Waiting for the Next Polar Vortex
How recent events could prove a harbinger of winters to come.
The winter of 2013-14 offered up a perfect storm of natural gas price spikes and threats to electric reliability. Expect more of the same.
Natural gas
FERC Approves Projects to Increase Natural Gas Supply to New York City by Next Heating Season
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-05-13 13:23The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Williams Partners and its wholly-owned subsidiary Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company’s (Transco) application to construct and operate two related projects designed to increase natural gas delivery capacity to Brooklyn and Queens in time for next winter's heating season. Transco will begin construction in June and plans to bring the projects into service in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Energen to Sell Its Natural Gas Utility to The Laclede Group
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-04-15 16:39Energen signed a definitive stock purchase agreement to sell its natural gas utility business, Alabama Gas Corporation (Alagasco), to The Laclede Group. The value of the transaction is $1.6 billion, subject to customary closing adjustments, and is comprised of $1.28 billion in cash and approximately $320 million of debt. Energen's after-tax proceeds are estimated to be $1.1 billion, after consideration of accelerated intangible drilling costs.
Next-Gen Nuclear
Tomorrow’s options for low-carbon baseload generation.
The nuclear renaissance might be postponed, but technologies continue advancing. The next generation of plants will apply innovation for safety, efficiency, and modularity.
Social Intelligence
Harnessing the true power of social media.
Customers expect their utilities to communicate as well as other service providers. This shouldn’t be considered a burden, but an opportunity.
Iberdrola S.A. Awarded 300 MW Combined-Cycle Power Plant Project in Baja California, Mexico
Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2014-01-29 12:40Iberdrola S.A. was awarded a contract for the construction and operation of the 300 MW Baja California III combined-cycle power plant in Mexico. Work on the $270 million plant and associated facilities will begin in April 2014 with commercial operation planned for August 2016. Iberdrola won the bid through an international tender process which also included a 25-year PPA with the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). CFE also will supply the natural gas to fuel the new plant's two GE turbines.
TransCanada Reaches Agreement to Sell Cancarb Limited
Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2014-01-29 12:39TransCanada reached an agreement to sell Cancarb Limited (Cancarb) and its related power generation facility to Tokai Carbon for aggregate gross proceeds of $190 million, plus customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close late in the first quarter of 2014, subject to various approvals. Cancarb is the world's largest producer of "thermal carbon black," a specialized form of carbon derived from super-heated natural gas, which is used in a wide range of industrial and automotive products.
The Innovator's Dilemma
Assessing the risks and rewards of distributed energy strategies.
To embrace change or fight it? The choice to either act or wait and see is fraught with complexity.
Catching Fire
Climate policy heats up after the Great Recession.
GHG rules are coming soon. What happens next will depend on how states react.
Power Breakfast
Fortnightly’s Executive Roundtable considers industry options and risks.
Fortnightly recently convened a group of senior operations executives from a variety of companies to discuss current trends in the U.S. power industry. Their comments reflect a mixed outlook on the industry’s transitionary changes.