Latest news with #MidAtlantic
Washington Post
a day ago
- Business
- Washington Post
To prevent blackouts, Trump administration keeps an aging power plant online through summer
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Energy has ordered another power plant, this time an oil and gas plant in Pennsylvania, to keep its turbines running through the hottest summer months as a precaution against electricity shortfalls in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid. The department's order to the grid operator, PJM Interconnection, regarding the Eddystone power plant just south of Philadelphia on the Delaware River, is the department's second use of federal power under President Donald Trump to require a power plant to keep operating on the mainland United States.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
To prevent blackouts, Trump administration keeps an aging power plant online through summer
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy has ordered another power plant, this time an oil and gas plant in Pennsylvania, to keep its turbines running through the hottest summer months as a precaution against electricity shortfalls in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid. The department's order to the grid operator, PJM Interconnection, regarding the Eddystone power plant just south of Philadelphia on the Delaware River, is the department's second use of federal power under President Donald Trump to require a power plant to keep operating on the mainland United States. Constellation Energy had planned to shut down Eddystone's units 3 and 4 on Saturday, but Trump's Department of Energy ordered the company to continue operating the units until at least Aug. 28. The units can produce a combined 760 megawatts. The department, in its order, cited PJM's growing concerns about power shortfalls amid the shutdown of aging power plants and rising electricity demand. PJM last year approved Constellation's request to shut down the units, but it welcomed the department's order to keep them operating, saying it's a 'prudent, term-limited step' that allows PJM, the department and Constellation to study the longer-term need and viability of Eddystone's units. The department took a similar step last week, ordering Consumers Energy to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant open in Michigan past its Saturday retirement. The grid operator there, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, said the order was unnecessary, that there was no energy emergency there and that there should be enough energy in the region through the summer. An environmental advocacy group, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, criticized the move to keep Eddystone operating as an 'environmental injustice.' Shutting down the units would reduce hazardous pollution and carbon emissions from the decades-old facility and help the region meet federal clean air standards for smog, it said.
E&E News
a day ago
- Business
- E&E News
DOE orders Pennsylvania power plant to delay closure
The Department of Energy late on Friday used emergency powers to force the continued operation of a fossil fuel power plant past its planned Saturday retirement date, marking the second time DOE has delayed a plant retirement in as many weeks. The DOE order directs PJM Interconnection, the grid operator in the mid-Atlantic region, to operate units 3 and 4 at the Eddystone Generating Station south of Philadelphia until late August. Run by Constellation Energy, the two 380-megawatt units can use natural gas and oil. 'This emergency order helps keep money in consumers' pockets while keeping their homes and businesses fully powered,' Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement. 'Energy shortfalls or unnecessary price increases are not options in this Administration.' Advertisement A week earlier, DOE ordered the continued operation of a coal plant planned for retirement in Michigan. The Eddystone order Friday, which is made under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and expires Aug. 28, cites potential power generation shortfalls for PJM.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
What to know about seeing the northern lights in the U.S. on Sunday
The northern lights made an appearance early Sunday in the western United States, but more sightings could be possible as night falls. On Sunday morning, people in New Mexico, Wyoming, Washington state and other parts of the west reported seeing the aurora borealis. Some even spotted glowing skies in the Mid-Atlantic before dawn.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
1 Killed and at Least 7 Are Injured in Tornado in Kentucky, Officials Say
One person was killed and at least seven others were injured when a tornado struck central Kentucky on Friday morning, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. Photos posted by the sheriff's office showed debris strewed across the ground next to an overturned car in a neighborhood said to be in Washington County. The sheriff's office had also asked residents to stay off the roads while crews responded to 'multiple emergency calls.' A clerk at the sheriff's office, Ellen Goatley, said that officials also found a 3-year-old after conducting a search-and-rescue effort for the child. She said that she did not have any information on the child's condition. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky posted a message on social media asking people to 'please pray for these families and everyone affected.' He said was postponing planned trips to Laurel and Pulaski Counties because of the severe weather. 'Everyone, please stay weather aware today,' he said in another message. 'Let's do what's needed to keep everyone safe.' The National Weather Service has warned of possible severe storms with wind damage, large hail and a few tornadoes across much of the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States on Friday. The Weather Service also said that heavy rain may cause flash flooding from eastern Kentucky to southern New York. This is a developing story.
