Coal

Extreme cold weather in December and January has PJM Interconnection performing a contingency analysis of the relationship between its natural gas and electricity systems.

The Trump administration’s plan to order the nation’s grid operators to purchase electricity or power generation capacity from struggling coal and nuclear plants could eventually come before FERC, but wouldn’t present many problems at that stage, according to Chairman Kevin McIntyre.

Days after news broke that the Trump administration is reportedly considering extending a lifeline to struggling coal and nuclear power plants on national security grounds, two cabinet departments appear to be taking the proposed directive as bonafide marching orders.

In an unprecedented move, and a surprise for the oil and natural gas industry, the Trump administration is reportedly planning to order the nation’s grid operators to purchase electricity or power generation capacity from struggling coal and nuclear plants, citing national security.

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has released an array of options that it plans to explore to respond to changes in the state’s wholesale electricity markets, including slapping a price on carbon emissions to better incentivize more environmentally friendly options, according to its Power Trends 2018 report released earlier this month.

CNX Resources Corp. reported a 184% year/year (y/y) increase in Utica Shale volumes during the first quarter, as it continues to build more of the play into its development program.

The overall picture for U.S. natural gas demand is healthy, but the onshore supply surge, particularly from associated gas, should more than cancel out strong demand growth, and a lower price is needed to balance the market over the long-term, according to Raymond James & Associates Inc.

FERC members told a House panel on Tuesday that an order it issued in January to address the reliability and resilience of the nation’s power grid was moving forward, but decisions made by states over the composition of their energy portfolios could further squeeze coal and nuclear power generators.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry told a House panel Thursday that new legislation from Congress, rather than a rarely invoked provision within the Federal Power Act (FPA), may be a more appropriate vehicle for helping to keep uneconomic coal and nuclear power plants running.