Over | EnergyNorthwest.com

Developer Sues TVA Over Cancellation of Bellefonte Deal

December 4, 2018

The real estate developer who has tried for more than two years to buy the assets of the canceled Bellefonte nuclear power plant project in Alabama has sued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) after TVA last week pulled out of the deal to sell the plant.

Attorneys for Franklin Haney, whose Nuclear Development LLC (NDLLC) group submitted a winning $ 111 million offer for the plant’s assets at auction in November 2016, filed a lawsuit November 30 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in Huntsville, charging TVA with breach of contract.

TVA said the sale could not be finalized because the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has not approved a transfer of the project’s construction permits from TVA to Bellefonte. Haney is asking for more than $ 60 million in damages if NDLLC’s purchase does not close.

“The Atomic Energy Act requires that the ownership of a nuclear facility be under the licensing of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and that (license transfer) is required for us to complete the purchase agreement,” TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said in a statement Friday, the day the sale was supposed to close.…

Reports: Trump Administration Supports GE Over Siemens in $15B Iraq Deal

October 21, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding on October 15 to develop power plants in the country with General Electric (GE). The Financial Times on October 18 said the $ 15 billion deal was brokered after senior officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iraq that relations with the U.S. would be threatened if Iraq signed an agreement with Munich, Germany-based Siemens instead of GE, which is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Siemens in 2016 said it had about 50,000 workers in the U.S. and reported 2016 revenue from its U.S. operations, including more than 60 manufacturing sites, at $ 23.7 billion. GE last year reported it has about 106,000 U.S. employees.

Bloomberg on October 18 said two Trump administration officials who asked not to be identified said senior U.S. officials warned Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi not to move forward with Siemens. Bloomberg reported the Trump administration suspected Iran was pushing Iraq to accept a deal with Siemens “as a way of undercutting ties with the U.S.,”…

Billions Over Budget, Kemper Facility Gasification Portion Is Suspended

June 29, 2017

| No Comments

| Industry News

Operations and start-up of the lignite gasification portion of the Kemper County Energy Facility, marred by exorbitant delays and cost overruns, and will be suspended immediately, Mississippi Power announced on June 28.

The Southern Co. subsidiary plans to continue running a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant that was completed as part of the $ 7.5 billion project three years ago, pending the Mississippi Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) decision on future operations.

Southern Co said the step was “appropriate” to manage skyrocketing costs, given the economics of the project, and the MPSC’s recent intent to establish a settlement docket to address matters related to the future operation of the gasifier portion of the project.

The proposed settlement docket is to be established by the commission on July 6. “The company will make any future announcements as to the status of the project based on the outcome of that process or future Commission action,” Southern Co. said.

Jack Bonnikson, a Southern Co.…

As Trump Takes Over, Who Wields Power?

February 3, 2017

| No Comments

| Industry News

What do we know as of February 1 about key Trump appointees responsible for administering White House policies affecting the power generation industry? Not much.

As the Trump administration settles in, how his teams at energy and environment agencies will implement his policy agenda remains unclear, as does his agenda. At the end of January, none of the Trump nominees for key energy and environment jobs had won Senate confirmation. The Senate Environment and Natural Resources committee approved former Texas Governor Rick Perry to be Department of Energy (DOE) secretary, by a bipartisan vote of 16–7 (the committee consists of 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats). Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) got the nod to head the Interior Department by a 16–6 vote. Neither nomination has been scheduled for full Senate consideration.

Rick Perry, a former governor of Texas, is Trump’s pick as energy secretary.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee the same day punted on the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to be Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief, putting the vote off to the next day, February 1.…