Rich Voorberg

The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association has revealing info on the issue of power needs for data centers in the future. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/eAKkEdkq

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This is becoming an all too prevalent hiccup in off-shore wind development. These projects along with other previous cancelled projects comes as retirements of traditional synchronous resources marches on. This threatens the resiliency and reliability of the system. #offshorewind #resourseadaquacy #reliability

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I have mentioned previously that it is possible to re-conductor an existing powerline with a newer conductor that can carry more power - but what if you could also reduce the number of towers by increasing the span while reducing transmission losses? #utilities #conductors #transmission https://lnkd.in/gYUjPRkn

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As a business, an industry and a nation, we must place the continued development of the electrical system at the forefront of U.S. energy and economic policy. This is part of the message American Electric Power Interim CEO Ben Fowke shared as he testified before the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources. We're navigating a landscape where demand is increasing at historic levels. AEP has requests for more than 100,000 MW of energy in our development queue, and most of that comes from large-load customers looking to build manufacturing plants and data centers that will help strengthen our local economies. One of the challenges to greenlighting these investments is the need for permitting reform to remove bottlenecks and get projects into construction. But many projects spend more time in regulatory hang-ups than they would take to build. To continue providing safe, reliable, and affordable power, we must advocate for flexibility and quicker decision-making by regulators alongside decisive action from policymakers. You can see the webcast of Ben’s testimony along with representatives from the Electricity Consumers Resource Council, Micron Technology and the National Center for Energy Analytics here. ⬇️

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The White House recently announced measures intended to support the nuclear power industry in the face of increasing security costs and competition from alternative sources of power, arguing that nuclear power is crucial for supplying uninterrupted and emission-free energy to meet the growing demands. Check out this article to learn more! Do you see nuclear power continuing to grow as a crucial energy source in the US?

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🚨 #EnergyInfrastructureReformUpdate Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) are crafting bipartisan legislation to reform the permitting process for energy infrastructure. This initiative aims to: ⚡ Expedite renewable energy projects and pipelines 💡 Meet growing power demands from sectors like data centers and manufacturing 🔌 Enhance grid reliability and transmission capacity It’s great to see collaboration across party lines to build a solution that works for all! 🔗Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gMRRN5j4  #BipartisanBill #RenewableEnergy #Infrastructure #GridReliability

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Exus Renewables North America has begun the repowering of the 139 MW Twin Ridges Wind Farm in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The Twin Ridges repowering project involves replacing the nacelles and blades of the existing wind turbines while retaining the towers and foundations. The repowering will result in a 30% increase in energy generation for the project. “As the wind energy industry faces increasingly complex obstacles to growth, including a nearly 3 GW interconnection queue of renewable energy projects trying to connect to the grid, repowering has become a path to help meet clean energy goals,” said Jim Spencer, CEO of Exus Renewables North America. “Thanks to these upgrades, the Twin Ridges project will generate clean, reliable and renewable power – and millions in community investment – to the region for decades to come.” Exus Renewables will invest approximately $200 million in the project, creating 150 union construction jobs. It expects to inject over $7.35 million into the local economy through the procurement of materials and services from local suppliers and anticipates that over the 30-year life of the project, more than $100 million will be invested in the community through tax and landowner payments. Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc. will supply American-made nacelles, hubs, blades, and tower adaptors for the project. #cleanenergy

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For nuclear plants, power uprates increase generation, facilitate long-term operation and expedite carbon emission reduction goals. When a utility needed an experienced partner to assist with a cost-competitive power uprate, we were ready to help. We evaluated. We analyzed. We provided engineering change packages. And we drafted the license amendment request (LAR) for submittal. The LAR was approved, and the power uprate resulted in an increase of over 40 megawatts electric. We can do it for you, too. Together, we’ll take your plant’s performance up a notch. https://lnkd.in/d77fmXSK #CountOnIt. #NuclearEnergy #UpRate #Framatome

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Worth reading what THE Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued so far this year. #energy #transmission #naturalgas #reliability #capacitymarkets

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𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫��𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 -- Slow permitting had delayed transmission lines needed for renewable energy Quick read: ◾ DOE will implement a 2-year deadline to issue federal permits and authorizations for proposed projects - cutting average time in half. ◾ If DOE fails to act within 2 year window, developers can appeal to president to issue permits. ◾ DOE also announced up to $331 million in funding for transmission project to help transmit wind energy from Idaho to Nevada and California. https://lnkd.in/eTei6mhS #solar #wind #permitting #transmission

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ScottMadden manager Paul Quinlan recently wrote an article for Energy Central on the value and flexibility of virtual power plants, including insights from an ongoing recovery and modernization project in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Read the article below, and share your thoughts! https://lnkd.in/eyW3U4fA #distributedenergyresources #VPPs #demandresponse

