Retirements

Physical gas for Wednesday delivery was mostly lower Tuesday as benign eastern weather lent a soft touch to the market. A few Northeast points advanced as pipeline restrictions continued, but next-day power forecasts called for moderate increases in load, and next-day peak power rose slightly.

Last year's projections for coal-fired power generation plant retirements are already old news, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The numbers are ramping up rapidly, and relatively low natural gas prices play a role, along with stepped-up emissions rules.

In a notice published in theFederal RegisterWednesday, the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced its final authorization of the decommissioning of the Gulf Gateway Energy Bridge Deepwater Port, the first deepwater liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility of its kind in the world. The Excelerate Energy LP facility is being retired just eight years after it went into service in the Gulf of Mexico.

Those wondering about future natural gas burn by power utilities — how much and when — should look to three factors for insight: renewable generation growth, coal-fired plant retirements, and revisions to federal air emissions regulations, analysts at Bernstein Research said in a note.

The New York Independent System Operator (NY-ISO) expects to operate “in an environment of expanded dependency on natural gas-fired generation, renewable generation and retirements of less efficient generation” over the next five years, the electricity grid operator said in its 2013-2017 Strategic Plan.

As many as 353 coal-fired generators totaling 59 GW — about 18% of the country’s coal-fired generating capacity — should be considered for closure, in addition to 41 GW of coal retirements that have already been announced, according to a report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

As many as 353 coal-fired generators totaling 59 GW — about 18% of the country’s coal-fired generating capacity — should be considered for closure, in addition to 41 GW of coal retirements that have already been announced, according to a report released Monday by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

Calgary-based Suncor Energy Inc. plans to cut 1,000 people from its workforce by mid-October through layoffs, retirements or discontinuation of contract positions that resulted from its merger with Petro-Canada Corp., the company said Thursday. Combined, the two producers employed a total of 13,000 people before their merger was announced last March (see NGI, March 30).

Suncor Energy Inc. said Thursday it plans to cut its workforce by 1,000 by mid-October through a combination of layoffs, retirements or discontinuation of contract positions that resulted from its merger with Petro-Canada Corp.