Utah

IEEFA Research

IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments

IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments

Tri-State currently plans using coal through 2050 and expanding into gas; projected rate increases of 55% by 2050

Nov. 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — One of the biggest power suppliers to rural electric co-ops in the U.S. is putting its business model at risk as members clamor for better access to renewable energy, more affordable rates, and more say in how they buy or produce power, concludes a report released today by the Institute […]

and November 17, 2020 Read More →

IEEFA U.S.: Utah bailout of bankrupt California coal-export project likely to fail

Markets, distance, and community opposition pose obstacles - proposal lacks private sector backers

August 19, 2020 (IEEFA) —A proposed $20 million state investment in a bankrupt California coal-export project would most likely result in a loss to the state, concludes a research brief published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The brief—Utah Bailout of Bankrupt California Coal-Export Project Would Likely Fail—describes how weak export […]

, , and August 19, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA report: Utility-scale solar remains off-limits on most of more than 100 million federally-owned acres across solar-rich Southwest U.S.

IEEFA report: Utility-scale solar remains off-limits on most of more than 100 million federally-owned acres across solar-rich Southwest U.S.

Outdated policies and byzantine processes at Bureau of Land Management hinder energy transition

June 16, 2020 (IEEFA U.S.) ‒ The largest property owner in the U.S.—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—has acreage set aside for utility-scale solar development on only 0.03% of the roughly 100 million acres it manages across the sun-rich Southwest, finds a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The […]

, , and June 16, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA update: Tribal utility-scale solar initiatives emerge across Southwest U.S.

IEEFA update: Tribal utility-scale solar initiatives emerge across Southwest U.S.

As prices fall and markets evolve, deals are in the works on underdeveloped Paiute, Apache and Navajo lands

Oct. 23, 1019 (IEEFA) — Deals for utility-scale solar installations are accelerating on tribal lands in the Southwest U.S., finds a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The report, Tribal Utility-Scale Solar Initiatives Advance Across Southwest U.S., cites the emergence of battery-storage technology, state energy policy changes and […]

and October 23, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Bill to incentivize federal reinvestment in tribal regions of Arizona suggests a model for coalfield communities nationally

IEEFA U.S.: Bill to incentivize federal reinvestment in tribal regions of Arizona suggests a model for coalfield communities nationally

Bipartisan support is possible; Congressional appropriations will be key

Sept. 29, 2019 (IEEFA) — A bill to encourage federal reinvestment in communities hurt by the closure of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS)-Kayenta Mine complex in Arizona suggests a model that could work for coalfield communities nationally, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—Bill to Spark […]

and September 19, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Peabody quietly lays off over 150 long-time Native American miners ahead of Kayenta coal closure

IEEFA U.S.: Peabody quietly lays off over 150 long-time Native American miners ahead of Kayenta coal closure

Nearly half of workforce let go; No word from corporate headquarters on long-term fate of remaining employees or of company resolve to honor reclamation responsibilities and local jobs promises

Peabody Energy during the first quarter of the year quietly reduced the size of the workforce at Kayenta Mine in northeastern Arizona by 46 percent, from 336 miners to 182. In March, Peabody acknowledged publicly it had recently let go 40 Kayenta mine workers. The company has been silent beyond that announcement. The latest information […]

and June 11, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Imminent Hopi-Navajo budget crisis as coal industry collapses

IEEFA U.S.: Imminent Hopi-Navajo budget crisis as coal industry collapses

Federal action required, potential for bipartisan national coalfield reinvestment legislation: past models include Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy response, bailout of auto industry, mitigation for military base closures

May 30, 2019 (IEEFA) – Closure this year of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and Kayenta Mine will gut tribal government budgets in northern Arizona, according to a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. In response to the planned closures, Navajo Nation will reduce public-service expenditures by 23 percent […]

, and May 30, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA report: Business case for acquiring failing plant and Kayenta mine poses ‘serious financial risk’ to Navajo Nation

IEEFA report: Business case for acquiring failing plant and Kayenta mine poses ‘serious financial risk’ to Navajo Nation

‘Little clarity, no certainty’ seen in NTEC plan; reclamation liabilities loom large

February 22, 2019 (IEEFA Arizona) — The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) published a report today concluding that a tribal company’s plan to acquire the failing Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and its companion mine would most likely create a money-losing enterprise.  The report—“NTEC’s Plant/Mine Acquisition Plan Puts Navajo Nation at Serious Financial Risk”—concludes […]

, , and February 22, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA U.S: Tribal investment in struggling coal-fired Four Corners plant will lose millions

IEEFA U.S: Tribal investment in struggling coal-fired Four Corners plant will lose millions

‘Bad bet’ in New Mexico serves as a warning against proposed purchase of Navajo Generating Station

Dec. 13, 2018 (IEEFA) — The Navajo Nation government’s acquisition this past summer of a 7 percent stake in the struggling coal-fired Four Corner Generating Station in northeastern New Mexico will cost the Nation dearly, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The deal, in which Navajo Transitional […]

and December 14, 2018 Read More →
IEEFA Arizona: Fast-Track Opportunities Now in Navajo Community-Driven Solar Electricity Generation

IEEFA Arizona: Fast-Track Opportunities Now in Navajo Community-Driven Solar Electricity Generation

Strategically Situated Tribal Lands at the Heart of the American Sunbelt Hold Crucial Market Advantages; Prudent Development Strategies Will Benefit, Protect, and Profit Local People

Jan. 3, 2017 — Locally owned utility-scale solar electricity generation offers Navajo communities an immediate generational economic-development opportunity, concludes a research brief published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and DinéHózhó. The report— “Window of Opportunity: Navajo Solar—A Fast-Track Community-Driven Development Approach” — details how transformative changes in the U.S. electric utility […]

, , and December 22, 2017 Read More →

More News and Commentary

Navajo Nation moving forward with two solar projects totaling 270MW of capacity

Associated Press: The Navajo Nation is moving forward with two more solar plants on the reservation that are expected to generate millions of dollars in revenue for the tribe over the projects’ lifetimes. Tribal leaders met at the site of the larger solar plant in Cameron on Tuesday to finalize the lease for the Cameron […]

April 9, 2021 Read More →

Renewables, nuclear on track to supply 46% of U.S. electricity by 2030—S&P

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): The significant downward trend in coal-fired generation seen across the U.S. since 2010 continues in S&P Global Market Intelligence’s fourth-quarter 2020 Power Forecast, fueled by declines in prices of natural gas and renewable generation. In 2020, 7,361 MW of coal was retired, making up 53.9% of the country’s retirements, while […]

March 9, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments
and

IEEFA U.S.: Colorado electric wholesaler is alienating cost-conscious co-ops with its fossil commitments

Tri-State currently plans using coal through 2050 and expanding into gas; projected rate increases of 55% by 2050

Nov. 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — One of the biggest power suppliers to rural electric co-ops in the U.S. is putting its business model at risk as members clamor for better access to renewable energy, more affordable rates, and more say in how they buy or produce power, concludes a report released today by the Institute […]

and November 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Bankruptcy of Oakland project marks a bellwether moment for U.S. coal export ambitions
and

IEEFA U.S.: Bankruptcy of Oakland project marks a bellwether moment for U.S. coal export ambitions

Long-simmering initiative to send Utah product to Asia is dead

A long-shot proposal to send coal 700 miles overland from Utah to Oakland for transoceanic shipment to Asian markets is dead.  A U.S. bankruptcy judge in Kentucky last week approved a plan by the proposed project’s major creditor, Autumn Wind Lending LLC, to take over a sublease at the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) […]

and November 11, 2020 Read More →
and

IEEFA: U.S. land agency is behind the times on utility-scale solar buildout rules

Outdated policies ignore the transition underway across the electricity generation industry

The Bureau of Land Management, the single biggest steward of real estate in the U.S., often finds itself in the crossfire of heated arguments over how best to use and/or protect the more than 250 million acres it is responsible for across the American West. To put these vast holdings in context, BLM lands account […]

and September 11, 2020 Read More →

Mitsubishi wins orders for hydrogen-compatible turbines at three planned U.S. gas-fired projects

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): The developers of more than $3 billion in planned natural gas-fired generation projects in New York, Ohio and Virginia have selected Mitsubishi Power Americas Inc., a Florida-based affiliate of Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., to supply hydrogen-compatible gas turbines along with the tools for generating and storing hydrogen […]

September 4, 2020 Read More →
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IEEFA U.S.: Utah bailout of bankrupt California coal-export project likely to fail

Markets, distance, and community opposition pose obstacles - proposal lacks private sector backers

August 19, 2020 (IEEFA) —A proposed $20 million state investment in a bankrupt California coal-export project would most likely result in a loss to the state, concludes a research brief published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The brief—Utah Bailout of Bankrupt California Coal-Export Project Would Likely Fail—describes how weak export […]

, , and August 19, 2020 Read More →

Facebook signs contracts for 806MW of new renewable energy in U.S., Ireland

PV Magazine: Facebook has signed contracts to buy 806 MW of solar and wind power from projects across Utah, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee and Ireland. All of the contracts will support its goal of becoming 100% powered by renewables by the end of this year. The projects are geographically diverse and span a wide range of […]

August 11, 2020 Read More →

PacifiCorp issues RFP for 4,338MW of new renewable energy, battery storage capacity

KIFI/KIDK: PacifiCorp, the parent company of Rocky Mountain Power, has issued what it calls the largest request for proposals for renewable energy projects in company history. The company is looking for competitive resources to connect to its 10-state transmission system. According to its Integrated Resource Plan, the company plans to add 1,823 megawatts of new […]

July 8, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA report: Utility-scale solar remains off-limits on most of more than 100 million federally-owned acres across solar-rich Southwest U.S.
, , and

IEEFA report: Utility-scale solar remains off-limits on most of more than 100 million federally-owned acres across solar-rich Southwest U.S.

Outdated policies and byzantine processes at Bureau of Land Management hinder energy transition

June 16, 2020 (IEEFA U.S.) ‒ The largest property owner in the U.S.—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—has acreage set aside for utility-scale solar development on only 0.03% of the roughly 100 million acres it manages across the sun-rich Southwest, finds a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The […]

, , and June 16, 2020 Read More →
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