The #Trump admin has so far prevented 5 aging #coal-fired #power plants from shutting down at their planned retirement dates. The admin says this is a cost-saving solution for Americans at a time when rising #energy bills are causing concern around the country. But experts say it’s likely to increase energy prices, instead. In fact, new analysis shows the move could cost #US ratepayers billions over the next 2 years.
#idiocracy #CostOfLiving #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #law
The #Trump admin has so far prevented 5 aging #coal-fired #power plants from shutting down at their planned retirement dates. The admin says this is a cost-saving solution for Americans at a time when rising #energy bills are causing concern around the country. But experts say it’s likely to increase energy prices, instead. In fact, new analysis shows the move could cost #US ratepayers billions over the next 2 years.
#idiocracy #CostOfLiving #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #law
It’s a relatively new use for an #Energy Dept “emergency power” normally deployed to bypass #pollution limits & keep #power plants running more frequently during a hurricane, or the recent winter cold snaps. However, last year, Energy Sec Chris Wright used this emergency power to order those #coal plants & one #oil plant to stay open well past their shut-down date—arguing there wasn’t enough energy being generated to power the #grid if they went dark.
@Nonilex So they would rather pay enormous sums to keep these old plants running (and polluting) rather than buy hydro power from Canada is my guess
But maintaining ancient #power plants is very expensive. Many #utilities across the country have spent the last several years slowly retiring their oldest & dirtiest #coal facilities, & replacing that energy with a mix of newer, low-cost options including #gas plants & #renewables.
“These are old plants,” said Michael Goggin, executive VP of #energy consulting group #Grid Strategies & the author of the recent report tallying the costs of coal plants. “They are no longer economic.”
All told, the #Trump admin keeping these plants open could cost #US #utility customers $3-6 billion by the end of 2028, the #Grid Strategies report found.
Some are literally broken: 2 #coal power plant units in #Colorado & #Indiana were not operational when Wright ordered them out of retirement, meaning they will need costly repairs & maintenance before they can even hope to be turned back on.
#idiocracy #affordability #CostOfLiving #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #energy #law
@Nonilex On what planet to pro-business Republicans approve of government forcing a business to reopen a non-functional plant and operate it at a loss?
Routine maintenance & upgrades to the #grid were already causing households nationwide to experience sticker shock on their monthly #bills. These added costs could drive regional prices even higher in the coming year. 2 co-operative #electrical #utilities that own the #Colorado #coal plant forced to stay online asked the #Trump admin to reconsider because it would raise #costs on their ratepayers.
#idiocracy #affordability #CostOfLiving #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #energy #law
“It is our members that ultimately are going to pay for the cost of this order,” Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association CEO Duane Highley said in a statement.
An #Energy Dept spox called #coal fired power “one of the most affordable & reliable sources of #electricity because it can be counted on by #grid operators to meet peak demand” in a statement.
But Goggin & other #energy experts told CNN they have been confounded by the admin’s claims that electricity from coal is affordable.
