February 1 NEC Energy News
¶ “Utility Issues Request For 2.3 GW Of Renewables” • Georgia Power has filed its 2022 Integrated Resource Plan which includes a request for approval of 2300 MW of renewables capacity, with a goal of 11,500 MW by 2035. The utility also requests approval to own and operate 1 GW of energy storage by 2030. (GP is part owner of the Vogtle nuclear plant.) [reNews]
¶ “West Virginia Lawmakers Vote To Repeal Ban On Nuclear Power Production” • West Virginia lawmakers have lifted a ban on nuclear energy production. The House of Delegates voted 76-18, with eight absences, to lift the ban. Senators already had voted to do away with the ban. Such issues as taxation, transportation, and safety are yet to be addressed. [WV MetroNews]
¶ “Record 31.1 GW Of PPAs Signed In 2021” • Corporations bought over 31 GW of renewable electricity through power purchase agreements in 2021, BloombergNEF research shows. The figure set a new record, up nearly 24% on the previous year’s 25.1 GW. Almost two thirds (65%) or 20.3 GW of the PPAs were struck in the Americas. [reNews]
¶ “Farmers Profiting From The Solar Power Boom” • Some 75% of the UK’s land is farmland. This typically flat, open land is also best suited to renewables. In 2019, around 40% of farmers were already generating, and profiting from, low-carbon energy, says the UK National Farmers’ Union. They produced around 10% of the UK’s electricity. [Energy Monitor]
¶ “EPA To Bring Back Mercury Pollution Rules That Were Nixed Under Trump Administration” • The EPA announced it intends to reaffirm its authority to regulate toxic mercury from power plant smokestacks, undoing a Trump rollback. The EPA proposes to bring back the 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rules implemented under President Obama. [CNN]
¶ “US Clean Energy Corps To Pursue Climate Resilience” • The Clean Energy Corps, a new program launched by the Biden administration, will hire 1,000 people in the US to help expand the country’s clean energy infrastructure, a step the White House says is “critical to achieving the president’s goal of 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035.” [CleanTechnica]
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