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S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): Daybreak Power Inc said July 19 that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a preliminary permit approving its proposed 2,650-MW Halverson Canyon Pumped Storage project near Creston, Wash. Halverson Canyon is a pumped storage hydropower facility that would use water from Lake Roosevelt and a new reservoir in an upland […]
Tom Sanzillo
IEA Net Zero by 2050 report lays out roadmap for successful economic transition
The recently released International Energy Agency (IEA) roadmap to a net-zero economic transformation by 2050 not only lays out an energy-and-beyond vision, but also sets forth key steps needed to achieve it. The situation is dire, and the message for institutional investors, particularly public funds, is stark. Maintaining returns that meet financial targets—and protecting the […]
Suzanne Mattei and Tom Sanzillo
Demise of Keystone XL should spur regulators, investors to reconsider massive pipeline projects
As the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reviews the public comments it recently received on its proposal to reconsider how it determines whether a gas pipeline should be granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity, it would do well to consider the cautionary tale of a massive fossil fuel infrastructure project, the Keystone XL […]
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Wall Street Journal ($): Canada’s TC Energy Corp and the Albertan provincial government said Wednesday they would scuttle the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, bringing to an end a years-long controversy over an effort to pipe more Canadian crude to the U.S. The decision had been expected after President Biden used his first day in […]
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Seattle Times: Puget Sound Energy, Washington’s largest private utility, has signed a 20-year contract to purchase wind power in Southeast Montana as part of a major shift away from coal- and gas-generated electricity. PSE will buy 350 megawatts of power, enough electricity for about 140,000 homes, from NextEra Energy Resources, which is building the Clearwater […]
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New York Times ($): President Biden has promised to sharply reduce America’s planet-warming carbon emissions, which means changes to the country’s energy system may reshape landscapes and coastlines around the country. The United States is now aiming to bring emissions down to net-zero by 2050, meaning the country would eliminate as much greenhouse gas as […]
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E&E News ($): Customers of mines in Wyoming and Montana burned as much as 42% less coal last year, according to a new analysis estimating which operations are most at risk of closing. The Powder River Basin mines about 40% of the country’s coal, but the region’s sprawling open pits have seen production cut by […]
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S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): A day after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law two bills seeking to extend the life of the Colstrip power plant, one of the last remaining coal-fired generating stations in the Northwest, four of the facility’s owners opposed to the legislation fired back with a lawsuit against two owners […]
David Schlissel
NorthWestern could charge customers for fictional investments at Colstrip rather than actual costs
April 15, 2021 (IEEFA)—A measure being considered in the Montana Legislature (Senate Bill 379) would grossly and unfairly enrich NorthWestern Energy with the creation of an effective tax on the company’s customers for 20 years or longer—a tax that would be based on a fictional company investment of almost $700 million. Traditionally, consumers pay for […]
Tom Sanzillo and Cathy Kunkel
O’Halleran legislation aims to cushion economic losses caused by plant closures
April 2, 2021 (IEEFA) — The recently introduced New Promise Act, sponsored by Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., marks a potentially important step forward in recognizing the need for a federal commitment to economic revitalization in communities that have been hard-hit by the decline of the coal economy. The bill, inspired by the closure of the […]
IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now
Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC), one of the newest in U.S., risks closure due to market forcesDecember 16, 2020 (IEEFA)—Retiring the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC) will bring unnecessarily abrupt economic hardship to Wise County if state and local officials do not begin to plan now for a transition, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis. The 8-year-old coal-fired power plant, owned by […]