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NRG Will Close 3 Coal Plants After Poor Auction Results

June 18, 2021

The post NRG Will Close 3 Coal Plants After Poor Auction Results appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NRG Energy Inc. said it will retire three coal-fired power plants—two in Illinois and one in Delaware—next year after disappointing results in the May 2021 capacity auction for the PJM Interconnection.

NRG during its June 17 investor day presentation said about 1.6 GW of coal-fired generation would be closed, including the 682-MW Waukegan and 510-MW Will County (Romeoville) plants in Illinois, along with the 410-MW Indian River plant in Delaware. The announcement was made by Christopher Moser, NRG’s executive vice president of operations. The plants account for about 55% of NRG’s coal-fired generation capacity in PJM.

“Closing these plants was a difficult, but necessary decision,” NRG said in a statement.

*The Waukegan coal plant, located on the shore of Lake Michigan, will close next year along with two other NRG-operated coal plants, the company announced June 17. Courtesy: Google Images*

Moser said the three facilities would be retired in June 2022. …

Exec Calls for Action on New Texas Gas-Fired Plants

June 16, 2021

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The chief executive of a Connecticut-based energy investment firm has called for action on his group’s proposal to build as many as 11 new natural gas-fired power plants in Texas.

Himanshu Saxena, CEO of Starwood Energy Group, in a June 14 interview said, “We would like to see significant steps in countering, negotiating and material tangible actions on our proposal.”

Saxena’s comments, published by Reuters, came the same day the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), asked Texans to reduce their electricity use “as much as possible” this week. ERCOT said that power plants accounting for as much as 11 GW of generation capacity were offline due to what it called “forced outages,” at a time when temperatures have soared into the upper 90s in the state. ERCOT in an email to POWER wrote that “forced outages are unscheduled and result from the failure of a power plant to function as designed.”…

Open-Source Technology Benefits Transmission and Distribution Operators

June 14, 2021

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The term “open source” is well-recognized in the technology world, but may not be as widely understood in other sectors. What open source means is that the software code is publicly available so that anyone can contribute to the code base and create add-on extensions. This enables the growth of a market of providers that can offer hosting and add-on functionalities that can be utilized by all users.

In the energy sector, LF Energy has taken a leading role in facilitating the development of open-source technology. LF Energy is part of The Linux Foundation, which is the umbrella organization for more than 425 open-source projects. Among LF Energy’s projects are platforms that help automate demand response; assist electricity, water, and other utility operators in managing systems; monitor and control microgrids and other distribution assets; and perform dynamic power flow simulations, among other things.

Arjan Stam, director of System Operations with Alliander (a distribution system operator [DSO] in the Netherlands), and Lucian Balea, research and development program director and open-source manager with RTE (a transmission system operator [TSO] in France), were guests on The POWER Podcast and explained how open-source technology is being used by their companies.…

In Major Reversal, EPA, Army Will Revise Definition of ‘WOTUS’

June 12, 2021

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In yet another dramatic turn for federal policy governing the “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), the Biden administration has announced its intent to revise the definition of WOTUS, citing “destructive impacts” to critical water bodies under a Trump-era rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army on June 9 issued a declaration requesting remand of the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which the Trump administration made effective a year ago to replace a 2015 Obama-era rule. The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has reportedly acted to file a motion requesting remand of the rule.

The agencies said they intend to initiate a new rulemaking process that restores “the protections in place prior to the 2015 WOTUS implementation.” They also anticipate “developing a new rule that defines WOTUS and is informed by a robust engagement process as well as the experience of implementing the pre-2015 rule, the Obama-era Clean Water Rule, and the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule.”…

DTE Retires River Rouge Coal-Fired Plant

June 8, 2021

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DTE Energy has retired the last operating unit of its River Rouge coal-fired power plant along the Detroit River, a facility that came online in 1956 and entered commercial operation in 1958. The utility on June 4 said River Rouge, located just southwest of Detroit, Michigan, operated for the final time on May 31.

The retirement of River Rouge is among moves taken as part of DTE Energy’s program to reduce carbon emissions. The Detroit-based utility has increased its investment in solar and wind power, and is placing more of an emphasis on natural gas-fired power generation, along with the continued operation of its Fermi nuclear plant.

The company’s current goal is to cut emissions by 50% by 2030, and 80% by 2040.

DTE plans to close three of its remaining five coal-fired power plants by the end of next year, a number that includes the 358-MW River Rouge.…

PSEG Power Closes Last Coal Plant, Explores Divestiture of Other Fossil Assets

June 6, 2021

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The post PSEG Power Closes Last Coal Plant, Explores Divestiture of Other Fossil Assets appeared first on POWER Magazine.

PSEG Power retired its Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 (BHS 3, Figure 1) on May 31. The unit, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was the last remaining coal-fired power plant in the company’s fleet.

1. United Illuminating Co. placed Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 in service in 1968. The station changed hands in 1999 when WISVEST purchased it. WISVEST sold the station to PSEG Power in 2002. Unit 3 was officially retired on May 31, 2021. Courtesy: PSEG Power

“The retirement of Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 marks the end of an era for the City of Bridgeport and the citizens who relied on its power,” Ralph Izzo, chairman, president, and CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG Power’s parent company), said in a press release. “I’m grateful to the generations of employees who operated this unit safely and reliably for more than 50 years, and to the entire Bridgeport community for their support.”…