Prediction: Coal has fallen. Nuclear is next then Oil.

[mspohr]

This is funny:

Long-Delayed Vogtle Nuclear Plants Want To Delay Reporting How Much Longer They'll Be Delayed | CleanTechnica

When centrists insist we need to build more nuclear power plants as part of the decarbonization push to prevent climate change, they ignore two very important things: New nuclear power plants are fiendishly expensive and have a lousy track record of getting built on time. Or even at all. Southern Company’s Georgia Power division started building its new Vogtle nuclear reactors in 2009, with expected completion in 2016. It’s now three years later, the two reactors have been delayed till 2021 and 2022, and now Georgia Power is asking to delay reporting on whether or not those delayed openings will once again be delayed.

Georgia Power is supposed to be reporting every six months, with the next update due later this month. But new reports indicate that Georgia’s Public Service Commission regulators have asked for a six-month delay because the commission has “an extra heavy caseload and plans to increase monitoring”. (If that sounds odd to you … it should.) Georgia Power was happy to agree, but not everyone is on board.

 

[mspohr]

Oil & Gas Execs Are Rewarded For Pursuing Stranded Assets That Will Burn Investors | CleanTechnica

Interesting report from "Carbon Tracker" shows how oil company execs are rewarded for investing in expensive exploration and development that will likely lead to stranded assets.

 

[mspohr]

The nuclear city goes 100% renewable

However, despite there being 11 nuclear reactors in operation in Illinois, the city is moving to a different power source: renewable energy. Yesterday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel unveiled the Resilient Chicago plan, which with action number 38 commits to “transition to 100% clean, renewable energy in buildings community-wide by 2035”. The deadline for all city government buildings to be powered solely by renewables, first established in 2017, has been brought forward to 2025.

 

[SageBrush]

^^ All the more irony considering Rahm's history.

 

[S'toon]

American coal and tobacco industries are killing more people each year than they employ, according to findings published in the journal Social Sciences.

The coal industry employs 51,795 Americans but is attributed to 52,015 premature deaths caused by coal-fired, electricity-based air pollution each year. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry employs just over 124,000 US workers but causes more than 0.5 million deaths via exposure to direct and second-hand smoke.

"After running the numbers, the results are shocking. Every coal mining job in the US demands literally one American life every year. For tobacco jobs, it is four times worse. The study concludes both industries warrant corporate death penalties,” explained lead researcher Joshua Pearce in a statement, adding that industries responsible for extensive harm should be determined and held accountable for their actions.

<snip>

Full article at:
These Two Industries Kill More People Than They Employ

 

[mspohr]

Death throes of the Navajo coal plant at Four Corners.

Energy Company Pushes Navajo Nation to Assume Liability for Coal Plant

Peabody coal is desperate to find somebody to buy the plant so they can continue polluting and profiting. All of the sane buyers have dropped out because it's too expensive. Now they want the Navajo Nation to take over the plant and assume the liabilities.
There is an alternative to make the area a solar farm which would create jobs.

 

[mspohr]

UK must stop investing in fossil fuels in developing countries
UK must stop investing in fossil fuels in developing countries | Ban Ki-moon

The UK is still giving billions to develop fossil fuels.

 

[SageBrush]

Death throes of the Navajo coal plant at Four Corners.

Energy Company Pushes Navajo Nation to Assume Liability for Coal Plant

Peabody coal is desperate to find somebody to buy the plant so they can continue polluting and profiting. All of the sane buyers have dropped out because it's too expensive. Now they want the Navajo Nation to take over the plant and assume the liabilities.
There is an alternative to make the area a solar farm which would create jobs.

The Navajo nation bought a coal mine in the 4-corners area to preserve mine jobs and mine tax revenue. It is somewhat 'natural' for them to then buy a coal power plant to have a buyer for the mine production. The main issue for them that they seemingly fail to grasp due to local distorted politics is that the customers for coal derived power is drying up. Specifically, California utilities are divesting from coal ownership because they will be increasingly limited in how much dirty power they can import into the state. To the north, Colorado customers are (slowly for me, fast for them) moving towards renewables and curtailing coal imports; and even New Mexico's PNM (the giant in the state) has decided that renewables are cheaper than coal, leading to their staged closure of Kirtland in the 4-corners area.

The Navajo were stupid to buy the mine, and now they are doubling down. Their call to buy dirty power to protect Navajo jobs is going to fall on deaf ears.

 

[mspohr]

Saudi Aramco says oil industry faces 'crisis of perception'
Saudi Aramco says oil industry faces 'crisis of perception'

Saudis whinging that people are writing off oil and gas.