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Why did we retire the Mystic gas power plant at the end of May? For the last 80 years it had provided reliable dispatchable #electricity to the Boston area. At least local #gas utilities kept the associated Everett #LNG import terminal alive until 2030 to meet peak winter deliverability. With tight grid conditions, even back-up #oil generation was brought online to help meet New England #power demand. What are the regional gas and power market impacts? Ask Woodmac (www.woodmac.com)

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Have you ever thought about what happens to the thermal power plants next? Check out my latest video for a great introduction to Thermal Power Plant Preservation and Decommissioning. https://lnkd.in/gMSpGRMs

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No new gas-fired power plants are expected to come online in 2024 in PJM. The last time that happened was 1987 according to EIA data. The chart below shows the number of newly commissioned individual gas turbines and IC engines in the core PJM area (NJ, PA, OH, MD, DE, VA and WV) and includes behind-the-fence generation. EIA data for 2023 is not available yet but new capacity did come online according to S&P Global. Data from U.S. Energy Information Administration PJM Interconnection, #power #renewables #solar #naturalgas

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Pumped storage around the world continues to grow, but in specific geographic locations (as you would expect). As we have seen in hydro-electric generation, their continues to be turbine/generator upgrades - further improving the efficiency and the capacity. #pumpedstorage #energystorage #hydro https://lnkd.in/gQBZJzht

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In coal country, GE Vernova is helping to usher in the energy transition through lower-emitting natural gas.  www.gevernova.com Kentucky’s Mill Creek Generating Station sits on more than 500 acres along the Ohio River, about 20 miles south of Louisville. For generations, the river has been the region’s lifeblood, transporting millions of tons of coal to Mill Creek and dozens of other power plants lining its banks, from Pennsylvania to Illinois. Soon this vital artery will deliver a very different cargo to Mill Creek’s doorstep: a GE Vernova 7HA.03 gas turbine. When it comes online, which is expected in the summer of 2027, the 645-megawatt (MW) turbine will replace two coal units being permanently retired, part of a massive shift toward lower-emitting energy production that will serve as a bridge to more renewable sources of energy in coal country. “It’s a huge deal for this to happen in Kentucky, one of the top coal states in the

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Congratulations to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) team on today’s final transmission permitting rule! Section 216h of the Federal Power Act sat dormant for nearly a decade until the DOE team under Secretary Granholm recognized how enormously important permitting for major transmission lines is and how DOE could play a leading role in improving the permitting process. Today’s final rule on DOE’s Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits Program aligns with many of the findings of Clean Air Task Force and Niskanen Center's recent report, Evidence-Based Recommendations for Overcoming Barriers to Federal Transmission Permitting. Some of those recommendations include: * continued executive branch leadership * better interagency cooperation * robust pre-filing processes * transparent timelines * cultivating transmission expertise among key permitting officials Congrats DOE, and thanks again Ted, Kerensa, Johan, Megan, Nicole, and Kenneth for the excellent work that helped shape DOE’s rulemaking. https://lnkd.in/eJu3JuWP

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Navigating the choice between the ITC and PTC requires careful consideration of project economics, investor preferences, and regulatory frameworks. By aligning incentives with broader climate objectives and mitigating economic distortions, we can unlock the full potential of renewable energy and pave the way for a sustainable energy future. #ITC #PTC #RenewableEnergy

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The North American Energy Markets Association is posting this RFP on behalf of our member WPPI Energy. WPPI Energy (“WPPI”) has a need for additional resources as a result of expiring power purchase agreements. WPPI invites proposals for long term power supply resources – energy supply with or without capacity. WPPI’s primary interest is for carbon free energy with delivery beginning as early as June 1, 2027 or as late as June 1, 2031 and continuing at least seven years. By 2031, WPPI is seeking 1,250,000 MWh annually. WPPI prefers delivery in MISO Local Resource Zone (LRZ) 2, 4, or the portion of LRZ 1 located within Wisconsin. WPPI will also consider variations to our primary interest, including resources that emit some carbon or are located anywhere within MISO LRZs 1-7 or the MISO PJM External Resource Zone. Responses to this RFP are due by close of business (5:00 p.m. CDT) on Friday, August 2, 2024. Please indicate your intent to submit a proposal by email to Andy Kellen (akellen@wppienergy.org ) by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 5, 2024. About WPPI: WPPI is a municipal joint action agency serving 51 customer-owned electric utilities in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa. These utilities purchase their electrical requirements from WPPI and supply power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses. WPPI’s peak demand is approximately 1,050 MW and annual energy requirement about 5.2 million MWh. WPPI has a diverse portfolio of power supply resources, including thermal generation owned by WPPI and its members and unit and system power purchased from other parties. WPPI’s renewable resource portfolio includes power purchase agreements (PPAs) totaling approximately 295 MW of wind, 100 MW of solar and 5 MW of hydroelectric and biogas generation. WPPI is exempt from income taxes. For more general information about WPPI, please visit us online at www.wppienergy.org. Thank you for considering this opportunity. Visit here for more information: https://lnkd.in/ezVSQVqn WPPI Energy North American Energy Markets Association

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