Happy Freezing Friday and welcome to the first edition of the Northeast Energy News for 2018.
The big news this week is the combination of the prolonged colder than normal weather and yesterday’s blizzard. We have a whole section below dedicated to this topic. From Bloomberg’s, “The US just burned the most natural gas ever,” to the Boston Globe’s, “Prolonged cold snap upends region’s energy market,” to MassLive’s “Massachusetts congressional delegation calls for release of additional home heating assistance funds” there is no shortage of stories and serious topics to dig into.
News about the new federal tax plan also made its way into the energy news this week. In two stories from MassLive we have Eversource cuts planned Western Massachusetts electric rate increase, citing new federal tax law, and AG Maura Healey ‘glad Eversource has done the right thing’ in reducing Massachusetts electricity rate hike. Greentech media also reports that the New Tax Bill Offers Unexpected Benefits to Commercial Solar Installations and Tax Reform Could Mean Lower Bills for Utility Customers.
Last highlight for this week comes from Inside Climate News, which reports that “President Trump rolled out the antiquated arguments about why clean energy was too expensive and a threat to the grid. But markets and policies mostly ignored him.” The result? Clean Energy Soared in the U.S. in 2017.
Stay warm and have a great weekend.
Cold/Storm
Prolonged cold snap upends region’s energy market, Boston Globe
Blizzard Triggers a 60-Fold Surge in Prices for U.S. Natural Gas, Bloomberg
Massachusetts congressional delegation calls for release of additional home heating assistance funds, MassLive
Why it’s hard for Mass. power plants to stop using oil, Boston Globe
Electric utilities turn to oil in deep freeze, The Providence Journal
America’s Power Grid Still Hangs Tough in Face of Winter Wallop, Bloomberg
The U.S. Just Burned the Most Natural Gas Ever, Bloomberg
U.S. winter storms spark record natural gas demand, BBJ (subscriber content)
Arctic Blast Costly To New England Consumers And Environment, Hartford Courant
Cold snap drives gas prices, rekindles pipeline debate, The Daily News of Newburyport
Coal, oil get a boost from Northern cold snap, Utility Dive
Cold snap putting squeeze on oil-fired power plants, CommonWealth Magazine
Arctic Blast Heating Up Battle Between Energy Lobbying Groups, Bloomberg
Deep Freeze in U.S. Creates Heating Squeeze for Homeowners and Utilities, New York Times
Winter storm to test Northeast grid as FERC tees up decision on DOE grid rule, Utility Dive
Pilgrim nuclear plant goes offline, CommonWealth Magazine
Natural Gas/Pipeline
Markey and Warren want firm action from EPA and FERC for pipeline’s discharge of ‘hazardous wastewater’ in Agawam, Berkshire Eagle
Sens. Warren, Markey query feds about Tennessee Gas pipeline wastewater spill in Agawam, MassLive
Town warns residents of carbon monoxide dangers, Andover Townsman
Pennsylvania shuts down construction on Sunoco gas pipeline, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Federal judge rules again Weymouth in compressor station case, Patriot Ledger
The Energy 202: Oil and gas companies get a New Year’s Day gift, Washington Post
Renewable Energy Policy/RGGI/Climate Change/etc.
Lawmakers Delay Vote on RGGI, as Clean Energy Advocates Tout Benefits, New Hampshire Public Radio
Program to promote renewable energy gets new scrutiny, Bennington Banner
Bill to divert RGGI funds to ratepayers draws concern from environmentalists, Concord Monitor
Why mandates still matter in the age of cheap renewables, Utility Dive
Germany Had So Much Renewable Energy Over Christmas It Had to Pay People to Use It, ScienceAlert
Why 2018 will be a make or break year for renewables, GreenBiz
Clean Energy Soared in the US in 2017 Due to Economics, Policy and Technology, InsideClimate News
Companies tout renewable energy projects for Massachusetts, Penn Energy
The sunny optimism of clean energy shines through tech’s gloom, Wired
Energy storage safety set to move forward in 2018 with new fire standards, Utility Dive
New York clean energy proposal seeks 1.5 GW of storage, coal phaseout, Utility Dive
The Year Climate Change Began to Spin Out of Control, MIT Tech Review
EPA issues clean air designations, Northeast states sue over cross-border pollution, Utility Dive
Transition to renewable power sources too slow, Massie says, Berkshire Eagle
Wood-Burning Power Plant Shutting Down for Lack of Subsidies, Power Engineering
Solar
Solar cap puts drag on Massachusetts projects; alternative program in the works, MassLive
Derry council reconsiders solar project, approves on second, The Union Leader
RI Launches New Statewide Solar Permitting Process, Rhode Island Public Radio
10 Predictions for Rooftop Solar and Storage in 2018, Greentech Media
New Tax Bill Offers Unexpected Benefits to Commercial Solar Installations, Greentech Media
Wind
Foe takes aim at second Falmouth turbine, Cape Cod Times
Andrew Cuomo Throws Political Weight Behind Offshore Wind and Energy Storage, Greentech Media
Wind Energy: The Good News in Offshore, Marine Technology News
The top five wind stories of 2017, Windpower Engineering (press release)
The Dutch plan to build the world’s biggest wind farm, complete with a large floating island, Business Insider
15 Deerfield Wind Turbines Go Online, NA Clean Energy
Energy Efficiency
How to save money and energy in buildings? There’s an app for that, The Guardian
Trump Administration Reverses Course on PACE Financing, Greentech Media
One Year Later, AC Hotel Cambridge Reaps the Benefit of Green Building Design, NA Clean Energy
Nuclear
NYISO Seeks FERC Denial on Indian Point Review Deadline, RTO Insider
Nuclear pushes its role ‘softening the blow to consumers’ as cold snap enters week two, Washington Examiner
The committee to save nuclear towns is not in session, EandE News
New Jersey nuke subsidy measure unlikely to see vote in lame-duck session, Utility Dive
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
Eversource cuts planned Western Massachusetts electric rate increase, citing new federal tax law, MassLive.com
Somerset County commissioners say they back 145-mile transmission line project, Press Herald
Dam management raises questions among locals, The Dartmouth
Energy industry a major contributor to Sununu’s campaign coffers, The Union Leader
Northern Pass to Host Second Job Fair for NH Workers, Londonderry News
Electric Car Drivers Are Too Smart to Own Electric Cars, Bloomberg
FERC: Demand response fell 10% in power markets in 2016, Utility Dive
Tax Reform Could Mean Lower Bills for Utility Customers, Greentech Media
US on the cusp of enjoying ‘energy superpower’ status, analyst says, CNBC
Editorial/Opinion
Amid Deep Freeze, New Englanders Can ‘Thank’ NY Gov. Cuomo For Their High Energy Bills, Forbes
My Turn: Why should we believe energy giants?, Concord Monitor
Margaret Harrington: Vermont’s plans to dump on Nevada, vtdigger.org
Thanks to panel for renewable-energy effort, by Kathryn Conover, The Keene Sentinel
Businesses want stronger clean energy mandates, CommonWealth Magazine
Columnist Marty Nathan: Build stature as clean-energy community, Daily Hampshire Gazette
US Grid Needs to Go on a Diet to Get Leaner and Greener, Renewable Energy World
Biomass’s Opportunity in Future Power Trend, Biomass Magazine
Northeast Energy News 