 

[ggies07]

Saudi Aramco says oil industry faces 'crisis of perception'
Saudi Aramco says oil industry faces 'crisis of perception'

Saudis whinging that people are writing off oil and gas.

Good god, these people are so blind to their minuscule lives. Humanity will never survive if we can't start thinking like universal beings (meaning we get our energy not from the planet we are on, but the universe we live in) instead of these geographical areas that were created thousands of years ago.

He said: “Because it [the crisis] threatens our industry’s very relevance, it puts our ability to supply ample, reliable and affordable energy to billions around the world at risk, which in turn risks their energy security.”

Bob Dudley, the chief executive of BP, said he agreed with the Saudi oil boss. “The world is driven by myths and not facts,” he said.

 

[Merrill]

This is exactly why we have a problem, they just are stuck in the past and will not look to the future.

 

[mspohr]

Good god, these people are so blind to their minuscule lives. Humanity will never survive if we can't start thinking like universal beings (meaning we get our energy not from the planet we are on, but the universe we live in) instead of these geographical areas that were created thousands of years ago.

Unfortunately, the oil industry believes in some powerful myths.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

In 2018, coal did indeed fall:

Coal Generation:
2017: 1,205,835 GWh, 29.71% of total
2018: 1,146,393 GWh, 27.25% of total

Coal Generation Capacity:
Total Capacity: 243,473.8 GW
Change in 2018: -13,073.5 GW, -5.1%
Planned capacity change in 2019: -4,014.8 GW, -1.65%

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

In 2018, coal did indeed fall:

Coal Generation:
2017: 1,205,835 GWh, 29.71% of total
2018: 1,146,393 GWh, 27.25% of total

Coal Generation Capacity:
Total Capacity: 243,473.8 GW
Change in 2018: -13,073.5 GW, -5.1%
Planned capacity change in 2019: -4,014.8 GW, -1.65%

A little general addition to this, since I think it's very interesting.

According to the EIA (https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/xls/table_6_01.xlsx) in 2019:
* planned net natural gas capacity additions are almost entirely due to additional CCGT. Net additions of 5.78GW, with 5.75GW being CCGT.
* new combustion turbine and now internal combustion units are planned, but that is balanced by a continuing reduction in steam turbine capacity. (+1.75GW -1.76GW)
* net fossil fuel additions will be 1.78GW
* net utility-scale renewable additions will be 16.42GW. Net wind additions will be 11.32GW. Net utility-scale solar additions will be 4.89GW. The remaining 0.21GW additions will mostly be biomass, with hydro up only 0.014GW
* nuclear net capacity will change by -1.33GW.

In summary, for 2019, the EIA says:
+16.42GW net utility-scale renewable capacity
+0.45GW new conventional generation (NG, coal, nuclear).

 

[ReddyLeaf]

In 2018, coal did indeed fall:

Coal Generation:
2017: 1,205,835 GWh, 29.71% of total
2018: 1,146,393 GWh, 27.25% of total

Coal Generation Capacity:
Total Capacity: 243,473.8 GW
Change in 2018: -13,073.5 GW, -5.1%
Planned capacity change in 2019: -4,014.8 GW, -1.65%

Uhh, you maybe missed a unit... GW —> MW
From Wikipedia:

In 2009, there were 1436 coal-powered units at the electrical utilities across the US, with a total nominal capacity of 338.732 GW

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Uhh, you maybe missed a unit... GW —> MW
From Wikipedia:

Yeah, sorry, but you knew what I meant, right, so I at least get a C?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

In 2018, coal did indeed fall:

Coal Generation:
2017: 1,205,835 GWh, 29.71% of total
2018: 1,146,393 GWh, 27.25% of total

Coal Generation Capacity:
Total Capacity: 243,473.8 MW
Change in 2018: -13,073.5 MW, -5.1%
Planned capacity change in 2019: -4,014.8 MW, -1.65%

OK, that s better! Sorry!

 

[mblakele]

Coal is Australia's largest export by value, according to an article in The Economist (other sources say #2, behind iron ore). But there are troubles.

Troubling signs for the future of Australia’s giant coal industry

China, Australia’s second-biggest coal customer, after Japan, was reported on February 21st to have imposed delays on coal imports from Australia at the northern port of Dalian, but not on those from other countries. A day earlier Glencore, a Swiss-based company and Australia’s biggest coal miner, announced it would cap coal production at current levels. And, for the first time, an Australian judge has refused to allow a new coal mine because it would have contributed to climate change.​

 

[mspohr]

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Enbridge Pipeline Delayed a Year in Hit to Canadian Oil Industry

 

[gilscales]

Interesting article from 2012, funny no mention of Tesla?


Oil is too Precious to be Used as Transportation Fuel | OilPrice.com