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

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
, and

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.: Decline in coal exports adds to Navajo-owned company’s problems

IEEFA U.S.: Decline in coal exports adds to Navajo-owned company’s problems

Weak demand and low prices are likely creating steep losses for NTEC

U.S. coal exports to Asia—once heralded as the saving grace for struggling coal producers in the western United States—are facing new strains from low prices and weak demand in the wake of the global COVID-19 crisis.  In its third-quarter financial statement released earlier this month, Westshore Terminals in British Columbia, the primary terminal for U.S. thermal coal […]

November 24, 2020 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 update: Peabody Energy flirts with bankruptcy—again
and

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 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 →

IEEFA U.S.: Idaho Power IRP should be required reading for Wyoming regulators, politicians

Plan shows economics, not politics, driving the shift from coal to renewables

Idaho Power’s latest revision of its 2019 integrated resource plan (IRP) charts the utility’s direction through 2040 but is likely to have the greatest impact in neighboring Wyoming in the next year or two. The IRP has Idaho Power being coal-free by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2045. This has major implications for Wyoming because […]

November 4, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: As utility company exits Four Corners Power Plant, NTEC seeks to keep it open
and

IEEFA U.S.: As utility company exits Four Corners Power Plant, NTEC seeks to keep it open

Avangrid acquisition of PNM signals regional market shift to renewables; coal company in maneuver to stay in business, puts more Navajo Nation finances at risk

In announcing its merger yesterday with renewable energy giant Avangrid, PNM Resources reaffirmed its commitment to end its use of coal, stating that it would continue with the abandonment of the San Juan Generating Station in 2022, and that it was actively working to sell its 13% stake in the Four Corners Power Plant. The […]

and October 22, 2020 Read More →
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