In the News

The change in administration in Washington means coal and nuclear power can again be considered as important to the maintaining of electric power supply during emergencies, says Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va.

“Now we have someone across the table who’s willing to listen to the threat. Now we have a DOE secretary who’s on board,” he said.

McKinley’s made his comments on Thursday, Oct. 5, about a week after U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to consider a rule that would change how electricity from coal and nuclear power is priced on the market.

Perry’s proposed rule requires that electric markets develop and implement rules that accurately price generation resources necessary to maintain the reliability and resiliency of the grid. Specifically, the rule allows for the recovery of costs of fuel-secure generation units, that is, coal and nuclear power plants that can keep a 90-day supply of fuel on site.

McKinley says the polar vortex of 2014 exposed the vulnerabilities of a generating system that relies too much on natural gas and renewables. Coal-fired power plants that were scheduled for retirement later that year had to be put into service to meet the demand for electricity as natural gas supply was diverted for home heating use, he said.

For the rest of the article, click here.