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Dennis Wamsted
Birchwood plant shifts from coal showcase to solar-plus-storage resource
The Birchwood coal facility in Virginia is emblematic of the rapid transition from coal to renewable energy underway in the U.S. Four years ago, General Electric, which owns half of the 242-megawatt (MW) unit, planned to make the facility a showcase of its digital technologies, promising efficiency improvements, reduced emissions and lower costs. Earlier this […]
IEEFA
Bloomberg: BlackRock Inc. has raised $4.8 billion for a new fund to invest in renewable power assets around the world – almost double its initial target. The company’s real assets division closed on its third global renewable power fund, drawing money from over 100 institutional investors. It’s the latest sign of increasing interest from investors […]
Press Release and Dennis Wamsted
Lessons may apply to other parts of the U.S. planning new gas investments and sidestepping renewables
Discover how Duke Energy’s Carolina integrated resource plans (IRPs) over-rely on gas-fired generation while largely ignoring renewables-based options ⎼ a recurring oversight in utility planning efforts in the U.S. Log in Thursday, April 15th at 1:00 p.m. EDT for an accessible deep-dive with IEEFA energy analyst Dennis Wamsted who will explore current plans and discuss alternatives. Drawing on an in-depth […]
Cathy Kunkel
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 […]
Cathy Kunkel
Contratista que prometió ahorros superará el presupuesto incluso antes de hacerse cargo de la red
La iniciativa clave de privatización del sistema eléctrico de Puerto Rico ha sido una posibilidad remota para ahorrar dinero al pueblo de Puerto Rico, y las probabilidades se están haciendo más lejanas, según un análisis del contrato de 15 años con LUMA Energy y sus presupuestos propuestos para los próximos tres años. Una revisión del […]
Tom Sanzillo
Results of selection process raise new questions about Puerto Rico grid reconstruction contract
An objective analysis of the award of a 15-year privatization contract for Puerto Rico’s electrical system to LUMA Energy raises numerous red flags about the integrity of the process. LUMA is scheduled to take over the non-generation functions of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) on June 1, including transmission, distribution, billing, customer service, […]
Tom Sanzillo
Los resultados del proceso de selección plantean nuevas preguntas sobre el contrato de reconstrucción de la red de Puerto Rico
Un análisis objetivo de la adjudicación de un contrato de privatización de 15 años para el sistema eléctrico de Puerto Rico a LUMA Energy levanta numerosas banderas rojas sobre la integridad del proceso. Luma tiene programado asumir las funciones de no generación de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica de Puerto Rico (AEE) el 1 de […]
Suzanne Mattei
FERC mulls changes to pipeline approval process, downstream emissions impact
April 7, 2021 (IEEFA) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week gave the public more time to comment on the review of a policy document that guides its decisions on approving new interstate gas facilities, including pipelines. FERC approves projects with Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity that require the commission to assess […]
IEEFA
S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): Vistra Corp. and its subsidiary Electric Energy Inc. announced a decision April 6 to move up retirement of the 1,002-MW Joppa power plant in Illinois to occur by Sept. 1, 2022, three years earlier than the previous plan. The revised retirement date is part of an agreement Vistra made to […]
Press Release, Dennis Wamsted, Seth Feaster and David Schlissel
IEEFA analysts explain why solar, wind and battery storage are poised to push fossil generation off the grid
April 2, 2021 (IEEFA) ⎼ The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis will host a webinar on Thursday, April 8, 2021 to present findings from its recently released U.S. Power Sector Outlook 2021. Authors Dennis Wamsted, Seth Feaster, and David Schlissel will show how lower-cost wind and solar, coupled with battery storage, is rapidly […]
IEEFA U.S.: Testimony shines light on additional problems with Puerto Rico LUMA deal
Grid privatization contract suffers host of issues likely to result in higher prices for islandersApril 6, 2021 (IEEFA) ⎼ New research has revealed major problems in the procurement process that resulted in the selection of LUMA Energy to operate Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, according to testimony given today to a Puerto Rico House of Representatives committee. Tom Sanzillo, director of financial analysis at the Institute for Energy Economics and […]