Energy and Climate Change


TVA to Retire Two Coal-Fired Power Plants

TVA's board of directors on Feb. 14 approved the retirement of Paradise Unit 3 in Drakesboro, Ky., and the Bull Run facility in Clinton, Tenn., older coal generating units that TVA describes as "not designed to efficiently respond to today's continually fluctuating power needs of customers."

California's Governor Warns Climate Change Pressuring Utilities

In his first State of the State address, Gov. Gavin Newsom said climate change is putting pressure on all of California's utilities, public and private, and that two recently had their credit ratings downgraded.

Marathon Subsidiary Signs Contracts with Solaris Water

Solaris Water Midstream, LLC will manage all produced water transportation, disposal, fresh water, and recycled water needs within a 369,000-acre region in Lea County, N.M.

IKEA Norfolk Store to Feature Large Solar Array

The new store will feature a 180,000-square-foot solar array and three EV charging stations.

NRC Raising Some Fees This Year

Proposed annual fees for FY2019 have increased for operating reactors, some materials users, and Department of Energy transportation activities.

Top Energy Efficiency Strategies for Building Owners

Investing in new "green" technology to reduce energy use can be intimidating at first, but it doesn't need to be.

New ASTM Test Method Addresses Corrosion in Petrochemical Pipelines

The annual estimated cost of microbiologically induced corrosion to the oil and gas industry ranges from $4 billion to $30 billion.

IRENA Chooses New Director-General

Francesco La Camera will take office on April 4, 2019, succeeding Adnan Z. Amin, who has been the International Renewal Energy Agency's director-general since 2011.



NRC Sets Hearing in Albuquerque on Holtec Fuel Storage Application

The oral arguments on Jan. 23 and, if necessary, Jan. 24, will be open to the public. Signs, banners, posters, demonstrations, and displays will not be permitted by NRC policy, according to the agency.

NRC Sets Hearing, Webinar on Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Decommissioning

The Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report includes a table showing that the entire period from shutdown of the plant to license termination will last 60 years.

General Motors is turning its employees

International Statistic of 2018: 90.5 Percent of Plastic Waste Never Recycled

The winning International Statistic of 2018 is 90.5%: the proportion of plastic waste that has never been recycled. The UK Statistic of 2018 is 27.8%: the peak percentage of all electricity produced in the United Kingdom from solar power on June 30, 2018.

Industrial LED Lighting: The New Secret Weapon in the Battle Against Pollution

Switching from conventional High-Intensity Diode (HID) lighting, such as high-pressure sodium fixtures, to modern, high-efficiency industrial-grade LED lighting has proven to be one of the most effective sustainability practices.

Wind Turbine Manufacturers Notch Big Orders

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy announced it received the order for the 487 MW SeaMade offshore wind power project in Belgium from customer Seamade NV, while Vestas announced it has received an order for 100 V120-2.2 MW turbines for an undisclosed project in the United States.

The study found that more than half of the surveyed home builders are building at least 16 percent of their new homes green.

Why It's the Perfect Time to Go Solar

For those on board with renewable energy, the wave of residential solar is exciting. Homeowners can now get solar that once only well-funded government projects had.

Wyoming Becomes 38th NRC Agreement State

The agreement signed Sept. 25 transfers regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials to the state. NRC transferred responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection, and enforcement activities needed to regulate source material involved in uranium or thorium milling and the management and disposal of milling waste.

Pennsylvania Offers Grants for EV Charging Stations

The funding comes from Pennsylvania's $118 million settlement with Volkswagen Group of America for cheating on EPA emissions tests, and the grants and rebates are available through Gov. Tom Wolf's Driving PA Forward initiative, which aims to permanently reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from vehicles.

NRC Resumes Review of Application to Build Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in Texas

NRC is accepting additional public comments through Oct. 19 on environmental issues to be considered in its environmental impact statement, and the agency has given stakeholders until Oct. 29 to request a hearing.

World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Opens

Walney Extension's 87 turbines have a total capacity of 659 MW, sufficient to power almost 600,000 UK homes.

NYC's Javits Convention Center to Feature Rooftop Solar Panels

The New York Power Authority is administering the solar photovoltaic Request for Proposals on behalf of the Javits Center that seeks to select a developer to design, construct and own the solar PV system through a Power Purchase Agreement.

SoCal Gas Announces $119.5 Million Gas Leak Settlement

The parties had submitted a tentative consent decree to the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Aug. 8 to settle the litigation over the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak. At least 109,000 metric tons of methane emissions were released during the leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, according to CARB.

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