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The brutal, unrelenting cold that lasted for several days over the Christmas holiday froze off a sizable portion of Appalachia’s ample gas production, cutting off supply to power plants when they needed it most. Gas transmission pipelines said the gas they were promised simply didn’t show up. On the electric grid that connects Pennsylvania to 12 other states, at one point almost 25% of the capacity on the system either didn’t start up or broke while operating, leaving coal and petroleum-fired units to pick up the slack. PJM, a Valley Forge-based grid operator, is still analyzing what happened during the...

California’s power grid operator declared a stage 3 energy emergency alert Tuesday evening, warning that rotating power outages were "very possible" as a brutal heat wave walloping the state pushed electricity demand to its limits. "Energy Emergency Alert 3 with rotating #power outages very possible. Please reduce your energy use," The California Independent System Operator (ISO) tweeted. California ISO warned residents earlier Tuesday to be prepared for the possibility of rotating power outages and issued an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 2 for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Some 67,000 Californians were without power Monday evening, according to powerotage.us, while ongoing...

COLUMBUS, Ind. — An energy grid operator has warned Indiana and other Midwestern states of the possibility of rolling blackouts this summer as extreme heat combines with a projected power capacity shortage and increased demand. Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), an independent, not-for-profit organization that delivers electric power across 15 U.S. states — including Indiana — and the Canadian province of Manitoba, is warning that power-generating capacity is struggling to keep up with demand, according to Bartholomew County REMC.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric said it may shut off power to about 44,000 customers in California beginning on Monday due to potentially dry, gusty winds that could raise the risk electrical equipment sparking fires. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of extreme fire danger starting late Sunday, when offshore winds are expected to develop across parts of northern and central California. The warning extends to late Tuesday and the strongest winds are expected on Monday. The high winds, combined with bone-dry vegetation caused by the drought, could increase the risk of trees falling...

Industry leaders called for 'urgent action' after the National Grid warned electricity supplies would be 'tight'.. ... Latest sign of a grim winter outlook for UK with economy clobbered by rising inflation and supply chain issues.. The supply of electricity to Britain this winter will be 'tight' and there is a greater risk of blackouts, the National Grid warned today - as soaring energy prices leave families facing sky- high bills. ... Gas is in high demand due to the reopening of the global economy, colder temperatures, and reduced wind and solar output due to unfavourable conditions. ... Omni Energy...

New England is facing an energy future of “rolling blackouts and controlled outages” by 2025 as more power plants close down and pipeline capacity continues to lag behind.The new report by the New England’s grid operator comes after the region suffered through a frigid start to the new year that pushed up prices and strained energy supplies. It could be just a taste of the region’s future.“Taken together, the study results suggest that New England could be headed for significant levels of emergency actions, particularly during major fuel or resource outages,” ISO New England found in a new study,“Harder to...

Obama has declared war on coal in a new push to combat the one thing people believe in even less than his leadership...global warming.I made this design a couple of years back, looks like I/we need to dust it off and shove it in a liberal Democrat's face as they prepare to genuflect before the fake church of science once again...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taking climate change efforts into his own hands, President Barack Obama is proposing sweeping steps to limit heat-trapping pollution from coal-fired power plants and to boost renewable energy production on federal property. Obama, in a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, was to announce he's issuing a presidential memorandum to launch the first-ever federal regulations on carbon dioxide emitted by existing power plants, moving to curb the gases blamed for global warming despite adamant opposition from Republicans and some energy producers.

Daniel P. Schrag, a White House climate adviser and director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment, tells the New York Times "a war on coal is exactly what's needed." Later today, President Obama will give a major "climate change" address at Georgetown University.  “Everybody is waiting for action,” Schrag tells the paper. “The one thing the president really needs to do now is to begin the process of shutting down the conventional coal plants. Politically, the White House is hesitant to say they’re having a war on coal. On the other hand, a war on coal is exactly what’s needed.”Obama's speech today...

