoreland’s plan to expand the Rosebud coal mine in Montana.

Coal:

• Bloomberg reports a start-up is aiming to make iron without the use of coal.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that President Biden pledges to transform Puerto Rico’s power system as thousands remain without power.
• Missouri Independent reports that Missouri agriculture groups renew their opposition to the Grain Belt Express transmission line as the developer seeks to add a 40-mile connector line that would boost the project’s capacity by five times.
• Star Tribune reports that Minnesota clean energy experts say building out transmission lines faster will allow for more renewables on the grid and limit the risks of power supply shortages.

Regulations:

• E&E Daily reports prominent House Republicans are accusing Biden administration officials of abusing their executive powers, foreshadowing an escalation over regulations should the GOP take over the House or Senate next year.
• E&E Daily reports lawmakers hope they can revive permitting reform talks over the next three months, but they face fundamental political divides that have dogged environmental debates for decades.

Clean Water Act:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Supreme Court is grappling with whether a new test is needed to best identify federally protected waters — a thorny issue that’s triggered decades of shifting rules, lawsuits and intense lobbying among developers, farmers and environmental groups.

Coal:

• Bloomberg reports that global carbon emissions from power plants may be headed for a record high this year after summer droughts and heatwaves boosted coal- and natural gas-fired generation.
• E&E Energywire reports German energy company RWE said Tuesday that it will phase out the burning of coal by 2030, saving 280 million metric tons of climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions.