Wyoming

IEEFA Research

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers

December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]

, and December 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now

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 forces

December 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 […]

, and December 16, 2020 Read More →
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 update: Peabody Energy flirts with bankruptcy—again

IEEFA update: Peabody Energy flirts with bankruptcy—again

Bear market for coal, new financial pressures push world’s largest coal company towards default

Just three-and-a-half years after emerging from its previous bankruptcy, Peabody Energy—the world’s largest private coal miner—admitted to investors on Monday that it could face yet another trip to bankruptcy court in the coming months. Coal bankruptcies in the United States have become increasingly common. Cheap gas and renewable power have steadily replaced coal in the […]

and November 12, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA Coal Outlook 2020: Market trends are pushing U.S. industry to a reckoning

IEEFA Coal Outlook 2020: Market trends are pushing U.S. industry to a reckoning

Competition, financing, consolidation, muni/co-op trajectories, export markets

March 30, 2020 (IEEFA U.S.) — A report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) sees the U.S. coal industry continuing to decline through 2020 and beyond. The report, U.S. Coal Outlook 2020: Market Trends Are Pushing Industry Ever Closer to a Reckoning, details issues that will likely persist in driving […]

, , and March 30, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA report: Navajo company’s foray into Powder River Basin coal is off to a troubled start

IEEFA report: Navajo company’s foray into Powder River Basin coal is off to a troubled start

Regulatory roadblock in Montana - business case for NTEC acquisition of Cloud Peak mines continues to unravel

Oct. 25, 2019 (IEEFA U.S.) — Regulatory opposition to the acquisition this week by Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) of three coal mines in the Powder River Basin deals the small company’s expansion strategy an immediate setback, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Just as NTEC […]

, , and October 25, 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 update: Business case weakens for Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) bid to purchase Montana-Wyoming coal mines

IEEFA update: Business case weakens for Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) bid to purchase Montana-Wyoming coal mines

Macroeconomic, regional and local risks in deal for bankrupt Cloud Peak assets

September 5, 2019 (IEEFA U.S.) — Production is down this year and the customer base is shrinking at three mines that Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) proposes buying in a bankruptcy-court bid for Cloud Peak Energy, according to a research brief published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The brief—NTEC […]

, and September 5, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: 13 questions on Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s proposed acquisition of bankrupt Cloud Peak’s Montana and Wyoming mines

IEEFA U.S.: 13 questions on Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s proposed acquisition of bankrupt Cloud Peak’s Montana and Wyoming mines

Little transparency and no tribal-government participation

Aug. 30, 2019 (IEEFA) — A research brief published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis raises questions about whether a Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) bid to buy a bankrupt coal company’s assets is prudent, whether it was put together properly and if it is in line with NTEC’s responsibilities to […]

, , , and August 30, 2019 Read More →
IEEFA: Proposed Navajo acquisition of bankrupt U.S. coal company is an ill-timed gamble

IEEFA: Proposed Navajo acquisition of bankrupt U.S. coal company is an ill-timed gamble

Plan to buy Cloud Peak’s mines in Montana and Wyoming comes as Powder River Basin producers face more hard times - NTEC could modernize with leadership change

Aug. 22, 2019 (IEEFA) — A plan by the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) to acquire Cloud Peak Energy’s coal mines in Montana and Wyoming is a high-risk gamble and poorly timed, concludes a report published today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report, Proposed Navajo Acquisition of Bankrupt U.S. Coal Company […]

, , and August 23, 2019 Read More →

More News and Commentary

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IEEFA U.S.: ‘New Promise Act’ would help communities transition from coal-based economy

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 […]

and April 2, 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 →

Arch planning for Black Thunder mine’s closure as U.S. coal demand continues to shrink

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): The owner of the second-largest coal mine in the U.S. by production volume is planning for the asset’s closure as retirement dates approach for several plants that burn much of the mine’s fuel. Coal demand in the U.S. has been declining for years, and Arch Resources Inc. announced Feb. 9 […]

February 24, 2021 Read More →

U.S. energy transition hits Powder River Basin as coal production falls, mines close

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): A sharp decline in coal demand from the U.S. power sector is wreaking havoc on the Powder River Basin as mine operators in the region scaled back production during 2020 with few indications of improved prospects for volumes. Production in the country’s largest coal-producing basin fell 21.8% year over year […]

February 9, 2021 Read More →

U.S. renewable energy capacity additions climbed by record levels in 2020

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): U.S. power plant developers added more wind, solar and energy storage capacity in 2020 than ever before, according to a new report highlighting the country’s accelerating shift toward cleaner sources of electricity. Fueled by an unprecedented building boom in the final three months of the year, the wind industry commissioned […]

February 8, 2021 Read More →

Decker coal mine in Montana closes in wake of Lighthouse Resources’ bankruptcy

Casper Star Tribune: A Powder River Basin coal mine has closed down for the first time in modern history. At the end of January, mining ceased at the Decker coal mine in Montana after the owner of the mine filed for bankruptcy late last year. Home to some of the world’s largest mines, the Powder […]

February 8, 2021 Read More →

Total takes first big step into U.S. utility-scale solar market

Renewables Now: French energy giant Total SE has signed an agreement with 174 Power Global to create a 50/50 joint venture (JV) aimed at developing 12 utility-scale solar and storage projects for 1.6 GW of combined capacity in the US. Total said Thursday that these projects have been transferred from a pipeline developed by 174 […]

January 14, 2021 Read More →

Lighthouse Resources bankruptcy likely the end for proposed Washington coal export terminal

Casper Star Tribune: Wyoming’s long-held dream of exporting Powder River Basin coal from a West Coast terminal was recently dashed when the project’s owner filed for bankruptcy and failed to find an interested buyer. Lighthouse Resources Inc. petitioned for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 3. The company owns the Decker coal mine in Montana, just […]

January 12, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs
, and

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers

December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]

, and December 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Virginia coal plant’s future isn’t bright: preparation for transition should commence now
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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 forces

December 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 […]

, and December 16, 2020 Read More →
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