FirstEnergy Corporation

13Nov

Pumping the Brakes on Coal Plant RetirementS

In the wake of the election, with a major pivot on energy and regulatory policy coming in January, utilities are already publicly announcing they’re likely to postpone, or scrap altogether, plans to close coal plants. Utilities desperately need existing capacity as reserve margins shrink and power demand soars. Southern Company Chief Executive Officer Chris Womack […]
14Feb

Not So Fast, We Need Those Plants

Concern about its ability to keep the lights on has led FirstEnergy, one of the nation’s largest regulated utilities, to walk back the proposed closure of two of its coal power plants. The decision to continue the operation of the utility’s two West Virginia coal plants past 2030 – the Fort Martin and Harrison power stations […]
10Apr

When the Market is the Problem

“Allow the market to work” has been the catchphrase rebuttal to any suggestion that the accelerating loss of baseload, fuel-secure power plants threatens grid reliability. Renewable and natural gas advocates have sung it from the rooftops like a lost verse of “Baby Shark.” What their dismissal assumes – what their unshakeable faith in the market […]
05Feb

A Warning to Proceed with Caution

What’s the cost of inaction to protect the fuel diversity of our grid? New York offers a hint. The Empire State may have only two coal-fired power plants remaining, but a new rule aimed at effectively eliminating coal power from the state’s grid by 2020 is already jolting markets. As Bloomberg reported, the rule hasn’t […]