Author Archive: Cathy Kunkel
Energy Finance Analyst Cathy Kunkel has written reports and given expert testimony on the finances of Appalachian natural gas pipelines and drilling; electric utility mergers, rates and resource planning; energy efficiency; and Puerto Rico’s electrical system. She has degrees in physics from Princeton and Cambridge.
IEEFA: Puerto Rico can provide resiliency to 100% of homes through solar expansion
Investing in renewables would lower costs, reduce price-volatility and provide resiliency to Puerto Rico
March 10, 2021 (IEEFA)—Investing $9.6 billion in distributed solar panels and batteries—funds that are already available from the federal government—could transform Puerto Rico’s electrical system into a resilient grid that provides every home on the island with a clean, reliable source of energy, according to a report released today. The report by Puerto Rico organization […]
IEEFA U.S.: Financial rationale for Mountain Valley Pipeline has evaporated in changing market
Falling demand, legal and regulatory challenges spell financial peril for pipeline project
March 8, 2021 (IEEFA) — A 303-mile pipeline that would move natural gas from the Appalachian Basin to markets in the eastern and southern U.S. is in financial jeopardy because of reduced demand projections and legal challenges, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The Mountain […]
IEEFA: Puerto Rico power authority continues end-run attempts around regulators with federally-funded natural gas plans
$850 million in federal funds targeted for 400-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle natural gas plant and 11 new peaker plants
In August 2020, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau approved a long-term plan for the island’s electrical system that called for greater investments in renewable energy and storage. The bureau worked for months to integrate analysis from a variety of stakeholders and eventually rejected new natural gas initiatives because of their costs and logistical challenges. Yet […]
IEEFA Puerto Rico: Credit support for PREPA, a sensible tool or another wasteful gimmick?
Commonwealth loan raises more questions about savings from T&D privatization
The week before Christmas, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (FOMB) quietly announced a plan for the commonwealth’s government to loan almost $1 billion to its electrical power authority (PREPA) to facilitate the privatization of the island’s transmission and distribution system. This plan was presented in a poorly documented filing that reveals that […]
IEEFA: Savings from Puerto Rico grid privatization off to a bad start
Contractor that promised savings set to exceed budget even before taking over
Puerto Rico’s key electrical system privatization initiative has been a longshot to save money for the people of Puerto Rico—and the odds are getting longer, according to an analysis of the 15-year contract with LUMA Energy and its proposed budgets for the next three years. An Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) review […]