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A $1.5 billion deal between Southern Company and Kinder Morgan this week is one more sign of the growing importance of natural gas to electric power generation in the U.S. Atlanta-based Southern Company, the second-largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base, agreed to pay cash to Kinder Morgan for a 50% equity interest in the Southern Natural Gas (SNG) pipeline system. (Read More)
Continue readingPhil Sharp understands energy policy as well as anyone in Washington, having spent 20 years as one of the leading lawmakers on the topic and the last 11 as the president of Washington’s oldest think tank devoted exclusively to analysis of energy and the environment. Best of all, in my estimation, he comes from an era when Congress worked on a bipartisan basis to enact policies addressing concerns over the production of energy and how we consume it – and often did so under a lot of pressure. Phil recalls some of the biggest battles over energy policy on Capitol Hill, the dramatic changes in U.S. energy fortunes, and what we can learn from this experience. Among his new pursuits, Phil is joining the Center on Global Energy Policy as a fellow who will teach and perform research on climate…
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With gasoline prices so low, it’s no surprise that U.S. motorists are driving a lot more this summer. In all, more than 43 million Americans planned to travel by one means or another over the Independence Day weekend, the highest volume ever for the holiday, the motor club AAA estimates. (Read more)
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As he follows the Solar Impulse 2 on its historic flight around the world, the CEO of one of the project’s partners, Ulrich Spiesshofer, draws similarities between the challenges facing the aircraft and those confronting companies navigating changes in energy consumption, like his. “We need to make sure that we demonstrate to the world with projects like this that we continue to stretch the limits,” Spiesshofer, the chief executive of ABB, a multinational maker of electricity grids and robots, said during a visit to Washington the other day. “This project is absolutely stretching the limits.” (Read more)
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The CEO of the biggest electric utility in the U.S. gave a wide-ranging talk the other day on a transformation taking place in her industry, as power providers move increasingly to cleaner forms of generation. But one topic was missing as Duke Energy’s Lynn Good delivered her formal remarks at an energy conference in Washington: nuclear energy. (Read more)
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Eight months in her new job as head of a start-up at General Electric hasn’t spoiled Maryrose Sylvester’s positive attitude about tackling the challenges she faces. “One of the things about being a good business leader is you have to be incredibly optimistic and paranoid at the same time. I’m both of those things,” says the president and CEO of GE’s new division Current, laughing at GE’s office in Washington the other day (Read more)
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Should managing your energy needs at home be as easy as booking an airline flight or monitoring your bank accounts with a mobile app? For most consumers and electric utilities, the answer is probably “yes.” But despite all of the advances in information technology over the years, and the proliferation of mobile apps, utilities is seen as one sector where such innovation is still lacking. (Read more)
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With some of the most ambitious clean-energy goals among U.S. electric-power companies, NRG Energy sees itself as a trailblazer in the industry. But pursuing those objectives has been difficult for NRG, whose board sacked its CEO, David Crane, last December. Now, with a new boss, one of the nation’s biggest independent power companies sees itself as still on course — but taking a more cautious approach — to a greener energy future. (Read More)
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Eight months after veteran broadcast journalist Ted Koppel published a book predicting a devastating cyberattack on the U.S. power grid, leaders of the utility industry are sounding off over what they say is an exaggerated claim. “We’re speaking out on it now because we think there is an important story to tell,” Scott Aaronson, the managing director for cyber and infrastructure security at the Edison Electric Institute, said last week at a briefing for reporters. (Read more)
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By most accounts, the U.S. will have more than enough natural gas this summer to keep electric power plants running and buildings cooled, even on the hottest days, except possibly in one place: Los Angeles. A leak at the massive Aliso Canyon gas-storage facility in the San Fernando Valley has left the Los Angeles Basin potentially short of fuel for its power plants when temperatures spike and demand for electricity for air-conditioning peaks. The leak was plugged in February, following its discovery during inspections in October. But its implications for reliable electricity in the second-largest city in the U.S. are still subject to ongoing study by Southern California Gas, which owns the storage facility, grid operators and state and federal officials. (Read more)
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