Monday, April 14, 2008
DAVID EGGERT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In the battle over global warming, front lines are forming in Bay City and Midland -- proposed sites for Michigan's first large coal-fired power plants since 1984.

If they win the go-ahead, the plants could operate for 50 years. That's an eternity to environmental groups upset that existing coal plants pollute and emit greenhouse gases linked to climate change.

The Midland City Council meets at 7 p.m. today to consider permits needed to build the plant on 32.7 acres on South Saginaw Road at Waldo.

"Why would we make a 50-year commitment to such very old technology?" asked Suzette Zelenak of MidlandCARES, a group opposing a proposed 750-megawatt coal plant in the city. "It's just absolutely backwards thinking."

The $1.9 billion project, intended to serve industrial customers, is a joint venture between LS Power of East Brunswick, N.J., and Houston-based Dynegy Inc.

April 11, 2008

Skills in high technology and sophisticated disciplines hold lots of sway in the New Economy, attracting the younger set that tends to be more educated and in search of upward mobility. But are utilities able to draw the best and brightest?

The power sector is marching forward. The general consensus, however, is that it has done little to make itself appealing to recent graduates. The issue has become accentuated as the industry wrestles with how to replace its now aging workforce. Indeed, challenges abound and notably the transfer of critical knowledge.

March 26, 2008

Two lawsuits intend to de-energize parts of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Environmental and conservation groups are saying that broad transmission corridors that have been authorized by the law are illegal, claiming they allow utilities to bypass state jurisdiction, environmental standards and private property rights.

By expanding the national infrastructure, policymakers also hope to modernize it and bring it in line with a 21st Century economy. Those in the trenches repeatedly express that the capacity of the transmission system is inadequate and will be unable over a sustained period to support huge increases in power demand while also maintaining that the grid is outdated. The issue has been compounded by the difficulties in both winning permits and the necessary capital, thereby increasing the risks of large-scale reliability problems.

March 24, 2008

Dominion Resources is about to make a major investment in its pipeline infrastructure. Its Ohio subsidiary has filed an application with Ohio regulators to replace nearly 20 percent of its 21,000-mile pipeline system over 25 years at a current cost of $2.6 billion. Once approved, modernization will begin next year.

The utility's undertaking is not uncommon. Quite a bit of the infrastructure was laid in the 1950s and 1960s and over time, the lines have corroded. Moreover, the growth in natural gas-fired power plants has increased and put pressure on developers, who say they need greater access to gas-rich areas as well as more pipeline capacity.