Energy News Report: Nuclear communities scuttled in cross-border dispute, gas breaks in central Michigan | Rare Techy

Stay up-to-date on energy-related developments in the Great Lakes region with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline summary.

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Illinois

The city of Zion, Illinois, has been in economic limbo since the sudden shutdown of its nuclear power plant 25 years ago. Today, efforts are still being made to restore and issue warnings about the country’s power transition.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission banned Vistra Corp. from Midcontinent Independent System Operator interconnection rules to allow the company to add battery storage at two retired Illinois coal-fired power plants.

Morgan County, Illinois, commissioners have agreed to a landmark settlement that is being used to purchase property for a coal-fired pipeline.

Indiana

The city of South Bend, Indiana, is partnering with five nonprofits to install solar projects to reduce energy bills and meet the city’s carbon goals.

CenterPoint Energy customers living in southern Indiana pay the highest electricity rates in the state, according to state data.

An Indiana steelmaker will invest $25 million in the U.S. nuclear technology industry as the company seeks to decarbonize steelmaking.

Throughout most of Indiana, air conditioners and furnaces are a common combination for heating and cooling homes. Heat pumps, on the other hand, are not as common and less reliable. Davide Ziviani, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, explains why heat pumps are reversible air conditioning units.

Michigan

While DTE Energy is pushing for an 8.8% rate hike, the utility giant and its executives and consultants have contributed to the projects of nearly every state council in Michigan. Of the 148 senators and representatives in the state, 138 have received policy contributions tied to DTE Energy, totaling more than $1 million, according to the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group. for the oil industry.

The Mecosta County Board approved a resolution to support an economic impact study of more than a dozen hydroelectric dams owned by Consumers Energy.

Electric utilities are phasing out coal-burning power plants in Michigan. But environmental groups warn that some of those power plants are leaving behind toxic waste.

Election day in Michigan is bad for renewable energy. Four referendums that have set guidelines for installing wind energy have been defeated in the central part of Michigan’s Montcalm County.

Consumers Energy is suing more than a hundred schools, cities and community service groups in eastern Michigan for $8 million in back taxes due to new state subsidies for the gas engines of the equipment.

Enbridge last week opened a new control center in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that performs 24-hour monitoring of the Line 5 pipeline.

Consumers Energy plans to keep its 13 hydroelectric dams on Michigan rivers. Barriers are less expensive for the environment and financially, and they are less efficient. But their pools are loved for recreation. The outcome will be very different in Michigan’s rivers and surrounding communities.

A new report from the Pipeline Safety Trust ranked Michigan as one of the worst states for public awareness of pipelines. The review, conducted annually by a nonprofit watchdog group in Washington, looks at how easily members of the public can access information about plumbing safety and the plumbing near their homes. .

A new four-story apartment building has been proposed in Midtown Detroit on land that has a pair of unused solar panel arrays.

Minnesota

An energy group is seeking to recruit participants to a 1.4 MW community solar project in southwest Minnesota.

Minnesota Power will close two of its coal-fired power plants and add more renewable power than previously planned under an agreement with clean energy groups.

Minnesota’s first natural gas plant operates on land, turning biomass from plants into fuel for heavy-duty vehicles.

Two major Minnesota utilities are challenging a decision by state regulators that prohibits companies from paying customers $55 million in costs related to the 2021 winter storm.

Minnesota solar operators say systems are taking too long to connect to Xcel Energy’s grid despite recent efforts by the utility and state regulators to reduce delays and cancel the program area.

Ohio

The city of Columbus, Ohio, unveiled a solar “microgrid” panel that marks one of the first steps in years to cut the city’s carbon emissions in half.

A proposal by Granville officials to regulate the placement of solar panels on homes and other buildings was headed for a council vote in August when energy advocates announced that Law and order are very restrictive.

Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, has extended its drive to the electric vehicle industry with an agreement to take a nearly 20% stake in American electric truck maker Lordstown Motors for $170 million.

Voters in northern Ohio support a 10-year moratorium on utility wind projects, preventing development of a planned 300 MW project.

AES Ohio now charges customers about $100 for a one-time fee and about $37 a month to opt out of installing smart meters to cover the cost of manual meter reading. and debt.

The US Department of Energy has awarded $30 million to produce nuclear fuel at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon. The award comes with accolades from some and serious concerns from others.

Ontario

Tribal leaders say Canada’s proposed pipeline treaty in 1977 to keep Line 5 open was an attempt to “undermine tribal rights in the US pipeline system.” We don’t need it or have it any other way.”

Wisconsin

The city of Milwaukee is the latest to file a formal objection to We Energies’ rate hike proposal, saying it will burden low-income residents and create budget challenges for the city.

Wisconsin frac sand drilling companies will see an increase in demand from oil and gas operators after a significant downturn in 2020 and 2021.

Island

A startup company recently received design approval to build a ship that moves cargo with sails instead of fuel. A water-powered cruise ship could be the future of decommissioning shipping channels for the Great Lakes.

Despite nearly $400 billion in clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, a lack of materials used to make batteries will halt production for years, analysts say.

Federal regulators expect installed U.S. solar capacity to nearly double from current levels over the next three years.

The US Department of Energy announced plans to fund projects at four nuclear plants to demonstrate the clean production of hydrogen. Developing a robust and cost-effective hydrogen market is seen by the utility sector and others as key to achieving carbon neutrality targets by 2050.

American electric vehicle registrations increased in the first nine months of the year by 57% compared to the same period last year as more models became available.

Four companies that developed solar energy sites in Alabama, Idaho and Illinois have agreed to pay $1.3 million for violating construction permits and groundwater management laws.

Nine out of 10 U.S. counties have experienced a weather disaster due to climate change in the past decade, according to a new report from the climate adaptation group.

Catch more information on Great Lakes Now:

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