President Obama pressed ahead Tuesday with his climate change agenda, calling for new regulations on coal-fired power plants and setting a strict condition for the approval of the controversial Keystone pipeline. "We need to act," Obama said, in an address at Georgetown University. Even before he spoke, the president's proposal drew condemnation from the coal industry and lawmakers whose states rely on that industry for jobs. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, said the proposal "could deliver an unrecoverable blow to coal-rich states" like hers. But Obama claimed climate change is having "profound impacts" on the planet...

So much for the denials. An administration that throughout its 2012 election campaign denied it was waging a War on Coal has now come out and publicly declared its intention to shut down coal-fired power plants – putting hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work and sending electricity prices skyrocketing. This is not what the American people voted for. Responding to a White House petition to end the War on Coal, the administration said: “The President has made clear that he understands that coal has played a critical role in our country’s energy portfolio for decades and will continue...

Democrat Running for Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe "As Governor, I never want another Coal Plant Built!" - RPVNetwork

The head of the Texas Public Utility Commission expressed concern Friday that a new federal air quality rule, set to take effect Jan. 1, will cause disruptions in electric service. If implementation of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is not delayed, "I have no doubt in my mind that this rule will result in reliability issues and rolling outages in Texas," Donna Nelson said at the start of the commission's meeting. ... The company says the industry's standard time frame for installing emission controls is several years, but the rule requires compliance in six months. So Luminant, a subsidiary of...

As was discussed on the February 2nd edition of Pratt on Texas, the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) rolling blackouts across the state could have been prevented with better planning and policy. Electrical engineer, Ross Aten, joined Robert Pratt to talk about how too many coal and natural gas power plants within ERCOT were taken offline for maintenance. Ross also explained that if you, ‘ran the numbers’, the only way ERCOT could have met peak winter demand usage is if wind energy across the state was producing at significant totals. However, because of the ice storm and lack of...

Barack Obama repeated his call for a 15% reduction in electrical demand in Youngstown, Ohio, and held California up as a model for the rest of the nation to follow. Claiming that the Golden State made great strides towards efficiency, Obama apparently forgot the travails California went through: Finally, I will call on businesses, government, and the American people to meet the goal of reducing our demand for electricity 15% by the end of the next decade. This is by far the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to reduce our energy consumption – and it will save us $130 billion...

How appropriate that the ailing Fidel Castro managed to intrude upon a fairly heavy news cycle, since the numerous power outages and rolling blackouts caused by the current heat wave have left so many American cities resembling Havana. The Cuban capital has for years been notorious for routinely shutting off its residents' electricity, leaving them to sweat out the brutal Caribbean heat. Americans from coast to coast recently received a taste of that Castro legacy as temperatures soared to record highs, straining utilities and electricity distribution systems. The loss of power and air conditioning is being blamed for upward of...

Today's news contains this item. nationalgrid today announced that people in the six New England states will have to expect rolling blackouts of 1-2 hours duration during the day when electric demand peaks. This is due to a projected shortage of fuel -- principally natural gas -- for the few electric generating plants that serve the Northeast. The Northeast banned coal-fired and new nuclear plants years ago. There has not been a new power plant built here since the 1970s.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's electric utilities Wednesday urged people to conserve electricity because the state's power supply is heavily reliant on natural gas that normally comes from the Gulf of Mexico by pipeline. Around the rest of the nation, power supply interruptions aren't likely a problem because most other states rely much less on gulf-produced gas, but the crunch is being felt nonetheless as natural gas prices shoot up because of the squeeze in supply. The Florida Reliability Coordinating Council, an industry run group charged with ensuring electric reliability in the state, issued an alert Wednesday urging the public to...

Just heard on LA County Fire frequency that 1 hour blackouts have been instituted....not sure whats up

Lastman wants Toronto spared Canadian Press UPDATED AT 4:35 PM EDT Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003 Toronto — Saying Toronto is the economic engine of Canada, Mayor Mel Lastman insisted Saturday the city and its nearly five million residents should be exempt from the rolling blackouts hitting the rest of the province. Mr. Lastman said Toronto should be spared, even though he understood others in the province would have to do without power longer as a result. Mr. Lastman intended to seek a guarantee on Saturday afternoon from Ontario Premier Ernie Eves that Toronto would be fully powered through the weekend...